Creaking noise from front end of car

JOSUé RAMIREZ

MEMBER
2005 HYUNDAI SONATA
2.7L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
103,000 MILES

I'm hearing a creaking noise from the front end that only occurs when switching gears, starting to accelerate, and when slowing down. And I don't mean braking. I mean slowing down as in releasing acceleration and letting the car slow down by itself. Once I'm at speed, the car will no longer creak. It only does it when I first start to accelerate or when coming to a stop. Is this a suspension problem? A mechanic told me the bushings seem really dry and that could be the cause but the rest of the suspension is in good shape. Nobody has been able to confirm what the creaking is or where it is coming from. The car doesn't creak when going over bumps or if I push down on the car. Do you think the bushings are the problem or could this be a different issue?

7 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,621 POSTS

This can be the engine mounts are having an issue. To be sure, can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so we can hear the noise? That would be great. You can upload it here with your response.

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Friday, March 5th, 2021 AT 8:04 PM

JOSUé RAMIREZ

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Here is a video. The noise can be heard especially well when I switch gears. It's a little hard to hear otherwise because the engine on this car is loud. I think there is an exhaust leak somewhere.

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Saturday, March 6th, 2021 AT 1:02 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
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Hi,

I watched the video, but there was no audio. I'm not sure why.

Have you checked the engine mounts as mentioned above? Also, I have also seen sway bar bushing make a noise like this as well as control arm bushings.

I attached a pic of the front suspension below. I circled the components if concern. Take a look at them and make sure nothing is loose or dry rotted.

Also, when the vehicle is parked, bounce the front to see if you can recreate the sound. Additionally, while it's in park, rock it back and forth to see if you can make the sound.

By the way, pics 2, 3, 4, 5 show the engine mounts/roll stoppers. Check them as well.

Let us know what you find.

Take care and God Bless,

Joe

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Monday, March 8th, 2021 AT 7:35 PM

JOSUé RAMIREZ

MEMBER
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I accidentally uploaded the wrong clip. I uploaded the correct clip to YouTube to avoid audio issues. Here is the link:
https://youtu.be/bBeUXvIjYjw
I will check the engine mounts and bushings as soon as possible. I will note though that the car doesn't shake much at all. It's actually pretty smooth. Same goes for steering. I heard that bad engine mounts can cause the car to shake a lot.

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Monday, March 8th, 2021 AT 7:58 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,747 POSTS

Hi,

It was hard to hear, but I did hear something. Is it happening more when you are making turns? Also, have you had a chance to check the mounts I recommended?

Let me know,
Joe

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2021 AT 4:46 PM

JOSUé RAMIREZ

MEMBER
5 POSTS

Thanks for the images you provided. They were very helpful. The engine mounts look normal. There is some rust but they don't seem loose or structurally compromised. The bushings in the suspension seem dry rotted and flattened in some areas. The outer tie rod bushings don't look good especially. I noticed today that the creaking stopped, but I believe this is because of an increase in temperature. It was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit today and lately it has been cold in my area and I heard that bushings creak more in colder temperatures.

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 AT 5:34 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,747 POSTS

Hi,

Absolutely. Temperature certainly can cause them to make more noise. Try this. When it starts making noise again, spray one bushing at a time with something like WD40 and see if the sound changes or goes away. If you spray all of them at once, you won't know which one made the difference.

Let me know.
Joe

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 AT 9:16 PM