Escape Rattling up front. NOT StabLinks, ball joints, or struts... it seems
 

Hi everyone,

My daughter has a 2010 Escape that rattles like there is no tomorrow. Just driving down a relatively-smooth gravel driveway, there's rattling going on up front. A few months ago, while I was installing new brake pads, I went ahead and replaced the stabilizer links. It's the solution everyone points to and they were in stock. However, that didn't change a single thing. I went ahead and bought new strut assemblies but ran out of time. She had to go back to college, so they've sat here since Christmas. She's back home, and I'm reading up on what to do. I pushed down hard on the front of the vehicle, and the suspension does not bounce. It seems perfectly dampened. I guess that doesn't guarantee the struts are fine, but the shock part of them is working. I jacked both front wheels off the ground and tried to detect if the ball joint is bad. There is the slightest movement if I try to turn the tires laterally (hands at 9 and 3, rocking the wheel sideways back and forth). However, it's nothing like what I see when I search 'how to tell if ball joints are bad'.

I don't have the necessary tools to do the ball joint job although I could rent them from Advance I imagine. If I had to go that route, I might just order a set of lower control arms.


Edit: I kept up my google search and this site (repairpal.com) showed these percentages when it comes to source of rattle.


So, what could it be?

• Stab links
  • replaced December 2022, no noticeable change after replacement
  • I'll check them today to make sure they're tight.
• Struts
  • seem to work fine, dampening is fantastic when I push down on front of car and release. I'm 6'4", 245lb so I'm getting a good push on it
  • I'll check the bolts at the top (they appear fine) and I'll check bolts where the strut connects to the knuckle.
  • Anything else?
• Strut mount
  • I never considered this and sometimes the rattle seems to come from higher up than near the road. It's hard to tell. But perhaps the struts are fine but the mount is bad.
• Ball joints
  • seems to be fine. should there absolutely NO perceptible wiggle left and right?)
• Upper control arm?
  • I have never even looked at this and if it could make a difference.

I don't know if I can even return the struts - it's been six months - so I might just go ahead and replace them. But I always figure OEM is going to be better quality than aftermarket, and certainly when it comes to the springs. (I usually retain my old springs and add them to a new strut. This time, I just bought the assembly.


I have a 2011 Expedition that I've replaced all the struts on before, so I'm comfortably with the job. It was clunking. This Escape rattles. Makes sense b/c it's a lightweight compared to the Expy.

I appreciate all your help. This IS my first post, but you'll find me on the Expedition forum with a similar handle.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...d06be65950.jpg