I own a 2007 Mustang V6 Pony.
I've already had the dealer attempt to fix the problem by replacing both front strut assemblies including the strut bearings at 1200 miles ;-), (great dealer! They gave it a shot and tried to fix it at least and I didn't even buy the car from them.) Covered it under warranty of course.

The problem is an anoying thunking noise coming from the front end suspension when going over small humps or bumps in the road at low speeds. Say 1 to 45 MPH. It's a subtle dull metalic 'thunk' that comes through loud enough to disturb my idea of a quiet ride and anyone who can discern between regular road noise and suspension noise can tell something strange is going on.

I and my mechanic both drove two other pony's and they make the same sound. It seems to me that Ford would or should have set it up so the darn front suspension isn't so bloody loud in the first place as you can hear everything the road has to offer!

It seems that the thunking noise is common even though when you drive a new near 0 miles stang you can hardly hear it, in fact it's not audible at all from what I recall. After a few hundred miles though, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk,,,every bloody bump or ripple in the road. The thunk isn't real loud but it's noticeable and if you pay attention to it too much it will agrivate the crap out of you.
The GT's do it too but it's a bit less noticeable.

Has anyone noticed this thunking sound in their '06 / '07 stangs?
I'm really curious as to if you do/did and what you did about it.

Just so you know, the front end has been thoroughly inspected/re-torqued and all that jazz. Like I said in the beginning, both left and right front struts have been replaced including the bearings.

Now one thing. The bearings do have just a tiny bit of vertical play in them. Anywhere from 1mm to say 3mm. This is stock. They say 'and it makes sense' that the spring load up against the bearing will keep that little bit of play from being a problem. I tend to disagree in that when the vehicles weight is on them plus the pre-compressed weight which has to be at least a couple hundred pounds or pressure pushing against the bearing keeping the bottom rotator pressed up against the bearings,,,should keep it from rattling or thunking. I am still willing to try some aftermarket strut bearings that have no play and see if the thunking noise abates 'goes away for you lamen ;-)'.

The only other thing it could be is something in the body cavities is lose and or the cavities tend to amplify this particular frequency of sound. When you sit in the passenger side when someone else is driving (in this case it was my mechanic during our test drives) the sound is less obvious. Not much but it is less. Weird!

Anyway, I decided to live with it. I like the car so much! It rides great, gets it for a V6 (a lot like the old 289 2bbl stang I had) and it sounds like a small block V8 too. That is until one throws in a cat back exhaust system then it will sound like any other V6 with duals.
If I do add a cat back dual exhaust, it will be a cat back X pipe exhaust with tuned and quiet (sleeper) mufflers on the end. I don't need loud, just good exhaust flow when I have my foot in it. Yes I'll probably reprogram the MCU too and add a cold air intake. Why not. Better power, better gas mileage and a stang should be all it can be anyway.

Still the V6's power is enough for me. I could use another 90 HP as the 4.6 V8 produces but hey, it's only 90 more HP and I don't need it anyway. Don't need the extra weight or the lower gas mileage. Geesh, I have my foot in my 6 banger enough as it is! As anyone should know, the V6 is capable of up to 350HP with a blower on it. More if you dual turbo it but then you have to rebuild the engine to handle it not to mention the transmission. Stock, with what one has on hand, one can increase it's power to around 250 RWHP or more.
That's plenty for a light car as it is.

I didnt' buy it to race tini-boppers or to be able to say "who has the baddest stang in Virginia?". Those testosterone laden high school days are long gone. I like it because it's stylish, takes me back to the good ol' days and IMHO, it's a REAL MUSTANG! The retro's closed me. I never liked the almost rice burner FOX etc. body's. To me they are just cars with Mustang tatoo'd on them! I own a REAL Mustang. The REAL MUSTANGS ARE BACK!

So has anyone had the same thunking noise coming from their front end on the late model stangs? Sure would like to know what the fix is before I take the time and money to figure it out on my own.

Thanks!
Wolfey

Hello,
I am a new member and have a 2007 GT. I just posted a message concerning this very problem. I also have this happening to my 2007 GT. I have an appointment with the dealer in a couple days. My car only has 65 miles on it. When making the appointment, the service manager told me that this is normal for some of the Mustangs. But you would think that building a 30,000 dollar car that Ford would at least have a quiet suspension. Can you help me with any information before my GT goes in for the appointment? Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thank you,
Casper

Hi Casper.
Just happened to check my email before hitting the sack.
Your GT is making that annoying Thunking noise eh?
I drove two GT's after I baught my 4.0 pony and they made that noise too but it was much more subtle.
However, I think they all do it but not so much until after you've put some miles on them.
It also seems that most people are oblivious to this problem. Guess they just accept that the front suspension is loud.
However, I have been thinking this over for some time now as when I drive my stang I am painfully reminded of it.
I think it's the strut bearings. Replacing them won't get rid of the problem because there is around 1 to 2mm of vertical play in the strut bearing. The mech's say that this is not a problem due to the fact that the spring pressure against it keeps enough up force on the bearing to keep it from rattling. The weight of the car would contribute to this also hence the thunking noise you hear isn't as loud as it is on the lighter 6 bangers.
The problem is inherrant in the stinking strut bearing and Ford won't acknowledge this. At least not so far.
If enough of us complain about it, then Ford will eventually take action, investigate and come out with a TSB for the fix.
One other guy that has been trying to fix his problem says he thinks he's narrowed it down to the A-Arms which are the lower control arms. I suggested that the bushings are fused to them and there is now way they would be rattling or thunking like that.
Could be something lose in the body or engine compartment too but I have looked into this and found nothing wrong.
There IS something wrong. Not necessarily lose but wrong.
I think the thunking is due to the slack in the bearing during non-damped suspension movement. This would be a moment when the suspension only flexes very slightly, I mean less than a 1/8th or 1/10th inch as when one is going over tiny ripples / bumps in the road as slow to moderate speeds.
The best way to find out where the slop is, is for Ford to simulate road conditions similar to that of when the problems crops up and fix the problem.
You are right. Spending the sort of money we have on our rides, Ford should be ashamed of themselves to allow such a simple yet annoying problem to exist much less persist.
I have already had the mech's at my Ford dealer take their shot in the dark. They replaced both strust assemblies including strut bearings and the problem didn't go away.
Just because Ford may say that this is a common problem doesn't mean there's nothing they can do about it.
Ticks me off when the say crap like that. It's just down right stupid think in my opinion.
For every effect, there is a cause. They have chosen to ignore it and allow this flaw to be incorporated into all the stangs. The number crunchers probably said it's cheaper to ignore than to do otherwise.
But do tell me of your mech's manage to get rid of the problem. Tell me what they did to fix it.
Keep in touch on this as I and one other guy are very interested in solving this annoying Thunking noise too.

Good luck!
Wolfey

ORIGINAL: wolfey2k

It also seems that most people are oblivious to this problem. Guess they just accept that the front suspension is loud.



That could be it or maybe most people don't have this problem. Just a thought.

The thunking sound your hearing is not limited to the 07's.

This issue goes all the way back to the 05's.

The issue is the front sway bar, rod ends and the attachment to the front struts. The the thunking sound your hearing is probably coming from the passenger side front area.

The only way I was able to get rid of the sound was to install a BMR Front Sway Bar and Radiator Support Kit.

Like you, when I first heard the sound I about crapped my pants thinking that the front right strut was toast and would need replacement.

But since I was trying to go for better weight transfer to the back tires I removed the front sway bar. Lo and behold the thunking sound dissapeared and hasnt been back since...........almost a year now.

If you remove the front sway bar the thunking sound will go away.

I did install a dual Strut Tower Brace to tighten the front end up. The GT performs very well in turns.

I have an 06 GT and had the exact same problem. I took it to my ford dealer and after test driving it, the service guy said it was supposed to sound like that. I said no way, so they took an 07 off the lot and took me for a ride in it. Low and behold, it also had the cluncking noise on low speed bumps. The dealer checked their national hot line for complaints and had none on this problem. He said that eventually when complaints came in Ford might do something about it. OK, now listen to this. I wanted to lower my stang, so I added eibach prokit springs with tokico dspec struts. Vola', the noise went away and I haven't heard it since. This tells me the problem is in the factory strut/springs assembly and Ford doesn't want to deal with it.

but GT john just explained it is the swaybar. My car is lowered with the ford racing springs with stock struts and I don't hear a thunking sound. Maybe it is not noticeable on my car.


ORIGINAL: sandy

I have an 06 GT and had the exact same problem. I took it to my ford dealer and after test driving it, the service guy said it was supposed to sound like that. I said no way, so they took an 07 off the lot and took me for a ride in it. Low and behold, it also had the cluncking noise on low speed bumps. The dealer checked their national hot line for complaints and had none on this problem. He said that eventually when complaints came in Ford might do something about it. OK, now listen to this. I wanted to lower my stang, so I added eibach prokit springs with tokico dspec struts. Vola', the noise went away and I haven't heard it since. This tells me the problem is in the factory strut/springs assembly and Ford doesn't want to deal with it.

I have an 05 also it has made the noise since I got it, I never took it to the dealer because like everybody states there is no fix.. I agree everyone of us should call the 800 number and complain, there is no excuse for this problem, they can come up with a fix if they wanted to. I'm going to call today!!!!!

Not that Ford shouldn't fix this, but if it happens on my car (haven't heard it yet, but only about 300 miles on the car) I think I'll just go with after market sway bars and bushings. Fixes the problem and improves handling. Again, not that Ford shouldn't make it right, but sway bars are relatively inexpensive and it'd be all the excuse I'd need for the mod. :)

I also have a 2006 Mustang with 17,000 miles on it. It is a sharp car but the low speed noise on roads with strips cracks or even hitting the end of my driveway sends me through the roof. Sounds like a Chrysler mini van with 80,000 miles on it with bad struts. My dealer has done a nice job in in handling me but can't fix it. The last time it was in for 10 days and after replacing the front struts and stabilizing links guess what???? It is still there!!! They brought a rep From ford and although they all hear it they can't do anything else with it. I own a 73 Corvette that is almost 34 years old and puts the Mustang to shame in the rattle and noise department. I can live with the small dash rattles and the headliner....tap on it with your hand as your going down the road. I love the car but want this front end fixed!!!!!!!!! Let me know if any of you get an answer from Ford.

