Soft/Quiet/Locking/clicking sound coming from under front end. Engine or transmission sound?

[BroncoJoe24]

Hey everyone! New to the forum/first post. We're loving our '24 Badlands.

No issues through 15k miles. But I have a question that I haven't really seen anything information or answers on. On our car, when braking and decreasing to 12-10 MPH, there is a soft "locking" noise and the same sound is made when accelerating on turns. This hasn't affected performance or given any issues, but it doesn't sound right to me. I took it to the dealer asking if this was a transmission noise (my guess) and they said it was a "sway bar link" which they replaced under warranty (which I was skeptical about) and noted that they fixed it, but the noise was made as soon as turning out of the dealer lot. So l'm just looking for some answers. Is this sound normal for the BS's out there? Has your BS made this noise? Could this be a problem i need a second opinion on? I’ve heard some having troubles with the RDU, but this isn’t a loud grinding noise, and I’ve heard some say they hear their turbos gulching? Like I said it is a quiet locking/clicking sound, but I did my best in the videos below. The noise Just doesnt sound normal to me. Thank you to all

 

[thomasm23]

I hear nothing from those videos. What does a “locking” sound like?

 

[BroncoJoe24]

I hear nothing from those videos. What does a “locking” sound like?

It’s most prominent in the 2nd video. Right as the engine revs up going down the road it’s like tap sound. To me in person it sounds like someone locking a dead bolt.

 

[Chiefthepup]

I can definitely hear it with my headphones. I wish I had answers for you. Clicks and clacks are just something to get used to with these it feels like hahah. I love my sport but in my experience the dealership says they can’t replicate or it’s normal. So I’ve decided to just drive it til something truly breaks and there’s no song and dance to get something fixed

 

[Dude]

Can clearly hear the locking sound on all 3 videos - were you braking and decreasing to 12-10 MPH on all 3 videos?

or were you accelerating on a turn?

 

[BroncoJoe24]

I can definitely hear it with my headphones. I wish I had answers for you. Clicks and clacks are just something to get used to with these it feels like hahah. I love my sport but in my experience the dealership says they can’t replicate or it’s normal. So I’ve decided to just drive it til something truly breaks and there’s no song and dance to get something fixed

Yea headphones is probably the best way to hear it. If nothing else, they have me on record alerting them of this. Always leave a paper trail. Seems to be what Ive noticed. It just annoying how my 03 F150 and 05 Tahoe both 220k and 300k miles later don’t make any sounds like this lol.

 

[BroncoJoe24]

Can clearly hear the locking sound on all 3 videos - were you braking and decreasing to 12-10 MPH on all 3 videos?

or were you accelerating on a turn?

Yes. In all 3 I’m either braking or making a turn, mostly braking Like towards a stop sign. Always does it when decreasing down to those speeds and sometimes when hitting around 20 mph accelerating.

 

[Dannyp56]

Possible CV joint click? I had a CV joint break in an 83 S10 my right front wheel locked up and finally broke. I continued on my way to work and back and replaced the CV joint at home.

 

[fourthgear]

Ya , CV or Drive Unit would be something to look at also .

 

[first_and_last_ford]

I honestly can't make out the noise in your videos, but I have been experiencing something similar on my 2021 BS Outer Banks. I describe it as a "chuffing" sound at 1500 rpms during acceleration and braking. (Video attached.)

So... I've had 2 episodes of a powertrain fault where the transmission down-shifted suddenly, and the vehicle lost speed and power. The 1st time was at 70 mph on a highway (scary), and it made a loud thud from the engine. I pulled over, turned off the car, found nothing wrong inside or out, and restarted it. The car was totally normal. No error code registered. The second time it happened was after transitioning from main road to a slow side street near my house. Same thud and loss of power, but that time a powertrain fault light came on. I got home, turned it on and off. Error code was gone, car acted normal. First time was around 27K mi and second at 30K miles.

Brought it into Ford for evaluation and they spent 6 weeks rebuilding the transmission. The notes from service tech on my invoice say that when the transmission was opened and flushed, a bunch of valves were stuck, there was was a bunch of debris inside, and the fluid was burnt and contaminated with clutch material.

To make a long story short... the chuffing noise was gone for 3-4 months after the transmission rebuild. I've put another 2K miles on it, and it's totally back.....