KKRISKAL
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- March 20, 2019
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 23
- City, State
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2020 Ford Explorer ST
I know and understand that the noise reported on this thread might be or is different than what I am going to explain here. There was a weird metallic or something that sounded metallic (like for example 2 metal handle snow scrapers hitting each other OR 2 wrench touching each other very gently). This rattle (very faint but can be heard without the radio on) would only occur on a very specific type of road. The road has to be eroded, then there should have been potholes but which has been filled unevenly, like there are NO holes but the filling is lumpy above the road level and lots of them.
So I decided I will use today since it is my off, to start driving early morning and figure this out. I did Not want to report this to the dealer and having them ripping my car apart in places that it does Not need to (yeah I am touchy with my vehicles).
So with this mission of finding those kind of roads, which I know existed on I-25, I started driving early in the morning. Ran the SR over all those areas, but not able to get the exact replication so continued driving. After about 140+ miles of driving, finally got to as stretch where I was able to replicate it. Pulled over at a scenic view point less than a mile away, opened all the doors and started tapping, hitting, shaking everything inside the car but NO MATCH with what I was hearing while driving.
Continued driving, took the next exist, came back to the same patch and same sound, pulled over again and started banging at everything. Finally, I think, just think might have found the culprit. The Center Console hand rest!!!. Everytime I hit that, it made a half metallic noise. So I was almost certain that those corroded/eroded roads were causing vibrations for it to rattle in those conditions.
So I drove back and forth with my hand on the arm rest, keeping it open on occasions etc. and I could Not replicate the exact noise so I drove back all the way home and could Not hear it until now. It took me about 300 miles and the associated gas money but I think, just think and hope that I might have identified my rattle. Not sure yet, requires more testing but I hope I did, will keep you all posted.
And after all the banging, opening closing it a zillion times, the center console does not even make that metallic rattle anymore, it is more of a plasticy noise now. So fingers crossed.
Quick update on this - This was Not the issue, I still have the noise, very faint and very rare. Even on the type of roads that I mentioned it occurs, it does Not occur all the time. Like the same patch of road near my house, it happens 1 out of 5 times. Have no idea what it is. I guess I will just have the radio on all the time and try to forget about it. I really don't want the dealer trying to replicate it by going over all the potholes and making matters worse.
Maybe it is just the seatbelt metal hooks that are all hanging in the second and third row.