I just took delivery of my 07 GT today and I also have the same problem with less than 100 miles. I'm gonna live with it for a little while until I hear of a worthwhile fix. These strut suspensions are fairly simple so the fix can't be that complicated.

Thats what I thought until they could not fix it

Maybe Ford will figure it out

Got an 06 GT with 2000 miles on it and have the noise since new, two months ago. So shoud we make a new post, and post on it if you called the hotline on this particular problem? First step, what is the number. Then, I'll set up a tread on this. Shall we!?

Im not sure what the number is. I talked with the Ford rep and the General manager at the dealer. I drove it home after having it there 10 days. I had a loaner (ford 500that) that did not make a sound...got back in mine and that damm noise hit me the minute I hit the first bump in the road.The only way I can get rid of it is to turn up the radio. Go ahead and start it off and maybe we can get something done. I have had a bunch of new and used vehicles over the years and never had this type of problem. I traded a 2002 Ford F-150 Fx4 with 68,000 and did not make a sound. Every time I drive past the dealer I wish I had it back 14 mpg or not.

Joe

I've got an 06 V6 Pony and I definitely do NOT hear any such noise. It's got 10,000 miles on it now and I do a lot of driving in it, so I would expect I would have heard it. I know, you'll assume my muffler is drowning the sound out, but I didn't put that on until around 7000 miles, so I doubt it. Now what I DO have is that awful creaking/rattle in the dashboard. Drives me nuts! I can never seem to locate where exactly its coming from either. Minor complaints though with such a fun car to drive!

I have a creek in the dashboard drivers side. If I push on the dash it goes away. I can fix that. I was tapping on the top of the headliner the other day while driving and that makes all kind of noise....but thats only if you tap on it. I have had people in the car that don't notice the front end but others have asked if I have a bad strut.

Same problem here. I have also upgraded the front sway bar and checked my sway bar links often.

Has anyone noticed how the mulit-piece fuse box can flop up and down? Go try it...

Same problem after the front sway bar with front end niose????? That was my next step

ORIGINAL: Hiboost

Same problem here. I have also upgraded the front sway bar and checked my sway bar links often.

Has anyone noticed how the mulit-piece fuse box can flop up and down? Go try it...


Same problem here also. It has done it since the day I got it ('06 GT 2100 miles)

I too noticed the fuse box "flop". I locked it down with a couple of black zip strips. I was hoping that was the noise but it did not solve it. :(

This is my first Ford....

I am disapointed in the fit and finish and all the little noises.

LOL.....anyone tried adjusting your hood stops? Perhaps the noise is not suspension related. It is a known issue that the hood stops are the source of this type of front end noise over bumps. I know it sounds crazy. I can't provide you with proof (proprietary thing) but trust me. It's at least worth having someone with some engine or chassis ears compare the noise level between the hood stop areas and the sway bar end links..............

I have checked believe me. This is a deeper type suspension noise felt over crackes and bumpes in the road...or even backing out of the driveway....when the front wheels bounce off the two inch drop at the end of the drive I can hear it....smooth road freeway above 35 40 nothing. I was concinced it was a strut until they replaced them....I have had people say the inner fender wells are a loose fit (they are) but it is not that kind of sound.....

yeah i have that noise on my 06 mustang

gonna get it check later on!!

I will be taking my new '07 with 300 miles on it back to the dealership this week for this problem. It has gotten a little worse, first occuring predominantly on the right side but now both sides have the problem. I explained to them there may not be a fix for this, so I'll report back when I find out something.

It would be interesting to see how many had this problem and how many did not. Like I said some that have been in it don't seem to notice it.....I just think it sounds sloppy....like and older car with 100,000 and bad front end parts

Drove 3 GTs before getting mine and never noticed the noise until I got mine home. Sounds like suspension noise at slow speeds only. (40kph and below) Also have a zip tie on the fuse box. I will not take it to the dealer because I was the one who used to fix these things at the dealer until I changed trades. I will look for this noise in the spring when I get the car back out. Being from a dealership I know what some of these places are like when you leave a nice car there.

LC05GT,

Please let me know what you find out. After replacing the links and passenger side strut they then hooked it up to a frame anylizer(possibly not the right term) to try to get closer to the problem with no luck. The ford rep drove and did hear it but because there were no service bulletins on it he calimed it was the nature of the beast. I have been around cars for many years and can't believe this is a normal front end noise. As I stated earlier I have a 73 Corvette and at 36 years old does not have any front end noise. Email is byrnejoe@sbcglobal.net if you find out what it is

Guys,
This was discussed in another thread a few days back and one of the guys (a mechanic) stated that the strut bearings had a few mm play in them and this will cause what you guys are experiencing.

They replaced both struts and no differance....they put the origional back in the drivers side for some reason. I even drove the car the 5th day it was there after the repacement of the struts with no differance

Well if the struts are causing noise and you replace them with the same kind of struts then you'll get the same noise. Anyone with the D-specs have this noise? My ears must not be as sensitive as some of yours. Try driving down my dirt road every day and then you'll be able to complain about rattles and thunks!


ORIGINAL: Joes06Stang

They replaced both struts and no differance....they put the origional back in the drivers side for some reason. I even drove the car the 5th day it was there after the repacement of the struts with no differance

I have the D-Specs and they have the same noice. Mine didn't start (or at least I didn't hear it) until I put some miles on it. I had it to the dealer with the d-specs and they wouldn't look at it (said it was coming from the aftermarket struts and they couldn't do anything). I put the original struts back on, same noise. Took it to the dealer and they replace both front hubs for free. It stopped for a while, but now it's back. It's VERY annoying. I ended up putting the d-specs back on and will just live with it for now.

Like everyone else....I thought it was the a-arms, the springs, the sway bar, etc..... I didn't try taking off the swaybar though, might have to try it. The way the endlinks mount to it is very awkward. I wouldn't be surprised if it's some sort of binding in there.

I bought mine as a program car with 17,000 on it. I noticed it on the test drive and was assured it would be taken care of. They could not fix it Guess I will wait and see what happens

where can i find the hotline number? I need that in order to start a " I called in about the suspension noise!" thread.

So no one has removed their swaybar to see if the noise goes away? Atleast then you could tell the dealer, although I doubt they could do anything.

!-800 customer service relation line on google is 1-800-392-3673 unless anybody else has a different number

All this dicussion on this noise makes me want to work on the car. Too bad it is put away for winter and it is -10c in the garage. Any way, customer relations info is in everyones owners manual. They will usually only recommend going to the dealer. Hotline is only available to registered techs for help and tsb info will be published only after some lucky tech finds the problem and writes it up. I have to agree with some of the posts it sounds just like stabalizer noise only some have removed the sway bar with no luck. I do think something is loose in mine because after it sat for a week (I took it for a drive before I parked it) the noise was gone until I shook it loose again. Maybe by spring you guys will have this figured out for me. I hate winter!!!

Hello,
Having the same problem and it might be the brake calipers and or the front sway bar wirked for me!

I got under the car and checked the endlink nuts - they were all tight. I'm leaning toward something in the upper suspension.

I've had my struts and upper strut bearings replaced and still makes the noise. I have removed the front sway bar. I'm thinking it may be the design of the struts. I'm probably going to try the new QA1 aluminum struts eventually.

Well, third trip to the dealer in 2 years for the front end clunk. First time they replaced the strut bushings, fixed it for a few months. Second time they replaced the struts, fixed it for a while longer. Today they retorqued the sway bar. Took care of the noise at least for the moment.

Unbelievable

So it's a couple of different things and the niose comes back.

This is my third Mustang GT 83 88 & 06, they all sounded like that over small bumps at low speed. I think its the strut design.

I said it before and I'll say it again. I installed tokico D-Spec struts and eibach pro-kits a couple months ago on my '06 GT, and haven't heard the noise since.

I think you are right. I would like to try for the QA1 aluminum. They are adjustable. Are the Tokico?
ORIGINAL: sandy

I said it before and I'll say it again. I installed tokico D-Spec struts and eibach pro-kits a couple months ago on my '06 GT, and haven't heard the noise since.

I have an 06 with the Saleen suspension (springs, shocks, struts, front sway bar, etc...)

Just over 8000 miles and just within the past month have I started to notice this noise - didn't do it before.

So I don't think it is the struts......

It's not they repalced mind and the links....no differance

but they replaced yours with the same strut design!

Does everyone complaining about this noise have the same rims?


ORIGINAL: Joes06Stang

It's not they repalced mind and the links....no differance

Not sure

God this thread appears on just about every Mustang Forum. I have an 06 GT and it did it from day 1, just like everyone describes. Only on the passenger side. The dealer has been very nice but they gave me the same story everyone else has heard. They did replace the whole front suspension. Some have said it was the vertical sway bar. See attached diagram. I has resigned to live with the problem, but will sue Ford if this issue is the cause of an accident. It is well documented. I did end up having the plastic wheel well liner replaced. It was flopping around in there, the driver side was nice and tight. I thought that might be it but it wasn't. Good news is it isn't getting worse. Since it's not a safety issue you can't expect Ford to fix it. That's my read. If a flaw won't result in a lost sale or litigation they won't bother.

local://upfiles/46110/1AC10C9BAEFF47368A184C3297D08CCE.gif

Not the vertical sway bar link. Mine isn't even on the car. I'm buying aftermarket struts next. I had my struts replaced but with Ford struts and no fixie. Goodness this car sounds like an old clunker driving slow over small bumps!

