Embalmer

I talked to the service manager today and he drove the car. He said that at least half of the 2005-present Mustangs that he has driven have this same noise. They contacted Ford's tech hotline and apparently they are well aware of the problem, and are currently working toward a fix. I was told they have ruled out suspension issues and are focused on a potential chassis flex problem where a major suspension part connects. I will keep you updated.

tmf

I don't understand how this problem can be 2 years old and Ford hasn't figured it out yet...

flyfinn

I haven't heard any clunking yet. Although, I have FR3 suspencion package So I have different shocks, springs, bushings and sway bars than what came in a stock car. Also, I have only 83 miles on it.
I'm truly loveing my car. I got it on my 37th Birthday Wedesday 12/13.
I also got GTA mufflers put on at the dealer.

indymustanggt

My 05 GT has the same "clunk", even after many trips to the dealer and several fixes. They replaced the vertical link, no result. Ford engineer drove the car and said the clunk was caused by the shock valve and "they all do it, so we can't fix it". Next I found both ball joints were bad - dealer put on two new lower control arms and the metallic loud clunk was gone (steering improved greatly), but the shock valve clunk was still there.
It still sounds really cheap and not very robust. I think the noise enforces my contention that the car does not handle well - something is loose.
Friday Pirelli is putting on 4 new ZR17's under warrenty and I'll see if that improves the handling. This car only has 23,000 miles and I've fought the issue since it was new.

official_style

the GTs do have noisy suspensions, since they are stiff, but it should not clunk. im making an appointment once the holidays are over.

Embalmer

Just watched the new Ford Bold Moves Video (Episode 27) and they are telling everyone how they run the vehicles at their proving grounds to test them for any squeaks, rattles, etc. About halfway through they show a Mustang GT going through its paces. Lemme guess - they have one of the 5% that don't have any noises...

http://www.fordboldmoves.com/default..._BMHP_20061221

Hollywood_North GT

Pathetic. No wonder customers have been running away from domestics, and Ford in particular. That kind of crap is inexcusable in this era of automobile manufacturing

Like I say, that's the REAL rot that Mulally will have to cut out of this company if they are to survive. Frankly, I'm starting to have my doubts. Whaddya do when a house is infested with termites?

official_style

well my car is at the dealer, and they are saying they cant find it. since i have had it in for this same problem 4 times, would this count towards the lemon law? im sick of having a clunky brand new car, that makes more noise from the front end then my yukon with 200,000+ miles on it. this is why i was reluctant to buy a ford in the first place lol. im back to bowtie after this car. the problem with my clunk, is once they put the car up in the air, it goes away for a little while, till u hit a nice big pothole, then it comes back.

indymustanggt

I had 4 new Pirelli's installed on Dec 20, and the car was perfect as far as handling. I still had the clunk issue but at last I thought my issue was resolved.
I drove to Hilton Head the day after Christmas and everything was perfect til South Carolina, then the handling, weaving, constant steering corrections issue came back.
I dropped the car off at a different dealer this morning, and they did in 1 day what the other dealer refused to do since 7,000 miles - they replaced the struts and strut mounting plates under warranty.
The clunk is gone, and it seems to steer/handle. I won't know for sure til it gets warmer (it's cold in Indianapolis) because the issue seems to be temperature related - when it's cold the steering really tightens up. But at least the clunk is gone.

8850

I replaced both struts with KYB struts and both upper strut bearings. Only bearings I could find were from the dealer unfortunately. I've still got a clunker! You will to when you get a few miles on it. The upper bearings have side to side movement that may be the culprit.

official_style

i got the car back, after like 3 weeks (they were fixing other stuff) and while they got the heater to come out of the floor finally, the clunk is still there. on the work order, it says a stabilizer link was changed, but its still doing it. car is going back in AGAIN.

Scarpi

Man after reading about all these clunking cars, I'm feeling lucky. So far no clunks in my 05 GT. Built 6/4/05. I better go knock on wood. Hope all you guys get it straightened out. Of course my car is not a daily driver, I only have about 3500 miles on her. So far no problems at all.

official_style

your probably all good, mine has done it since the day i got it new. i just didnt care, because i had warranty and i loved the car so much. i won't make that mistake again lol. (when i get my new camaro)

Embalmer

Just an update for you guys, there's a thread on mustangforums.com with a lot of good information. Here's a link with the latest:

http://www.mustangforums.com/fb.asp?m=2769194

Embalmer

I got pictures of the GT500 upper strut bearing today. Part number is 7R3Z-18183-A (Motorcraft AD-1048) and Ford calls it a bracket. This is a $67 part versus the $12 part on the base/GT. I have no idea what the difference is between the two parts, other than price. The upper plate is metal, the race is plastic and there is some play (not a whole lot) when I push the top and bottom together, then pull them apart. The isolator spins freely in the part. Interestingly enough, as I look at the bottom of the piece (shown in the 3rd pic) there are two part numbers and it reads "7R3V-18183-A = green stud *5R33-18183-A" The first number is different from the one on the box by 1 digit.

drakino

Reading through parts of that now, seems like Ford is trying to get a fix out here shortly.

I'll probably be taking my car by the dealership soon to have them hear the noise from mine, I think it's the same issue. Started noticing it recently, not exactly sure how long it's been happening. To me, it sounded almost like a coat hanger or something bouncing off the ground, but a thicker metal sound. Had to check to make sure I wasn't actually dragging anything when I first started hearing it. Pretty noticeable on my car every time I pull into the garage due to the walls, or in the parking garage at work.

Just a pain to constantly have to go to the dealership with issues like this, since mine is all the way at the opposite end of town. *sigh*

Skorch52

My 07 GT has the front-end clunk, both sides I think but the passenger side is definitely louder. It doesn't seem to affect the steering or handling, but it's there.

I've been waiting to take it in, hoping there would be enough definitive info on the forums for me to direct the dealership on the right fix. I think I'm going to take it in a couple of weeks from now though, to make sure I'm on record as reporting a problem, even if they can't fix it right now.

Any updates out there guys?

HNT

http://www.automotive.com/2005/49/fo...lls/22613.html

Skorch52

But that's an Eibach recall right? Only affects cars that have Eibach springs installed... Or did Ford buy springs from Eibach and offer them as OEM?

Sorry, I'm traveling and can't run out to the garage, crawl under my car and see if I have Eibach branded springs...

Embalmer

That recall doesn't apply to our cars, it's for the strut bracket and that's not what's causing our noise.