Weird noise from front suspension

[diesel4982]

I totally understand the frustration and agree with you. I hope they can at least pinpoint the issue for you. The parts had to be ordered which took a while and were on backorder. That was fine by me, as long as it was in the works to get fixed.

[IcEWoLF]

Got it, on pavement is fine, but when roads have some bumps here and there it’s a constant rattle and it sounds like it’s cominf under the steering wheel and passenger side. Driving me nuts since I am susceptible to noises.

 

I’ll update when I take my car in.

[diesel4982]

Yeah man, I'd be curious to see what it could be for you. It sounds exactly like what I had.

[Danz2017Legacy]

Took it to the dealer. They had it for a week. Replaced the strut mount and cv joint. No help at all, noise is the same and getting worse. I'm hoping it gets so bad it will do it all the time. Super frustrating that it only happens on certain roads. My street has some bumps that make this noise really loud in the morning. Bummed because I love this car otherwise. I'll look into the subframe, but I don't know what that is right now.

[diesel4982]

I must have looked like a crazy person to the dealer because I was sitting in the front while they were driving it, I'd hear the noise and tell him there, there it is...I had them drive over different roads, we switched driving...I did all I could to recreate the noise. I did notice that the noise was more pronounced during the morning, colder hours. I know it sounds crazy, but the dealer indulged this and kept it overnight to drive it first thing in the morning and there it was. For me, it was driving in a straight line over bumpy(not big bumps bc that will overpower the sound) first thing in the morning when it was cold out.

[nvzman]

Picked up a '17 Legacy 2.5 Prem a few months ago and am getting the exact same noise from the steering as described by diesel4982. Car has 11,000 miles. My son also has a '17 Legacy and his is starting to make the same noise but not as pronounced as mine. His car has 6000 miles on it. Makes the noise when cold and goes away after driving around for 10 minutes or so. Turning the steering wheel back and forth gets rid of the noise or when making a left or right turn. Straightening the steering wheel back to normal and the noise returns. Has Subaru ever issued a Service Bulletin on this problem?

[rec630]

We will see if it fixed the rattle but my dealer replaced (according to work order) eps gearbox backlash adjuster/sleeve/ spring. Said it was a new redesigned spring to address the issue. I guess this had to do with the power steering gearbox. Edited December 8, 2018 by rec630

[Spotteddogs]

After 3 tries at the dealer, we were finally able to replicate the front suspension noise I have been complaining about for months. I was fortunate to have 2 Techs ride in the car with me and concur that the noise wasn't my imagination. A new steering rack is on order and hopefully this solves the problem.

[nvzman]

Stopped in at Reno Subaru and the service gal pulled up a Tech Service Bulletin #04-17-17R - Rattling Sound From Steering Rack. Calls for replacement of the tension spring in the EPS unit and if that doesn't work, then they'll look at replacing the steering rack. Fun and games!

[rec630]

Stopped in at Reno Subaru and the service gal pulled up a Tech Service Bulletin #04-17-17R - Rattling Sound From Steering Rack. Calls for replacement of the tension spring in the EPS unit and if that doesn't work, then they'll look at replacing the steering rack. Fun and games!

 

That's what they replaced on mine yesterday although they said nothing about replacing steering rack. The tension spring has been redesigned. Didn't hear rattle on way home but that was not far and I didn't get out much in the car today to see if it is really gone.

 

edit: drove the car a fair amount today. No immediate rattling before getting out of the drive this morning. No rattling about town as I went over train tracks and rough road. It may actually be fixed!

Edited December 9, 2018 by rec630

[JinMA]

My Steering Rack was replaced @ around 6K miles. Now at 12K noise is back.

 

Same description: vibration noise front driver side, occurs between 10-25ish miles per hour, just need an uneven to bumpy surface, acceleration has no effect.

 

First dealer here in MA didn't listen to me (or the car), replaced front sway-bar linker and called it fixed. It was not. Heading back to original dealer who fixed it the fist time for diagnosis. Curious of the TSB is pointing to a recall in the future.

 

This is my second 3.6R with repetitive issues. My '13 3.6 needed a new transmission around 50K. The first re-conditioned tranny was "over torqued" at the factory and had to be pulled after they tried to pass the car off as "fixed", the second was fine but the whole episode took almost 6 months in a loaner car and first replacing the throttle body, ECU and wiring harness first. My trust in the car and brand was damaged and this situation is not helping to rebuild said trust.

 

I stayed with Subaru after the tranny issue for a variety of reasons; $2500 in Subaru bucks, sales guy sympathy leading to an amazing deal my '18, and a second kiddo on the way (can't beat the back seat in an AWD sedan under 35K). This is probably my last Subaru, we went with the new Tiguan vs. the forester, I am eyeing CPO Q50 turbo and Red Sport models now... Sorry for the long post but needed to vent to an understanding crowd..

Edited December 10, 2018 by JinMA

[iyalla]

^^^I have to agree, this rattling thing is really ticking me off. I thought it might have been the driver side hood strut as some people have complained about, but my strut there feels solid. It does feel suspension or steering related, sounds almost the way a bad ball joint would sound over a set of minor bumps in the road. I'm going to ask my dealership about the 04-17-17R bulletin and see if they blow me off, then i'll try another dealer.