ORIGINAL: LarryS

Not the vertical sway bar link. Mine isn't even on the car. I'm buying aftermarket struts next. I had my struts replaced but with Ford struts and no fixie. Goodness this car sounds like an old clunker driving slow over small bumps!

Yeah I know...I have sort of got used to it. Besides you don't hear it with the radio on. But why on one side and not the other? I could buy the strut bearing theory but there's no reason to believe the right strut would be any different than the left. My problem is only on the passenger side.

My noise is on both sides. I have replaced both strut bearings and struts. I am not running a front sway bar as mentioned. I think at this point the Ford struts are the problem.
ORIGINAL: Ragnar


[quote]Yeah I know...I have sort of got used to it. Besides you don't hear it with the radio on. But why on one side and not the other? I could buy the strut bearing theory but there's no reason to believe the right strut would be any different than the left. My problem is only on the passenger side.

I can't get use to it even with the radio on!!!! I hit one stretch of road before going to work in the morning and usually slow down to about 25 and it sounds like sh@t. I can't believe people are not slamming Ford with this problem. The general manager of the dealer I bought from admits to reading some of the posts on this problem. With todays technology this should not happen. My wifes 04 Outlander just turned 50,000 on the origional front end and does not make a sound on any road. I can only hope Ford fixes this problem. It's a great looking vehicle that should be as quiet as any other model. At 49 years old I can remember buying a 69 Mustang in 1970 and did not have the front end noise that I have in this 2006. Only my 2 cents....and I appreciate all the feed-back

Joe

Someone should put up a poll on this:

Lowered, Hearing the noise
Lowered, NOT Hearing Noise
NOT Lowered, Hearing the Noise
NOT Lowered, NOT Hearing the Noise

Maybe we could submit the info to Ford as a group?

Is this a GT only thing? My V6 vert has stock suspension and it doesn't make a noise.

I have a GT, and had the same noise...we changed the links to the front sway bar...and that did the trick...the links we took off seemed fine, but they were 100% sure the culprits.

Oh yeah, my car had been lowered...but I decided to put it back up to original height. My mechanic thinks that is may have been the extra stress created by lowering it that screwed the links...I don't think so...in any they appear undamaged.

Mine is a stock V-6 with and the links were changed along with the struts..and still there. Have not tried the sway bar. The more I read I think they all do it. I have had people in my car that don't seem to notice it....and others do hear it. Some people might think it's normal

ORIGINAL: Joes06Stang

Mine is a stock V-6 with and the links were changed along with the struts..and still there. Have not tried the sway bar. The more I read I think they all do it. I have had people in my car that don't seem to notice it....and others do hear it. Some people might think it's normal

Trust me, if mine did it I would notice. I can't stand any noises.

I guess the point is that if some are not doing it....none of them should be.....???? It seems to be an issue that should be taken care of

I had mine in this week for the dealership to look at. The manager drove it, agreed the noise was there (he said 50% of all Mustangs 2005 and newer he has driven have this noise) and told me they called Ford's tech hotline for guidance. Apparently Ford is very much aware of the issue and they have been working on a fix. The problem is, they have ruled out the suspension as the cause and believe it is a chassis flex issue. Anyone have a strut tower brace and still have these issues?

Yes.
I have the factory GT500 bar.

Hope they find a fix....I hate the sound

You guys got the clunks I got the clicks and ticks. I think all noise issue solutions can be found in the accounting department at Ford.

ORIGINAL: Ragnar

God this thread appears on just about every Mustang Forum. I have an 06 GT and it did it from day 1, just like everyone describes. Only on the passenger side. The dealer has been very nice but they gave me the same story everyone else has heard. They did replace the whole front suspension. Some have said it was the vertical sway bar. See attached diagram. I has resigned to live with the problem, but will sue Ford if this issue is the cause of an accident. It is well documented. I did end up having the plastic wheel well liner replaced. It was flopping around in there, the driver side was nice and tight. I thought that might be it but it wasn't. Good news is it isn't getting worse. Since it's not a safety issue you can't expect Ford to fix it. That's my read. If a flaw won't result in a lost sale or litigation they won't bother.

local://upfiles/46110/1AC10C9BAEFF47368A184C3297D08CCE.gif


Man oh man.

You are 100% correct. I remember reading this post loonnngg ago.

The way I found out was I wanted better weight transfer to the rear wheels. So I decided to remove the front sway bar.
Jacked up the drivers side, pulled the wheel and then tried to remove the nut from the sway bar end thats attached to the strut............that baby was on there..........like to never got that thing broke loose.

Repeated the same thing on the passenger side.........this time when it came to take the sway bar nut off the strut it came loose with no effort at all.

Since removing the sway bar................I have not had that stupid klunking sound. I did install a BMR Front sway and radiator bracket eliminator.

I'm tellin ya there is something wrong with the design. If you notice where the sway bar ends attach to the struts they are not in the same holes on each strut.............mine were not.

The left handed robot that Fords using should be canned..........uh I mean scrapped.

Anyway this issue is closed with me. Case closed.

I would tend to agree that it is a suspension issue and not a frame isse. I just took mine out to the store and when I got back I backed it in the driveway. Mt drive is cement with about a 3 inch drop on to the road. As the front wheels hit the 3 inch differance I could hear it (more on the passenger side). I went back and fourth a few times and you can hear it each time the wheels drop off. Are 05's 06's and 07's doing this?????

Try this......

http://www.mustangforums.com/m_2410212/tm.htm

see post #15

For what it's worth, my vote is with all those who mentioned the links on the front sway bar. My 07 GT was recently lowered with Steeda springs and Tokico D-Spec struts. Almost immediately after this I started hearing the "thunk" from the front end. It had been silent before. After some poking around the front-end with the car on a rack I found that thebolt that attaches the upper link for the front sway bar to the strut was not very tight. After really tightening it down, the suspension is as silent as ever. Check it out; the upper sway-bar links can be accessed easily with the wheel off on a straight floor jack.

Well, I just checked the tightness on the suspension links and found them just a bit loose. I mean, I only turned the bolt about 1/8 of turn. Guess what, that fixed the noise. I can't believe that such a small amount of loose-ness would cause the problem, but I don't have the "thunk" any longer. I'll see what happens in a few hundred miles, if it loosens again. If so, I'll put some locktite on it.

I didn't do anything else to the car. Jacked it up, took the wheel off, tightened the nut, put the wheel on, dropped the jack. So I would say to everyone, check the bolts again. I just did the passenger side one. That's where most of my noise seemed to be coming from. This also would coincide with those that remove the front bar - bar gone, links gone, thunk gone.

I still think it might be poor suspension design that contributes to the loosening of the bolt/nut.

I will have to re-check although Ford put new ones in recently

Glad to hear it man.

Yeah mine is STILL fine after adjusting - all the usual bumps I would hit on my way to work that would piss me off, I don;t stress about anymore. :D

ORIGINAL: My05GT

Well, I just checked the tightness on the suspension links and found them just a bit loose. I mean, I only turned the bolt about 1/8 of turn. Guess what, that fixed the noise. I can't believe that such a small amount of loose-ness would cause the problem, but I don't have the "thunk" any longer. I'll see what happens in a few hundred miles, if it loosens again. If so, I'll put some locktite on it.

I didn't do anything else to the car. Jacked it up, took the wheel off, tightened the nut, put the wheel on, dropped the jack. So I would say to everyone, check the bolts again. I just did the passenger side one. That's where most of my noise seemed to be coming from. This also would coincide with those that remove the front bar - bar gone, links gone, thunk gone.

I still think it might be poor suspension design that contributes to the loosening of the bolt/nut.

ORIGINAL: GT John

The thunking sound your hearing is not limited to the 07's.

This issue goes all the way back to the 05's.

The issue is the front sway bar, rod ends and the attachment to the front struts. The the thunking sound your hearing is probably coming from the passenger side front area.

The only way I was able to get rid of the sound was to install a BMR Front Sway Bar and Radiator Support Kit.

Like you, when I first heard the sound I about crapped my pants thinking that the front right strut was toast and would need replacement.

But since I was trying to go for better weight transfer to the back tires I removed the front sway bar. Lo and behold the thunking sound dissapeared and hasnt been back since...........almost a year now.

If you remove the front sway bar the thunking sound will go away.

I did install a dual Strut Tower Brace to tighten the front end up. The GT performs very well in turns.


Did you install the duel strut tower brace after you got rid of the thunking noise?
How does removing the front anti-sway bar enable better weight transfer to the rear end and in what way does it do this? I mean at what point is more weight transferred to the rear wheels other than during acceleration and I suppose powered cornering?

Thanks very much for the input by the way.I was beginning to think I was beside myself with the only stang that thunked. Also,a dealer, 'not the one I baught the car from but in the same county', had theirsuspension specialist replace both strut assemblies and IKNEW this would be a total shot in the dark but hey it's free anyway and I suggested they try to replace thestrut bearings with another manufacturer since Iwas pretty sure the few mm vertical slop in the bearing has something to do with the thunking noise under non-damped/higher than normalfrequency oscillations of the strut assembly. I mean if the shock doesn't react fast enough duringjounce and or rebound, that's equates to undamped (no shock absorbtion) moments that have obviously got to go somewhere. Where will it go? To theweakest link,,,,thunk thunk thunk....

Make sense?

Also, I did try completely removing the passenger side sway link, then testdrove the car...noise was still there! Ihave been puttingup with it since. It's not that bad and seems to come and go to a degree anyway. Really a pain in the ars though! Especially when driving incity traffic!

