Low Speed Clunk

[Sean Manning]

Good question. I have not noticed it in reverse. However I have not tried giving it acceleration in reverse . I will try and see.

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2017 Explorer Sport with 2000 miles on it. Every time i start the car and start driving, there is a single "pop" noise that comes from the front at initial acceleration. I took it back to Ford for service and they told me they all do that. I am not buying that. Anyone else have this issue?

Welcome to the Forum Sean.
The dealer was right. What you hear is the ABS self check.

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

Track the speed, see if it's consistent. If you're hearing a grunt noise it's probably the ABS self test. Per the workshop manual, it occurs at 6 MPH. Though honestly, I'm pretty sure I feel one at 40 as well.

 

[Sean Manning]

Track the speed, see if it's consistent. If you're hearing a grunt noise it's probably the ABS self test. Per the workshop manual, it occurs at 6 MPH. Though honestly, I'm pretty sure I feel one at 40 as well.

Thanks. I tried going faster in reverse and it does it in reverse too. Yep I would say it happens at about 6mph. It's annoying, the Edge and Expedition do not make the noise. Interesting. Hopefully I get used to it

 

[Sean Manning]

Welcome to the Forum Sean.
The dealer was right. What you hear is the ABS self check.

Peter

Thanks Peter. Okay, hopefully I get used to it.
It is doing a couple other strange things, I will poke around the forums try to find the right place to ask about them.

 

[bigtexan99]

Sounds like the ABS check. I can't feel / hear it in my Sport, but in my 07 Volvo its super noticeable. I thought something was wrong at first, until I found out about the ABS self check.

As I recall, its checks every time the vehicle is started, so if you turn it off to go into the store its going to check again.

 

[peterk9]

Thanks. I tried going faster in reverse and it does it in reverse too. Yep I would say it happens at about 6mph. It's annoying, the Edge and Expedition do not make the noise. Interesting. Hopefully I get used to it

It seems that for some reason that some Explorers have a more distinctly noticeable 'Self Check' than others. I don't notice it in mine. I believe I did in my 2011 Explorer when I made an specific attempt to listen for it with the radio off when slowly starting off.

Peter

 

[Crystal Netherland]

My 2018 explorer only has 5k miles on it... since the day I bought it(didn’t notice on the test drive) it makes a clunk... after turning the car on and driving forward. Not after taking it out of park, not after turning and not if I go backwards.... only going forwards. I’ve taken it to 2 different dealerships. The first replaced the bearings and the right struts... no fix.... they refused to continue fixing it stating it was “normal”. Second dealership must have called the first cause they didn’t even attempt a repair... just just called it “normal”.....I call their bluff but I have no solution... thoughts??

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Crystal.
If it seems like a small little noise that only happens right after you start driving forward at about 3 -5 mph, it is like lt the ABS self check that you are hearing. If so, that is perfectly normal. Some hear it others don't. Low Speed Clunk

Peter

 

[Crystal Netherland]

Peter
Thanks for the response. I’ve driven other like models and didn’t hear it. Which is my concern. Another forum suggest it is the engine mount. Any thoughts on this?

 

[peterk9]

Peter
Thanks for the response. I’ve driven other like models and didn’t hear it. Which is my concern. Another forum suggest it is the engine mount. Any thoughts on this?

If it happens under the conditions I described, it is likely the ABS self-check which only happens after you start the vehicle and begin moving. If the engine is already running and you switch from Park or Neutral to Drive, you should not hear it if it is the self-check If you do, then it is something else..

Peter

 

[Crystal Netherland]

No I only head the noise after I’ve begun to drive forward. It was also suggested it could be a faulty engine mount since the ford ones are now hydraulic ‍

 

[peterk9]

No I only head the noise after I’ve begun to drive forward. It was also suggested it could be a faulty engine mount since the ford ones are now hydraulic ‍

I would think that if it was a faulty mount it would do it every time you drove forward after shifting from P, N, or R to D. Like I said, if you only get it after starting the engine and moving forward at about 3 -5 mph it is more than likely the ABS. Drive the vehicle, put it in Park, leave the engine running and then put it in Drive and you should not hear the sound if it the self-check. If no noise, then it is normal like the technician said.

Peter

 

[613GT500]

Not so much a clunk, but more of a hum.
If it always happens after the first drive, when the Ex has been shut off, it is likely the ABS check as Peter mentioned.

 

[Adrian Gitch]

If you confirm its not the ABS, when you have it in drive, does it clunk when you just let off the brake pedal and let it move forward on its own or does it only do it when you let off brake pedal and press the accelerator? Reason I'm asking cause if it's the engine mount, it may only do it when pressing the accelerator because of putting some torque on the motor tweaking it just enough to make the mount clunk.

 

[Crystal Netherland]

It clunks regardless of I’m pressing the gas pedal or not and the speed doesn’t matter.

 

[metroplex]

I think I either posted this here or on the SHO forums (when I had a 2014 SHO), where if I did a cold start/warm start, I'd hear/feel a clunk from the front-end while leaving from a parking spot or my garage. It felt almost like strut pop on the SHO, but it'd only do it once after a start.

When I got my 2018 Explorer XLT, I'd hear the same thing and thought it'd be impossible since it is a new vehicle. But after randomly noticing something, I found out that the clunk only happens when I first reach 7 mph or so after a start. It had nothing to do with turning after a start. I was able to replicate it by not going over 7 mph and then accelerating in a straight line. Sure enough, I'd feel a clunk/thud in the front-end once I hit 7 mph.

Does anyone know if the EPAS or ABS does a self-check at 7 mph? My 2000 Crown Vic ABS would do a self-check at 10 or 15 mph, but the SHO/Explorers seem to have that clunk vibrate through the steering/dashboard so I am thinking EPAS. My 2017 Fusion Sport doesn't do this, nor does my 09 Cobalt SS (both have EPAS).

 

[peterk9]

^^ Your thread was merged with this one on the same issue.
It is more than likely the ABS self-check that you feel. The speed sounds about right as well. It will only do it after an engine start.

Peter

 

[metroplex]

Thanks for the move Peter!
None of my cars have done ABS self-checks since the 2000 Crown Vic. I don't think it is the ABS, as I can feel it through the steering wheel and front suspension. The sound comes from the front passenger side.

On my 2014 SHO it was far more pronounced, it sounded like a strut pop/rub from the front passenger side. I thought it was going to lead to a serious problem.

The ABS module is on the driver side and shouldn't send any vibrations through the steering.

I'm pretty sure the EPAS on the Fusion Sport isn't the same, so I don't hear that on the Fusion.

 

[peterk9]

The vehicles do an ABS self-check after startup and around 5 to 7 miles per hour. I have had some that I could notice and some that I could not, but they do it regardless. It only does it after start-up. To my knowledge, the is no EPAS self-check.

Peter