 

On top of that my radio went blank again yesterday for the third time, still working, just blank until I restart the car. Its the 6.5" base radio so im just thinking of junking it for an aftermarket already, there is a base plate by metra (95-8906HG) for it, only had the car 3 months lol.

 

Come on Subaru! Other car manufacturers are starting to put AWD in their sedans, get it together

[Beamercub]

Hmmm. The loose feel of the steering wheel? This is what I have been loosing my mind about for the last 2 YEARS! I want my rack replaced!!

[JinMA]

That's what they replaced on mine yesterday although they said nothing about replacing steering rack. The tension spring has been redesigned. Didn't hear rattle on way home but that was not far and I didn't get out much in the car today to see if it is really gone.

 

edit: drove the car a fair amount today. No immediate rattling before getting out of the drive this morning. No rattling about town as I went over train tracks and rough road. It may actually be fixed!

Hello, thanks for posting this! Any further updates? This is the same suggested fix for my 18' 3.6R. Currently waiting for the same part to come in. My rack was already replaced at ~6K miles.

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[JinMA]

^^^I have to agree, this rattling thing is really ticking me off. I thought it might have been the driver side hood strut as some people have complained about, but my strut there feels solid. It does feel suspension or steering related, sounds almost the way a bad ball joint would sound over a set of minor bumps in the road. I'm going to ask my dealership about the 04-17-17R bulletin and see if they blow me off, then i'll try another dealer.

 

On top of that my radio went blank again yesterday for the third time, still working, just blank until I restart the car. Its the 6.5" base radio so im just thinking of junking it for an aftermarket already, there is a base plate by metra (95-8906HG) for it, only had the car 3 months lol.

 

Come on Subaru! Other car manufacturers are starting to put AWD in their sedans, get it together

Hopefully this spring I am waiting for is the fix. My rack was replaced and the noise came back.

 

I have had some odd issues with bluetooth and speakers with the 7" unit, but nothing lately. Have you updated the headunit software?

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[rec630]

Hello, thanks for posting this! Any further updates? This is the same suggested fix for my 18' 3.6R. Currently waiting for the same part to come in. My rack was already replaced at ~6K miles.

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

Ive probably put 300 to 400 miles on car since the fix and so far have not had the noise return.

[lemonlegacygt]

Think about it, your strut mount is your upper ball joint which is actually a bearing, if you lift the front wheels off the ground and see the top hat sink down....they are ****ed, any movement in that bearing/mount area is translated into much more movement at the wheel, mine has had the clunk for 60000, I’m guessing this is the cause, make sense to anyone else? Edited January 10, 2019 by ammcinnis
Offensive language; NVA

[Rayho]

I have a 2018 3.6R. Recently, I heard noise coming from the front driver side wheel. Its sounds like wheel liner or something moving when I m passing by the road that not very smooth (such as cracked pavements and rails). Just wonder how did you bring it up to your dealership? I had only 13k miles with my Legacy and I had so much warranty records for my 2018 3.6R already. Such as seat squeaking noise, dash rattle, moon roof liner finish...etc. I don't know will those service agents think I m just too sensitive or crazy if I going to the same dealership and bringing up this problem....

[Beamercub]

You aren't crazy. The car is crap. Cheap parts. Bad design. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's bad. The worst part is the dealerships know everything that is wrong and what will go wrong with your car and they lie to your face like a politician. We didn't notice anything, it's normal. Right?

[ammcinnis]

The car is crap. Cheap parts. Bad design ... The worst part is the dealerships know everything that is wrong and what will go wrong with your car and they lie to your face ....

It's OK to have opinions ... and you seem to have plenty of them ... but it would be refreshing if you would occasionally back up your opinions with fact-based evidence. Otherwise, you come off sounding like just another immature Internet whiner.

 

• How do you know that "the car is crap"?
  
• How do you know that Subaru uses "cheap parts"? Cheap compared to what? Cheap by what criteria?
  
• How do you know that Subaru exemplifies "bad design"? By what criteria?
  
• How do you know that "the dealerships know everything that is wrong and what will go wrong with your car"?
  

Edited January 17, 2019 by ammcinnis

[Beamercub]

It's OK to have opinions ... and you seem to have plenty of them ... but it would be refreshing if you would occasionally back up your opinions with fact-based evidence. Otherwise, you come off sounding like just another immature Internet whiner.

 

• How do you know that "the car is crap"?
  
• How do you know that Subaru uses "cheap parts"? Cheap compared to what? Cheap by what criteria?
  
• How do you know that Subaru exemplifies "bad design"? By what criteria?
  
• How do you know that "the dealerships know everything that is wrong and what will go wrong with your car"?
  

 

1. I know my car is a piece of crap because of all the untimely replacements (not repairs) it has required.

 

2. Pointing out a specific part that has failed on my car among many others would be wheel bearings. Unfortunately there is no preventative maintenance for bearings. Almost like a stroke having the first symptom of a stroke being a stroke. Older cars that used spindle and king-link setups with drum brakes, bearing lubing and replacement was regular maintenance. Being a sealed bearing in modern cars it is expected to exceed 10k before failure.