Hello Gang,
Well, I am going to do the test in the morning. I will check both sides, and tighten the up and lower end link assembly and then test drive it. If still there, I will then completely remove the front sway bar and then test drive it again. I will definitely post what I find in the morning. All other vehicles in my family are Jeep Cherokees, and my son and I have lifted many other Cherokess as well as ours, so we have some mechanical experience in the swaybar and end link area. We did have some of our cherokees make simular sounds due to end link problems, so I am a little excited to try this in the morning with the hopes it is going to help. Sounds funny to get excited about one's car, but after driving a new 07 GT for 4 weeks with a noise that makes you feel like your driving a clunker, it is like getting into a new car again.
Talk to you all soon,

Thanks,
Casper
(Keith Orr)

ORIGINAL: casperorr

Hello Gang,
Well, I am going to do the test in the morning. I will check both sides, and tighten the up and lower end link assembly and then test drive it. If still there, I will then completely remove the front sway bar and then test drive it again. I will definitely post what I find in the morning. All other vehicles in my family are Jeep Cherokees, and my son and I have lifted many other Cherokess as well as ours, so we have some mechanical experience in the swaybar and end link area. We did have some of our cherokees make simular sounds due to end link problems, so I am a little excited to try this in the morning with the hopes it is going to help. Sounds funny to get excited about one's car, but after driving a new 07 GT for 4 weeks with a noise that makes you feel like your driving a clunker, it is like getting into a new car again.
Talk to you all soon,

Thanks,
Casper
(Keith Orr)
Not sure your excitment will be long lived. I've had myfront anti-sway bar off for months and it still makes theloudclunking.

ORIGINAL: LarryS

ORIGINAL: casperorr

Hello Gang,
Well, I am going to do the test in the morning. I will check both sides, and tighten the up and lower end link assembly and then test drive it. If still there, I will then completely remove the front sway bar and then test drive it again. I will definitely post what I find in the morning. All other vehicles in my family are Jeep Cherokees, and my son and I have lifted many other Cherokess as well as ours, so we have some mechanical experience in the swaybar and end link area. We did have some of our cherokees make simular sounds due to end link problems, so I am a little excited to try this in the morning with the hopes it is going to help. Sounds funny to get excited about one's car, but after driving a new 07 GT for 4 weeks with a noise that makes you feel like your driving a clunker, it is like getting into a new car again.
Talk to you all soon,

Thanks,
Casper
(Keith Orr)
Not sure your excitment will be long lived. I've had myfront anti-sway bar off for months and it still makes theloudclunking.


Hey Casp!
So how did it go when you removed the links and or anti-sway bar? Did the thunking noise dissapear?
Thanks!

Well, since I tightened mine a few weeks ago, there has been no noise.

How much did you tighten yours? What's the torque spec' if any?What exactly did you tighten? The end links or the clamps/bushings holding it to the frame?
Thanks

Hello Wolfey2k,
Well, today was boring to say the least. I first removed the end links and zip tied the sway bar up so that it did not move around, then I went for a test drive. I still had some road noise, and it was so little of a difference that I could not tell if it was better. So, I then got home and removed the sway bar as well. Same thing, I still had a noticable noise. I would have to say that there was very little difference if any at all. I got home and reinstalled everything I removed, (sway bar and end links). I took time to do everything with great concern. I made sure that there was no pressure on the end links by using two jacks. I torqued all bolts/nuts with wrench and cheater, to assure that I was getting things as tight as it could ever get. I went for my test drive again and still have the noise. It seemed as though it was not as bad, but I may be at this stage where I am wishing it to go away so bad that I may be convincing myself that it is a little better just to feel better about it.
So, my final answer is, NO improvement, still have the noise.
Now this may have absolutely nothing to do with our noise problem, but I have a past experience with another vehicle, (Jeep Cherokee), that also had a simular front noise. I had searched for what seemed like for ever in trying to locate the front noise in my Jeep, and I also had the dealer look at it many times as well, with no success. But, one morning I had a flat tire on the front driver's side. I took off the tire and accidentally stumbled across a very sloppy rotor. The machined lug bolt holes in the rotor were well over sized. They were not egg shaped or wollered (sp?) out, they were perfectly round but over sized. I was going to do the front brakes on the jeep anyway, so I went ahead and did it then. I bought new front rotors, pads, etc. But the lug bolt holes in the new rotors were considerably tighter. So far as space between the bolts and holes, there was very little to none. The fit was very tight, not like the old ones, which I could turn back and forth enough to cause noise. Well the end of this story is that after the install of the new rotors, I had no noise at all and have not since. It has been about 8 months since the replacement and I have absolutley no noise now.
I looked at my 07 GT rotors and found that there is a considerable amount of play between the lug bolts and the holes in the rotor. Now this may have absolutely nothing to do with anything at all in the way of noise in the front end, but I thought I would add this little experience of mine because at this point, who the heck knows what it could be. Just a stab in the dark guys. Anyway, I will continue to search for the noise and will definitely post any findings on this issue.
But, I love the car, and I have a big smile on my face due to I just ordered my CAI andTUNER today from brenspeed. It was a good day after all.

Thanks,
Casper

If the holes in the rotor are to large it shouldn't matter with the wheel properly torqued.

Now the calipers could make some noise. I haven't looked at my front ones, but my rear calipers move quite a bit.

Cool casper!
Thanks for giving it a try at least.
I hope you do find that noise and kill it!
Interesting about the rotors but the wheel and lugs should hold it dead still once tightened one would think.
Moosestang commented about his rear calipers being lose. That's strange.
I did check my front calipers weeks ago when I was looking for mr. thunk and they are snug as they should be.
Someone will figure it out I hope!
FORD should get off their duffs, fix the problem and issue a TSB. Especially with all the people they now have complaining about this problem.
Perhaps we should get others to send them a letter, email, phone calls and harrass the shiz out of them until they do something about it.

ORIGINAL: wolfey2k

How much did you tighten yours? What's the torque spec' if any?What exactly did you tighten? The end links or the clamps/bushings holding it to the frame?
Thanks


85 ft/lbs (115 N m). Here's a photo

http://www.mustangforums.com/albumtn.aspx?size=mid&imgpath=20034-asppg_Li721698874.jpg

ORIGINAL: Embalmer

I will be taking my new '07 with 300 miles on it back to the dealership this week for this problem. It has gotten a little worse, first occuring predominantly on the right side but now both sides have the problem. I explained to them there may not be a fix for this, so I'll report back when I find out something.


So how did it go? Did the mechanics find the cause of the thunking noise?
I was under my car today to look at the configuration of the exhaust system while I was deciding on which cat back true dual exhaust system to buy.
I looked at the lower control arms and since I was looking from the front of the car to the rear I could see a gap on the bottom of the rear 'big' bushing where the rear of the LCA connects and is held in place by a huge 3.5" or so roundrubber bushing.
You can see there is a clamp on top of it holding it in place so it can't move in and out and supposedly up or down in that holder but I swear I saw a gap on the bottom of it and it could be possible that this is where the mystery thunking is coming from.
I have other reasons to think so but I won't post them here.
I just wonder.....hmmmmmmmmm...
I may look further into this after the weather clears up and I have a nice day on my hands.

Went to my dealer today with my 07 gt.They had no recalls or tsb for the clunking.Mine has it front and rear at slow speeds.They checked all suspension parts and found nothing loose.I have noticed that when i have the car loaded with passengers i do not have the noise over the same roads.It must be preloading the suspension.I am going to live with this until there is a safety issue.

I have an '07 GT with the same thunking, and that is the perfect word for it. I test drove about 4 GTs and they ALL had this sound. Car noises drive me INSANE; it's in my genes or something. A few things:

1) I drove an '85 Scirocco with oodles of miles on it and this is the same sound that car had: it was a strut noise.
2) I drove a 2000 Honda Insight and sued Honda using the lemon laws and won. Each state is different to a certain extent on what is required to cause a car to be a lemon. But fairly common to all of them is how many times you take the car to the dealer vs. if they actually fix the problem. For me it was 5 or 6 times and maybe a month total of not having the car to have it declared a "lemon".

I hate to be "that guy" and say sue the bastards, but maybe it would send a stronger message?! And what you get if you "win" is not necessarily predetermined: could be money damages or a total buy-back of the car. I don't want to get rid of the car, but this noise is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE.

One more thing: I haven't heard of a single person on this thread [maybe i missed it] who has put NON-FORD struts on the car. Anybody? Did it kill the thunk?

Thanks!

NP

There are some that have the Tokicos. I do, and have had the noise. Since I tightened the front link this last time, I haven't heard the noise.

I checked the upper and lower bolts on the link and they were tight on my 06 GT. I could only get them to move a fraction (more than the 85 ft-lb spec) but it made no difference. I've had the thunk from day one and still have it. I've learned to live with it, although it is irritating to not know the cause.

DAG! Sucks not knowing. . . I'll take what everybody's said and try to build on it so we can drive at 27 mph in PEACE AND QUIET.

NP

ORIGINAL: sandy

I have an 06 GT and had the exact same problem. I took it to my ford dealer and after test driving it, the service guy said it was supposed to sound like that. I said no way, so they took an 07 off the lot and took me for a ride in it. Low and behold, it also had the cluncking noise on low speed bumps. The dealer checked their national hot line for complaints and had none on this problem. He said that eventually when complaints came in Ford might do something about it. OK, now listen to this. I wanted to lower my stang, so I added eibach prokit springs with tokico dspec struts. Vola', the noise went away and I haven't heard it since. This tells me the problem is in the factory strut/springs assembly and Ford doesn't want to deal with it.


I presume you replaced the strut bearings with the new kits right?
I am convinced now more than ever that the slop in Ford's stock strut bearings are the culprit!
However, there is also a possibility that the ratio between the spring tension and the stiff resistance of the shocks may be causing the bearing to THUNK during undamped suspension periods. The tiny bumps are so sharp and so fast that the strut / shock doesn't have enough time to react hence the vibration goes to the weakest point which is the tiny amount of vertical play in the strut bearing. Mine has gotten worse recently. My dealers suspension mech' replaced both struts and bearings with stock Ford strut kits...It's still there. I too have driven other stangs and they thunk too. It gets worse over time.

