Help maintenance issue - noise & mechanical bump front wheels

[sbodi]

We have a 2023 Mach-E GT and love it. Live in Indiana, USA and keep the car in conditioned garage when we’re not driving it. In the last 6-8 weeks we’ve noticed a significant mechanical sounding & feeling “clunking” coming from the front axle or wheels or motor (?) when we are turning at full radius, slowly backing out or in to a parking space. Only at slowest speed and when the steering wheel is fully cranked either to right or left. When pulling in or in reverse backing out. Any ideas what this could be from? Owned and driven car for almost two years and this is new. Mechanical issue at wheels, the front motor or something else? 16,400 miles and on same 4 original tires

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[enfuka]

I am experiencing the same issue with my 2023 GTPE. It's like a creaking sound which is super concerning. Does anybody have experience with this?

 

[HammyCheesy]

I'm also experiencing this issue on my 2025 Rally. I managed to capture some pretty good recordings of the noise by putting my phone in the driver's door pocket.

The "clunking" or "creaking" is very noticeable when pulling into or out of my driveway at low speeds (<10mph), or even just driving around a parking lot. I don't have to have my wheel at full tilt, but turning the wheel seems to intensity the noise.

I've also noticed a "clunk" when accelerating from a stop.

Turn off climate and radio, and the noise is so clear it becomes concerning.

I've brought it to the dealer twice, and both times they have "tightened bolts to spec" and sent me on my way, while the issue remains.

I've attached the audio files I captured. Does this sound similar to what you are hearing? Soon I will bring this to the dealer and ask them to listen to the recording to see if they can identify the source.

 

[HammyCheesy]

Today the noise seemed worse than it has been in the past. It could be heard outside the car, off the walls of my garage. I grabbed another video.

I plan to take it back to the dealer for a third time and insist they watch the video to make a better determination of the cause.

Any ideas?

 

[AZBill]

CV joint failures cause clunking, and will be worse when the wheels are turned.

 

[HammyCheesy]

Just got the car back from the dealer, they said the noise was due to the "front underbody skid plate."

The noise no longer reproduces after they reinstalled the skid plate, but I'm suspect of whether this is a durable fix since this was the same outcome as my last visit.

 

[Teslaeata]

We have a 2023 Mach-E GT and love it. Live in Indiana, USA and keep the car in conditioned garage when we’re not driving it. In the last 6-8 weeks we’ve noticed a significant mechanical sounding & feeling “clunking” coming from the front axle or wheels or motor (?) when we are turning at full radius, slowly backing out or in to a parking space. Only at slowest speed and when the steering wheel is fully cranked either to right or left. When pulling in or in reverse backing out. Any ideas what this could be from? Owned and driven car for almost two years and this is new. Mechanical issue at wheels, the front motor or something else? 16,400 miles and on same 4 original tires

There are numerous reports of this here & there throughout the forums.

It’s probably the correction of the tyre slip angles on the steered axle when on full lock.

Steering linkage design is such that the front wheels can be kept aligned with the centre of turn up to a point beyond which the wheels become less and less aligned with CoT as steering is turned further.

You hear this sound & feel the jumping when driving slowly because, by definition, you’d only be driving slowly at near to full lock.

If the tyres you have are less grippy you’d hear & experience it less because they’ll slip/slide gradually maintaining alignment with steered path of the wheels, grippier tyres grip the road surface better so increasing the angle between the steered path of tyre & wheel until the tyres effectively jump as they lose and regain grip between ground in the correction of this difference.

You could have the 4-wheel alignment & general condition checked to ensure there’s no other cause to be on safe side.

 

[enfuka]

The dealer fixed the noise by first replacing the control arms and then the strut bearings. I haven't heard the noise so far.

 

[ryan9751]

The dealer fixed the noise by first replacing the control arms and then the strut bearings. I haven't heard the noise so far.

did this fully resolve the issue?

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