 

3. Bad design could be the cause of too much stress on certain parts, I.e ,bearings. Especially in the front end with the lack of lateral support. Bearing replacement is usually done when an audible failure is detected. What about the slightest amount of looseness under load in the front end bearings compounded by the lack of an idler arm setup (replaced) by the all in one steering rack with electric motor? That caused one more f the biggest do not operate recalls by any auto manufacturer when a part wasn't machined correctly?! The numb on center feeling is scary. Constantly having to counter act steering at highway speeds is exhausting and dangerous. And being told by a dealership that it is normal for a car to sway or dart in either direction all the while you have kept your hands at 9 & 3 on the steering wheel elbows locked and no input by you on a straight stretch of highway with no crosswinds?!

 

4. As for dealerships having the inside scoop on known or common failures. It's their business to know. SOA keeps them informed via TSB's. In addition to the vehicles they have coming back.

 

Those are my facts, and facts that can be verified by recent TSB's and google searches. Not every vehicle has or will have these issues as every part isn't defective. It's the percentage on this level that isn't acceptable. My family has owned every generation of the Legacy going back before it was even badged the Legacy. It was called the Leone or L.. We have also owned a couple XT's back in the 80's , my aunt still has her 95 SVX in her garage, sister is on her 3rd Forester.. Brand new 2019. And can't forget the Outback, my cousin is on 4th.

I'm determined to love this car. There isn't another car I would even consider buying. Done with my rant.

[Rayho]

1. I know my car is a piece of crap because of all the untimely replacements (not repairs) it has required.

 

2. Pointing out a specific part that has failed on my car among many others would be wheel bearings. Unfortunately there is no preventative maintenance for bearings. Almost like a stroke having the first symptom of a stroke being a stroke. Older cars that used spindle and king-link setups with drum brakes, bearing lubing and replacement was regular maintenance. Being a sealed bearing in modern cars it is expected to exceed 10k before failure.

 

3. Bad design could be the cause of too much stress on certain parts, I.e ,bearings. Especially in the front end with the lack of lateral support. Bearing replacement is usually done when an audible failure is detected. What about the slightest amount of looseness under load in the front end bearings compounded by the lack of an idler arm setup (replaced) by the all in one steering rack with electric motor? That caused one more f the biggest do not operate recalls by any auto manufacturer when a part wasn't machined correctly?! The numb on center feeling is scary. Constantly having to counter act steering at highway speeds is exhausting and dangerous. And being told by a dealership that it is normal for a car to sway or dart in either direction all the while you have kept your hands at 9 & 3 on the steering wheel elbows locked and no input by you on a straight stretch of highway with no crosswinds?!

 

4. As for dealerships having the inside scoop on known or common failures. It's their business to know. SOA keeps them informed via TSB's. In addition to the vehicles they have coming back.

 

Those are my facts, and facts that can be verified by recent TSB's and google searches. Not every vehicle has or will have these issues as every part isn't defective. It's the percentage on this level that isn't acceptable. My family has owned every generation of the Legacy going back before it was even badged the Legacy. It was called the Leone or L.. We have also owned a couple XT's back in the 80's , my aunt still has her 95 SVX in her garage, sister is on her 3rd Forester.. Brand new 2019. And can't forget the Outback, my cousin is on 4th.

I'm determined to love this car. There isn't another car I would even consider buying. Done with my rant.

 

Thanks Beamercub. You made me feels better, at least I know I m not too picky or sensitive to my Subie. I had very similar Subaru family background as you had. I own 2015 Impreza, 2016 OB(sister), 2017 Impreza(traded in) for my 18 Legacy. Only the 2015 Impreza, 2016 OB had the least problems. The 17 Impreza has 8 warranty repairs in its 7 months life, end up I filed a claim to SOA. Also, I had 6 warranty repair records for my 18 Legacy as today.. (I m thinking to file another claim to SOA). Even I don't need to spend any $$ for warranty repair, but it is time consuming and headaches. 6 warranty repair = 12 time off from my full time job. My co-workers keep asking why I had so many problem with my brand new shinny car.

[nvzman]

Local dealer in Reno replaced the little spring in the EPS unit this morning. Rattle noise is now gone. They indicated on the work order that if the noise does return, they will replace the steering rack. We'll see what happens.

[Solkid212]

So I recently had a creaking noise too it was fine and then all the sudden when I took the car off ramps i noticed the sound later that day. Every thing seems fine no issues with steering or vibrations no tire wobble when I jack up the car. It doesnt happen always over bumps only sometimes. Anyone that has had this issue figured out what it is?

[106 Miles 2 Chicago]

All,

Thanks for the posts, I have 6,200+miles on my 2018 3.6R with the same vibration/noise symptoms at the left front side of the car. The noise went away on the 15 mile drive to the dealer, so I'll leave it overnight for the dealer to confirm the problem. I will hand them this string of your comments for guidance!

 

Thank you,

106 Miles 2 Chicago.