ORIGINAL: wolfey2k

I am convinced now more than ever that the slop in Ford's stock strut bearings are the culprit!
However, there is also a possibility that the ratio between the spring tension and the stiff resistance of the shocks may be causing the bearing to THUNK during undamped suspension periods. The tiny bumps are so sharp and so fast that the strut / shock doesn't have enough time to react hence the vibration goes to the weakest point which is the tiny amount of vertical play in the strut bearing. Mine has gotten worse recently. My dealers suspension mech' replaced both struts and bearings with stock Ford strut kits...It's still there. I too have driven other stangs and they thunk too. It gets worse over time.
I measured the upper strut bearing movementofone of thepieces I replaced.I've replaced both to no avail. There is about .025/.030 movement. However, this movement is eliminated with any load on the bearing. I can't see that the load would be taken off over a small incline.

I've heard it's this bearing, the strut and even one posted that it's the A arm. I really don't know what it is but I feel like my new Mustang is a "clunker"! Almost embarrassed to havefriends ride with me. I thoughta new car is suppose to be nice and tight.

I get this too. more so on the pass. side though. Happened since the minute I drove it off the lot with 15 miles on it. Figured thats just the way its supposed to be, its a Mustang GT, I thought, not a Lincoln Town Car, so I didn't give it much thought. Not any worse, though, at 3,000 miles. Car rides fine!

yup i get the same nosie on my 06 V6, there is a recall now on the struts, my vin does not match up on the after market struts problem. so im gona put up with the sound as normal for now, and have my dealer inspect them just incase

Dave

Hello gentlemen and ladies if there are any out here ;-).
I spent the better part of today at my favorite dealer where I have made friends with some of the mech's and service manager as we all like to tell old autoshop war stories and so on.

Okay, while I was hanging out with the guys, the service manager asked me how it's going with the clunking problem. I told him it's still there and I was about to come see him about it so we can get hold of Ford's engineering dept. and see if they are aware of it.

He has to log on to their exclusive dealer only assistance hotline. Waited for him to jump through all the hoops to get to the section where he fills out a form that asks specific questions regaring customer vehicle complaints.

Here's a typed copy of the Q&A. Enjoy and rejoice my friends! Help is on the way! Finally!

**************************

REQUEST FOR DETAILS:
DISCRIPTION OF VEHICLE CONCERN:
clunking noise over small road deflections at low speeds.

DIAGNOSIS PERFORMED:
visual inspection of all suspension components.

PARTS REPLACED:
front strut assemblies at earlier service visit.

QUESTION: WERE YOU ABLE TO VERIFY THE CONCERN?
ANSWER: Yes

QUESTION: Is there an appropriate pinpoint test in the WSM for this concern?
ANSWER: No

QUESTION: Was the pinpoint test followed?
ANSWER

TECH'S QUESTION:
information to assist in better diagnnosis of concern

HOTLINE RECOMENDATION
get off your fat enginering asses and come up with a fix for this friggin problem! < just kidding, I added that ;-).
(note, at this point the service manager clicks on send, waits a few seconds and Ford spits out a phone number for him to call. Evidently the number is for the specific person or team addressing this problem at Ford engineering.
Then he's sent a LOG of the call and a summary of their conversation as written below.

CALL LOG:

CALLS TO HOTLINE FOR THIS VEHICLE (he entered my VIN and some other data at the beginning of the hoops)

1/16/07 12:15 PM - TECH SAID:
NOISE IN RIGHT FRONT OVER BUMPS AT LOW SPEED. THE STRUTS HAVE BEEN ISOLATED TO NOISE, COMPARES TO OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE BEEN TESTED IN THE PAST.

1/16/07 12:15 PM - HOTLINE RECOMENDED:
ADVISED DEALER THAT THE ISSUE IS BEING LOOKED INTO AT THE ENGINEERING LEVEL. CONVERTABLE MUSTANGS HAVE ALL THE SAME PARTS BUT DO NOT EXHIBIT THE NOISE, SO THEY ARE EVALUATING THE SUBFRAME CONNECTORS AS A POSSIBLE FIX AS WELL AS THE STRUT MOUNTS.
THESE ISSUES HAVE TO BE EVALUATED FOR ROBUST FIX AND CRASH TESTED, SO THE REPAIR MAY NOT BE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE, BUT THE FIX IS COMING IN THE FORM OF A TSB OR SSM. THE ISSUE IS NOT STRUCTURAL AND IS ONLY COSMETIC AND IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. WAIT FORM MESSAGE TO MAKE REPAIRS.
THANK YOU!
END OF MESSAGE.

Now I talked with the service manager a bit more analysing what they were saying regarding it only being a cosmetic issue?

He said that they consider it so because it's nothing that is dangerous. It is an cosmetic issue because it is only an annoyance issue.
Well that makes sense to me as much as I hate to admit it but they are right.
He showed me a blueprint of the subframe to body connections. They are bolts with hard rubber bushings around them with a metal shaft up the middle as with most frame to body bushings on any vehicle. They are small ones, not the huge ones you see on other vehicles.

My theory is that the subframe is flexing to the degree that it allows a tiny bit of side play (normal as that's what the bushings are there for), but the side play is sufficient enough to be a concern or possible cause. The strut bearings are an obvious issue. No need for analyzation. If there is any end play in the bearing i.e. up and down play, it's going to thunk!
That's the story folks. Problem solved....almost!

Anyway, I'm happy that Ford is on top of it and we will soon see a TSB out on the issue with the correct and permanent fix!

Look forward to it I'd guess within the next few weeks to few months!
Wolfey2k

I´m from Monterrey, Mexico so please excuse my errors .
Sadly I can tell you that I have experienced the same problem as you, My car is a 2007 GT and I also drove two0 km cars before I decided to buy mine and the 3 of them including mine, had the same noise you guys have been writing about . I decided to buy the car accepting that I would deal with that problem, My brother had a 94 Mustang Gt and it was noisy also. Last week I bought a pair Prokit Eibach Springs and set of Tokico D-SPEC adjustable shocks and struts for my car. Before I bought them the salesperson told me that It was incredible the number of custumers buying the springs and shock package for this cars and he also told me that the 2005-2007 mustangs had a design problem with their FRONT STROUT MOUNTS, he asked me If I had noticed any strange noises in the front end and I told him that In the three 0 kms cars I drove, the noise was noticeable . He said the noise was going to be stronger as miles pass. He told me thatsome times the noise stops when you lower the car , but as you use your car ,the noise will start. He said there was nothing to do by the moment and that he would let me know if some aftermarket part appeared to deal with the problem, With a little investigation on my mustang magazines I read about steeda suspension components and today I found in its homepage : http://www.steeda.com/products/heavy_duty_upper_strut_mounts_street.php that they just released these replacement part for the struts mounts, Not to make this much longer, I decided to order them (they are expensive) and I´m almost sure that the problem will be solved, Check it out , In a couple of weeks I´ll let you know the results, meanwhile read this:












555-8120
Heavy Duty Upper Strut Mounts - Set of 2 - Street - '05-'07
$299.95
http://www.steeda.com/images/add_to_cart_b.gif (http://www.steeda.com/cgi-steeda/sb/order.cgi?storeid=steeda&dbname=products&itemnum=3 459&function=add)



http://www.steeda.com/images/bottom_shadow.gif

http://www.steeda.com/images/gray_right.gif





http://www.steeda.com/images/1x1_spacer.gif
Product Details
http://www.steeda.com/images/made_usa.gifFINALLY! A heavy duty, direct replacement upper strut mount to replace the weak factory mounts for S197 Mustangs that can be used on the street! The Steeda street heavy duty upper strut mounts are manufactured to the same exacting tolerances as our industry leading caster/camber plates. They utilize a roller bearing that exceeds OEM specs to ensure precise suspension control. Will not fail on lowered cars like the factory piece. They eliminate the "popping" sound that is common on lowered cars when the factory upper mount fails. Unlike the factory piece, you can also get an extra 1 degree of camber in each direction with these plates as well. Steeda's heavy duty upper mounts are specifically designed for street use and will not show any increase in NVH when installed.

Price includes a set of two.

Benefits

Better handling with more stable cornering, while maintaining factory ride quality
Precision Tolerance and Fit with the Highest Grade Materials available
Allows adjustment of up to 1 degree positive or negative of camber. Fits Vehicle Model:
Ford Mustang GT & V6
:)

Thanks for the excellent write up wolfey2k. I have a 2006 with the same issue and response from Ford as everyone else. What I find funny though is Ford is on top of it. This is the 3rd year for this model and the issue has happened since day 1. 3 years and they are on top of it? We can expect it to be resolved in 2010 with the redesign. But I doubt they'll address anything that they consider cosmetic for our model years. They told me to just live with it and let it go. I hate to say it but that's what I'm doing. If it gets worse, which it hasn't 14,000 miles later, I'll raise holy hell.

As I've posted previously, I added eibach prokits and tokico d-specs and the sound went away.

Well I'd like to report that at 19,000 miles it seems to be getting a little more noticeable[:@] I think I'll call Ford again.

ORIGINAL: sandy

As I've posted previously, I added eibach prokits and tokico d-specs and the sound went away.
Do you still have the factory upper springbearings?

I'd say yes as the only parts I furnished to the installer were thesprings and the struts.

Hey GenMex2,
did you get those upper strut bearings replaced with the aftermarket ones you wrote about?
Has the thunking noise dissapeared?

Ever since Ibaught my car, I had it in to service the 2nd day I had it and all the mechanics I talked to there were lunkheads because they denied it was possible for strutbearings to thunk due to the pressure of the return spring and vehicle weight!
Geesh!
Anyway, I've known the bearings are the culprit since day one.
Ford wants to play games and from what one other wrote about their fixes, Ford may never get around to issuing a TSB on it.
I do find it interesting that Ford says convertables don't make the noise. There is evidently an additional cross member between the two frame to body mounts and this is the ONLY difference suspension wise.
I haven't test driven any convertables yet.
I might give on a test drive soon though.
I'm going to give Ford until Spring time to come out with the fix. If I don't see a TSB by then, then I may consider purchasing and installing those bearings you found.
Let me know how it went with the installation and the result.

Thanks!
Wolfey

06 v-6 here with the same problem. dealer says they tested 2 others with the same issue with 5 miles on them THIS IS NOT NORMAL and pisses me off- the damn rental car did not have the problem why should mine!!??

Hey oldyeller,I know exactly what you're sayin!
The 05 rental I drove didn't make that racket either come to think of it.
Your rental stang wouldn't have been a convertable would it?
Ford says that the converts' don't make the thunking noise.
I have yet to test drive one myself to find out if that's so but I have driven several other V6 and GT hard tops and they all thunk!
I have a feeling Ford changed suppliers in between runs and ours all have the 'defective' strut bearings.
Probably some Asian company, 'China' or 'Taiwanese' crap they baught into to save money and of course it would just have to be at our expense!
Wolfey2k

Well, I'm pulling the trigger. . . no, not shooting my car, but dropping cash on the Steeda strut mounts. Two different dealerships gave me the universal "we don't know what you're talking about" when I said the front end sounds like an old caravan and needed some fixing. So here I am with a rental car and I guess I may as well have the parts overnighted from Steeda to the dealer and get this crap over with. I'll be the sacrificial lamb and let you know if $750 in parts and labor gets rid of the god-aweful thunking.

Wow! That's awful generous of younorthy! ;-).
I hope it pays off for you and the rest of us.
However, I still think it's best to wait and see what Ford comes up with sometime this Spring.
There should be an additional fix on top of the strut bearing replacement.
The rear front sub frame to body mounts are also part of the problem so your fix may end up frustrating you but I hope not. I.E. you 'may' get rid of part of the problem but not all of it.
IfFord fails to come out with a fix by Spring time, I may consider doing what you did although I will do it myself.
Anyway, best of luck! I hope it does handle the problem and please do let us know what the results are either way.

Well shiznit! I didn't realize there was more to it. We'll just have to wait and see. My problem is also that the strut bearing fix was only for certain '05s or AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT THE DEALERS ARE STICKING TO. I can only go to so many dealers before it's not worth it any more. And I'm impatient, I want SILENCE NOW. Well, at least in this area, that is. To be continued tomorrow. . .

yeah, you'll usually get the mechanic bullrah run around from those guys. their worst enemy is me in that I know cars inside and out, being an x dealer and private garage wrencher myself, retired now.
I know a strut thunk when I hear one.
You wouldn't be wrong in repacing them. Ford's stock strut bearings are throw aways! they are junk that will wear out and thunk louder and louder as time goes on. That's why they don't readily thunk when you first drive one that has almost 0 miles on it.
when strut assem's are replaced, Ford recomends repalcing the bearings too because they can't take the punishment of being pulled and put back on. how about that for whimpy?
cheapo plastic bearing housings to boot!
Ford should be ashamed of themselves putting chinky crap in an American iconn like that but hey, they've been doing that to those rice burner lookin 90's stangs for years ;-D.

Well, hundreds later and no fix. The Steeda Heavy Duty Strut Assemblies don't fix it. In fact, I'd put ten thousand on the table and bet the noise is significantly WORSE with them on there. I think Wolfey [sp?] mentioned some other parts that are "under" the front seats and that certainly seems to be where the sound is coming from.

I'm sure many of you want to say "I told you so, you should have tightened this or that bolt or lowered it or taken off the sway bar and added the BMR delete option or done the magical mustang dance" etc. Obviously I'll have to try those things when the days are 29 hours long.

I JUST WANT THIS DAMN CAR TO RIDE LIKE A NORMAL CAR. I've had a 1983 Toyota truck,a 1994 F150 Eddie Bauer, a 1995 F250 Powerstroke, a 1999 Ranger, a 2001 Honda Insight, a 2004 Honda Civic, a 2005 F150 Supercrew FX4 and none of those cars sounded like a clunker. So why should the second most expensive car I've ever owned sound like a Caravan with blown struts when I drive down the alley?

Anyways, newsflash is that the Steeda HD Strut Mounts didn't fix the problem.. . but at least I've got HD strut mounts for when I become a famous weekend racer, right???!!!!!!

Mine rides great, no thunking.

obviously not.

Wow, gee, thanks! That was EXTREMELY helpful.

If your dealer and you cant fix it dont get mad if people on the internet cant fix your car. Trade it on a Lexus, no thunking guaranteed.

again, thank you for your generosity in helping those of us that have problems with our cars. you should go into the customer service industry, especially since you have enough time for sarcastic comments about other people's business. i truly appreciate it. so what kind of lexus should i get?

The thunking sound is your brains slapping against your skull for lack of density.

has anyone that has this noise had the lower control arm bushings replaced or inspected?

ORIGINAL: xbone

The thunking sound is your brains slapping against your skull for lack of density.
Very childish reply and not necessary in this forum.

Well....it's been a month or so since I posted on me tightening the upper link bolts. The car has not made a noise since. All I did was loosen the upper link bolt, then tighten the heck out of it again. No noise. I can't say this will fix everyone's issue, because people have tried all kinds of solutions. Just my two cents. Worth a try, and cheap too.

I also have the Tokico D-specs, so that might also have something to do with the solution working; but it did make the noise with the Tokicos installed. But once I tightened to bolt again, Voila!

I will be taking it auto-xing in a few weeks (2/25), so we'll see if it starts to make noise again after that. If there is a way to stress the suspension, auto-x will do it.

BTW, I have 36k miles on the car and I drive everyday.

Dave

MY05GT--I'm gonna try that tomorrow. thanks for the diagram that should simplify things, not that tightening a nut is complicated but you get the idea.

Anybody check/have checked the bushings/mounts connecting the subframe to the body like Wolfey suggested? i guess i'll crawl under there tomorrow, although i just have ramps and ideally i'd like the weight off of there so i can jiggle stuff around.

ORIGINAL: LarryS

ORIGINAL: xbone

The thunking sound is your brains slapping against your skull for lack of density.
Very childish reply and not necessary in this forum.


You gonna make me stay in my room or what bub? The enemies of freedom are everywhere. Beware.

I HAVE A CLUNK OR TAPPING TYPE NOISE FROM THE LEFT FRONT, I THINK? BUT THIS ONLY COMES WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT, NOT ALWAYS? IT ALSO DOES IT ON SMOOTH ROAD WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT COULD ALSO CAUSED BY WIND??
I HAVE ONLY 400 KILOMETERS ON MINE AND IT PI-- ME OFF!!

I'M THINKING OF THE FRONT HOOD STOPS MYSELF, I WILL TRY AND PLAY AROUND WITH IT WHEN IT WARMS UP, IT IS NEAR -40 DEGRESS AT THE MONENT AND EVERYTHING MAKES NOISE, YOU SHOULD HEAR THE BELTS!!

Hi, My 07 has had the noise since the first day. Yes it seemed like it started on the right side first but now it's both sides. 5000 miles. Left started around 1200 miles. I live in Ct. which has bumpy roads. You guys with smooth roads are just lucky. I went to Cape Cod a few months back, (smooth roads) and only noticed it a few times over a couple hundred miles. So Ford might not even care about us with bumpy roads. And since it's not a safety issue it may never have a recall. Has anyone tried Bilstein HD struts? Thinking it might be a bad designed strut.

ORIGINAL: xbone

ORIGINAL: LarryS

ORIGINAL: xbone

The thunking sound is your brains slapping against your skull for lack of density.
Very childish reply and not necessary in this forum.


You gonna make me stay in my room or what bub? The enemies of freedom are everywhere. Beware.

oh don't be silly, nobody will EVER take away your freedom to be a mean disrespectfull brat. do you have anything creative, stimulating, helpful, etc. to ad to the string?

ORIGINAL: Jays Mustang

Hi, My 07 has had the noise since the first day. Yes it seemed like it started on the right side first but now it's both sides. 5000 miles. Left started around 1200 miles. I live in Ct. which has bumpy roads. You guys with smooth roads are just lucky. I went to Cape Cod a few months back, (smooth roads) and only noticed it a few times over a couple hundred miles. So Ford might not even care about us with bumpy roads. And since it's not a safety issue it may never have a recall. Has anyone tried Bilstein HD struts? Thinking it might be a bad designed strut.
I installed KYB struts to no avail. I've replaced the upper strut bearings, with Ford as no other is available andI've removed the front sway bar completely. Still clunk! With the hood up, rolling over an incline,mymechanic had his hand on the upper strut bearing and strut shaft. He says it's coming from the upper strut bearing.

ORIGINAL: Jays Mustang

Hi, My 07 has had the noise since the first day. Yes it seemed like it started on the right side first but now it's both sides. 5000 miles. Left started around 1200 miles. I live in Ct. which has bumpy roads. You guys with smooth roads are just lucky. I went to Cape Cod a few months back, (smooth roads) and only noticed it a few times over a couple hundred miles. So Ford might not even care about us with bumpy roads. And since it's not a safety issue it may never have a recall. Has anyone tried Bilstein HD struts? Thinking it might be a bad designed strut.


I know a number of people indicated that they replaced their struts with several different brands, only to find that the problem remained. I think it would be truly amazing if FORD would use IT'S resources to do all this experimentation rather than all of us trying to putter around and drop cash and hours trying to figure this out. Not that Ford necessarily cares. . .

ORIGINAL: LarryS

ORIGINAL: Jays Mustang

Hi, My 07 has had the noise since the first day. Yes it seemed like it started on the right side first but now it's both sides. 5000 miles. Left started around 1200 miles. I live in Ct. which has bumpy roads. You guys with smooth roads are just lucky. I went to Cape Cod a few months back, (smooth roads) and only noticed it a few times over a couple hundred miles. So Ford might not even care about us with bumpy roads. And since it's not a safety issue it may never have a recall. Has anyone tried Bilstein HD struts? Thinking it might be a bad designed strut.
I installed KYB struts to no avail. I've replaced the upper strut bearings, with Ford as no other is available andI've removed the front sway bar completely. Still clunk! With the hood up, rolling over an incline,mymechanic had his hand on the upper strut bearing and strut shaft. He says it's coming from the upper strut bearing.


So, Larry, you're saying that all of the stuff can be replaced up there but that in any case the Ford bearings remain? I thought I had a decent handle on the way those parts work and are put together but my ignorance betrays me once more. . . Hell, anybody tried taking the ones fixed in 2005 and putting them in the newer GTs and seeing if that did the trick? Straw grasping again. . .

oops, hit send too many times.

One more with the same problem on my 07 GT, so granted the problem is real and common to most Mustangs, I think a read only one fix posted by sandy, and I'll really appreciatte hearing more opinions and solutions.
I dint buy nor want a Lexus like ride but certainly didnt expect a Yugo-like suspension noise.

whatever the problem is, it's found in one or the other of these pictures. i don't think it's the strut bearings any more since i replaced my strut mounts with Steeda ones and the problem is still there. i'm assuming that the new strut mounts contain new bearings that replace the old ones with the oem strut mounts.

local://upfiles/56967/FE35CC7C765442D69595656237609D88.gif

local://upfiles/56967/D08A68E0EF2F4202B889EDED0E1E92CB.gif

ORIGINAL: northy_polk

ORIGINAL: xbone

ORIGINAL: LarryS

ORIGINAL: xbone

The thunking sound is your brains slapping against your skull for lack of density.
Very childish reply and not necessary in this forum.


You gonna make me stay in my room or what bub? The enemies of freedom are everywhere. Beware.

oh don't be silly, nobody will EVER take away your freedom to be a mean disrespectfull brat. do you have anything creative, stimulating, helpful, etc. to ad to the string?


My car doesnt have the problem. If it did id take it to the dealer and make them fix it. Thats what the warranty is for. No soup for you chuckles.

hell i get it in the front and in the back - as well as at least two dash rattles, door trim pieces loose, rattling mirrors, rattling from underneith, clutch packs have been replaced in the rear end, and when your going really slow and then step on the gas it feels like the tranny is low on fluid. oh yeah and twice the car just would not start.

hmm..... quality is job 1 right?



all that being said, i STILL love my car :)

ORIGINAL: northy_polk

I have an '07 GT with the same thunking, and that is the perfect word for it. I test drove about 4 GTs and they ALL had this sound. Car noises drive me INSANE; it's in my genes or something. A few things:

1) I drove an '85 Scirocco with oodles of miles on it and this is the same sound that car had: it was a strut noise.
2) I drove a 2000 Honda Insight and sued Honda using the lemon laws and won. Each state is different to a certain extent on what is required to cause a car to be a lemon. But fairly common to all of them is how many times you take the car to the dealer vs. if they actually fix the problem. For me it was 5 or 6 times and maybe a month total of not having the car to have it declared a "lemon".

I hate to be "that guy" and say sue the bastards, but maybe it would send a stronger message?! And what you get if you "win" is not necessarily predetermined: could be money damages or a total buy-back of the car. I don't want to get rid of the car, but this noise is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE.

One more thing: I haven't heard of a single person on this thread [maybe i missed it] who has put NON-FORD struts on the car. Anybody? Did it kill the thunk?

Thanks!

NP


I removed the factory struts and shocks and installed Steedas new stock front struts and shocks. $399.00
The GT really handles very well. A noticable difference. The car sounds and feels tighter.

Igot rid of the front clunk sound by removing the front sway bar and installing the BMR front sway delete and radiator support bracket. Then to tighten up the front end of the body installed a Blue Oval Dual Strut Tower Brace.

The GT is very tight now.[sm=icon_rock.gif]

ORIGINAL: GT John

ORIGINAL: northy_polk

I have an '07 GT with the same thunking, and that is the perfect word for it. I test drove about 4 GTs and they ALL had this sound. Car noises drive me INSANE; it's in my genes or something. A few things:

1) I drove an '85 Scirocco with oodles of miles on it and this is the same sound that car had: it was a strut noise.
2) I drove a 2000 Honda Insight and sued Honda using the lemon laws and won. Each state is different to a certain extent on what is required to cause a car to be a lemon. But fairly common to all of them is how many times you take the car to the dealer vs. if they actually fix the problem. For me it was 5 or 6 times and maybe a month total of not having the car to have it declared a "lemon".

I hate to be "that guy" and say sue the bastards, but maybe it would send a stronger message?! And what you get if you "win" is not necessarily predetermined: could be money damages or a total buy-back of the car. I don't want to get rid of the car, but this noise is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE.

One more thing: I haven't heard of a single person on this thread [maybe i missed it] who has put NON-FORD struts on the car. Anybody? Did it kill the thunk?

Thanks!

NP


I removed the factory struts and shocks and installed Steedas new stock front struts and shocks. $399.00
The GT really handles very well. A noticable difference. The car sounds and feels tighter.

Igot rid of the front clunk sound by removing the front sway bar and installing the BMR front sway delete and radiator support bracket. Then to tighten up the front end of the body installed a Blue Oval Dual Strut Tower Brace.

The GT is very tight now.


GT John,

Thanks for the good info. My fear is that I'd drop the cash [like I did for the new Steeda HD Strut Mounts] and have nothing change. Since your car is an '05 and mine an '07, I'm not 100% convinced that it would fix the clunking which has actually worsened since the installation of the HD strut mounts.

I've read on these forums that people have done this or that, from replacing everything down to the K-member, to as little as tightening one nut on the strut, and sometimes it has worked and sometimes not! I'm puting my eggs in Wolfey's basket that Ford is working on it [too good to be true???] and I'll stick toappearance mods for the most part while I wait on Ford.

Let's say I get impatient [very likely] and decide to re-do the front end. Did you do the work yourself? I can afford the parts, but not the labor and I'm a "put it on ramps in front of the house" do-it-yourselfer cause that's all the space I have! What scares me most are the springs and getting them on/off without something horrible happening.

PS: how do you like the WMS intake? I saw one on Ebay and it looks absolutely awesome! But how does it perform/sound/etc?

Northy

Well, I spent the better part of the day buying a floor jack and jack stands and getting the car in the air to make some suspension adjustments. I took off the sway bar. I was so excited to go for a drive. THIS DID NOT WORK. Clunk clunk clunk down the street I go. If I wouldn't lose thousands of dollars in the transaction I'd drop this car and get something that's not such a clunker. I was expecting so much more from this car. It's not tight. It's fast and growls and it sounds great. . . but it's a clunker. It could have soul, but the clunk drains it out. Blah blah blah. . . . I didn't buy a 350Z because it was too "refined", and now I'm beginning to regret that choice.

ORIGINAL: northy_polk

Well, I spent the better part of the day buying a floor jack and jack stands and getting the car in the air to make some suspension adjustments. I took off the sway bar. I was so excited to go for a drive. THIS DID NOT WORK. Clunk clunk clunk down the street I go. If I wouldn't lose thousands of dollars in the transaction I'd drop this car and get something that's not such a clunker. I was expecting so much more from this car. It's not tight. It's fast and growls and it sounds great. . . but it's a clunker. It could have soul, but the clunk drains it out. Blah blah blah. . . . I didn't buy a 350Z because it was too "refined", and now I'm beginning to regret that choice.
Same way I feel about my clunker!

Hey everybody! How are things in thunking land? ;-)
I've just finished reading through all the latest posts since I started this thread and I want to thank everyone for posting their ideas, fixes and complaints on the thunking noise.
Has everyone read post #s 93 and 94 in this thread?
93 is about my attempts to figure out what the thunking problem is without getting into a bunch of hit or miss parts replacements.
94 is about a guy who is supposed to have installed a pair of new HD Steeda front strut mounts and gotten back with a report by now. Haven't heard a peep from him yet.
I'll PM him and see what's up.
In the mean time, Ford's stock strut mounts suck IMO. They are mostly plastic, even the bearing housing is plastic. What were they thinking other than 'save money'? They are one use throw aways. Not good!
Anyway, I'll be in touch with my guys at the dealer this week to see if the service manager has heard anything new regarding the fix. I also plan on test driving a convertable to see if what Ford says is true then take it from there.
I'll keep you all posted on my progress.
Wolfey2k

does anybody have or know where to get a drawing or pictures or some representation of the undercarriage of the car where the potential culprits are: the frame to body mounts and their attendant bushings? my chiltons manual is basically worthless and i tried another one [can't remember name] to no avail. I'll post a picture and maybe somebody can tell me or point out to me where these are so i can try and manipulate them so they stop thunking.

Hi, well, I'm on this thunking noise like flys on, well you know. I've stirred up so much stuff that Ford contacted me directly last night. After speaking with them I've still haven't gotten far. They got to the dealer giving them and a tech rep a bunch of crap trying to give me answers but still nothing yet today. Only thing is they eitherdon't want to come up with a fix or if they do it's costly and don't want to do it. My biggest question to Ford is to please tell me what's the exact problem. I told her I'll fix it myself but I don't want to spend a $1000 to find out it didn't do it. Those of you that say you don't have the problem I notice you live in states that don't have winters which kill the roads. Concider yourself lucky. It's a thunking/rattle noise that drives me and others crazy. I'll stay on the problem. Like I told the rep, it's panic button time and I want answers. I'll go to Bill Ford if I have too.

local://upfiles/60765/06A4824154574206B513A3C816987278.jpg

do you or does anybody else on here [larrys, wolfey, etc.] belong to a mustang club and if so what kind of pull could all of the clubs together have with Ford?

Wish I had a way to have pull with Ford. There are some new lower controlAarms out by Ford Racing. Somebody suggested that the lower A arm bushings could be the culprit. They list for $199.ORIGINAL: northy_polk

do you or does anybody else on here [larrys, wolfey, etc.] belong to a mustang club and if so what kind of pull could all of the clubs together have with Ford?

ORIGINAL: LarryS

Wish I had a way to have pull with Ford. There are some new lower controlAarms out by Ford Racing. Somebody suggested that the lower A arm bushings could be the culprit. They list for $199.ORIGINAL: northy_polk

do you or does anybody else on here [larrys, wolfey, etc.] belong to a mustang club and if so what kind of pull could all of the clubs together have with Ford?


yeah, that was me. . . and i feel like I know less and less all the time. may have to just take the damn thing apart till i find the source then put it back together again. sorta like humpty dumpty.

It seems no one is having any luck fixing this clunking sound. I have an O7 GT/CS and haven't noticed anything yet (roads here are fairly smooth).

However, I did have a flat tire last week that required a patch by a local dealer. Once I got the car back I did notice an intermittant cluncking sound going over speed bumps, some rough roads and coming to a halt, from the area the tire was damaged.

To make a long story short, the TPMS strap had become loose/broken and was banging against the rim, making a loud clanking sound. Don't know if this may be your problem, just trying to offer some insight. Once fixed no probs. Good luck.

I don't have time to read all of this...but I can tell you that 90% of the time the thunking up front is a loose swaybar connection.

so what could it be if i've removed the sway bar, or for those of us that have replaced it with this or that aftermarket one? maybe it's that the swaybar is connected to the ball joint which is in turn connected to another joint that in turn keeps the other [fill in suspension item here] from clunking/thunking/rattling/pissing me off.

i just wish somebody could say for certain "xxxx is what's causing it".

I hope not casdds but chances are you're going to start hearing the thunking more and more as you add miles. Most of us didn't hear the thunking noise until after putting some miles on ours either.

northy_polk, patience my friend,,,,patience!
Myself and one other have devoted our lives to finding out exactly what the problem is.
Ford acknowledges it as a ligit problem and are evidently working on a solution.
The skuttlebutt is that the convertables don't make any thunking or other noises due to an addition of an undercarriage cross member between the front and rear sub-frame to body mounts which are there to add rigidity in place of the 'vert's missing hard top.

Just today I have enlisted the help of some great convertable owners who are going to provide me with pics etc. on their 'vert's under carriage. I am just now leaving to go to the dealer to get some print outs of the suspension systems for both hardtops and 'vert's.

We WILL keep you all posted! We're gonna fix this problem once and for all.....cross your fingers!

Wolfey2k

ORIGINAL: wolfey2k

I hope not casdds but chances are you're going to start hearing the thunking more and more as you add miles. Most of us didn't hear the thunking noise until after putting some miles on ours either.

northy_polk, patience my friend,,,,patience!
Myself and one other have devoted our lives to finding out exactly what the problem is.
Ford acknowledges it as a ligit problem and are evidently working on a solution.
The skuttlebutt is that the convertables don't make any thunking or other noises due to an addition of an undercarriage cross member between the front and rear sub-frame to body mounts which are there to add rigidity in place of the 'vert's missing hard top.

Just today I have enlisted the help of some great convertable owners who are going to provide me with pics etc. on their 'vert's under carriage. I am just now leaving to go to the dealer to get some print outs of the suspension systems for both hardtops and 'vert's.

We WILL keep you all posted! We're gonna fix this problem once and for all.....cross your fingers!

Wolfey2k


I'm so glad you're on it!!! Yes, patience is one of the many virtues I lack. I will say that I have read on another forum of one convertible owner who has a clunking noise, but I will assume for the sake of hope that his/her problem is of a different ilk!

Looking forward to those pictures; the ones I got from buying a subscription to Chiltons are not helpful for our problem and are also not inclusive enough.

Hi Again, No it's nothing to do with the sway bar. I removed mine with links from car and still the thunking. And no it's not just something minor loose. This is a serious thunk/rattle that comes from the front end. I ordered my car brand new and had the problem on the first bump. I was at the dealer again yesterday and the service manager again called Fords tech. rep. looking for an answer and they won't return the call. Stupid voice mails. Anyway I not stopping the quest to find an answer. I've drafted a letter to Fords Board of Directors on this problem, if no response from the dealership by Friday the letter goes out. I'm not stopping until I get an answer.

local://upfiles/60765/70E68D0F38D0487E8E014B177EE3A831.jpg

I talked with my local Ford parts guy and he told me the GT500 strut bearing is different than the base/GT part. I have not heard of ANY GT500 owners complain about this issue. I've got the Shelby bearings on order and I'll let everyone know how that goes.

ORIGINAL: Embalmer

I talked with my local Ford parts guy and he told me the GT500 strut bearing is different than the base/GT part. I have not heard of ANY GT500 owners complain about thiis issue. I've got the Shelby bebearings on order and I'll let everyone know how that goes.
What's the GT500 part number?

I hope you guys are right but I'm telling you it's NOT the strut bearings. I have the Steeda HD Strut Mounts and bearings and the problem is WORSE. And the GT500 is another animal altogether than the GT. Different weight, engine, suspension, etc. Not tryin to shoot you down just saying that I think Wolfey is right about the subframe to body mounts being wack.

I can't get it until tomorrow, but I know the base/GT part retails at $17 and the GT500 part retails at almost $70. There's GOT to be a difference!

ORIGINAL: northy_polk

I hope you guys are right but I'm telling you it's NOT the strut bearings. I have the Steeda HD Strut Mounts and bearings and the problem is WORSE. And the GT500 is another animal altogether than the GT. Different weight, engine, suspension, etc. Not tryin to shoot you down just saying that I think Wolfey is right about the subframe to body mounts being wack.
We might be wasting time and money with the GT 500 upper strut bearing.

ORIGINAL: LarryS

ORIGINAL: northy_polk

I hope you guys are right but I'm telling you it's NOT the strut bearings. I have the Steeda HD Strut Mounts and bearings and the problem is WORSE. And the GT500 is another animal altogether than the GT. Different weight, engine, suspension, etc. Not tryin to shoot you down just saying that I think Wolfey is right about the subframe to body mounts being wack.
We might be wasting time and money with the GT 500 upper strut bearing.


Well guys, that's the beauty of this deal! I'll get them installed and let you guys know what I find. I haven't heard ANY of the Shelby guys complaining of clunks on their forums.

Hello-

So, some people haven't heard anyone with the Shelby GT500 with the same problems? Well here is one - Car made this clunking noise with 3 miles on it when I picked it up after Thanksgiving. Sway bar disconnected- same noise.. Strut bearings? Don't think so! Pretty cheap sounding for a $45K rig! Sounds like my dad's Taurus when the sway bar end links were shot(a common Taurus problem) Of course, I live where there are some bumpy roads, and it drove me nuts before the car was put away . It only has 130 miles on it- I thought maybe Ford or someone will find the solution by the time I put it back on the road in April. By the way , my 2003 Cobra Mustang never made this noise, and 'felt' more solid to me suspension-wise anyways. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

Dave Christo

ORIGINAL: Embalmer

I can't get it until tomorrow, but I know the base/GT part retails at $17 and the GT500 part retails at almost $70. There's GOT to be a difference!


Yeah, I think the difference comes from the overall premium price aShelby GT500 brings! ;-). Good luck. I hope you aren't throwing your money away but I have a good feeling you areman.
Also the strut bearing for a GT or GT500 is going to be different in that it's made to accommodate a larger, thicker spring I would think. I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it.

Okay you guys, been real busy working on figuring out the front end thunking problem. I think I have the solution............FINALLY!

Here's the scoop!

As some of you know I have spent a fair amount of time figuring out why the stang coupe makes that horrible thunking noise when going over bumps at low speeds. I have also personally noted it makes the thunking noise at high speeds to while I was taking a long trip across country a month or so ago. When I hit a bunch of ripples at around 70 MPH,,,thththththththunkthunkthunk in rapid succession.

Recently I had the good fortune to run across a fellow MF'er, yes I mean Mustang Forum,,,er.. (Tpony)and he was kind enough to jack his 07 convertable up and have a looksee. He took pictures for me too since we didn't know we are practically neighbors, about 30 miles apart, and send them to me.

What I found when I went to my dealer yesterday to have the parts guyslook and print up thefront subframe blowup's for both the coupe and convertable was that there is in fact anadditional part that for the lifeof me I can't understand why the engineers at Ford opted todelete on the coupes. It's a subframe cross member in the shape of a tube about 1.4" diameter by roughly 2' long that bolts up between the two tongues that connect to the body adjacent to the rear LCA bushing on both sides.

So once I knew what it looked like in real life I drove down to the other dealer and got the showroom guys to hand me the keys to two convertables to test drive and see if they thunked at all. They don't. One was a GT and the other was a V6 pony package. Man I don't like the GT's ride but that's a different thread. I loved the pony though. I almost baught it just because it not only looked really good but it doesn't thunk! Nothin! I mean ZERO!

Ford says that the suspensions are identical on both the coupe and the convertables except the convertables have this additional cross member that I have named the 'subframe torsion bar'. Some call it a cross member, I call it a sling blade ;-D... subframe torsion bar since it mounts to the subframe.

I'll attach the blow ups of bothmodels so you can see for yourselves. You'll notice toward the bottom of the page, part number 5025. The nuts thathold it onare part number HN5.

You will also notice that the coupe blowup doesn't show these part numbers of course. The missing link! The anti-thunker bar might be a better name for it. ;-)

Here's the good news. My service manager Howard, called Ford's Mustang team head engineer and got an update on their progress while I sat there and listend as they spoke on the speaker phone.

Now just in case any of you are wondering why the heck Ford would take months to do various analysis incuding crash testing, the crash testing is very important and of course it's for our safety and so Ford can cover their ********** arses.

They have to make sure that the crumple zones are not adversely altered on the coupe due to the added strength of the rear part of the front cross member. This may also brought abo