EDITED: Dragging metal sound; rattle & squeak

[skiteton]

I parked my truck at 2:30PM on Saturday and when I drove it again 16 hours later, it sounded like I was dragging a shovel. I looked in my rearview mirror to see if someone in the neighborhood was scraping their driveway with a flat spade! I drove about 150 yds and stopped to visually inspect and saw nothing. The noise stayed the same through the neighborhood as I drove about 20 mph. Went about .5 mile at 45 mph and it was tougher to hear at speed, but when I got back down to 20-30 mph, it was there again. I accelerated from a stop and it let out a sharp and loud "CHIRP". After that, the constant metal grinding/dragging sound went away but every bump in the road makes something in the front end rub/squeak/clang.

I've scheduled an appointment with my dealer but the soonest they can get me in is August 2 (2.5 weeks away).

Can anyone relate to this issue and if so, is it safe to keep driving it as such? Or is there a fix for it? It sounds like I'm driving a 1976 pickup with 363,000 miles; not a 2022 with less than 10K miles.

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[Jaylars]

Did you have your wheels off the vehicle recently? If so, check the disc shroud to make sure it was not bent towards the brake disc while re-installing the wheels. Ask me how I know.

 

[Blue22]

Do you have max tow? Might want to pull off both back tires and make sure you don't have a broken rear axle bolt.

 

[skiteton]

Did you have your wheels off the vehicle recently? If so, check the disc shroud to make sure it was not bent towards the brake disc while re-installing the wheels. Ask me how I know.

No, wheels have not been off. Good thing to watch out for, thanks for the tip!!

 

[skiteton]

Do you have max tow? Might want to pull off both back tires and make sure you don't have a broken rear axle bolt.

No max tow package, but it is a Powerboost and I've heard they share components with the max tow package.(?) It sounded as if it's coming from the front end but I know it's hard to tell where certain sounds are coming from.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I parked my truck at 2:30PM on Saturday and when I drove it again 16 hours later, it sounded like I was dragging a shovel. I looked in my rearview mirror to see if someone in the neighborhood was scraping their driveway with a flat spade! I drove about 150 yds and stopped to visually inspect and saw nothing. The noise stayed the same through the neighborhood as I drove about 20 mph. Went about .5 mile at 45 mph and it was tougher to hear at speed, but when I got back down to 20-30 mph, it was there again. I accelerated from a stop and it let out a sharp and loud "CHIRP". After that, the constant metal grinding/dragging sound went away but every bump in the road makes something in the front end rub/squeak/clang.

I've scheduled an appointment with my dealer but the soonest they can get me in is August 2 (2.5 weeks away).

Can anyone relate to this issue and if so, is it safe to keep driving it as such? Or is there a fix for it? It sounds like I'm driving a 1976 pickup with 363,000 miles; not a 2022 with less than 10K miles.

Good afternoon. Could you please send over a message with your VIN and the name/location of your local Ford dealer? I would like to take a closer look into your truck's noise issues.

 

[discothan]

Your wife's curling iron is dragging.

Just kidding. If you find out what it is, let us know. Any chance you can record the sound in a video and post it up?

 

[skiteton]

Well, the squealing sound came back last night. The truck was driven for about 10 miles without the sound; only the squeaking that happens when hitting any small bump. Truck was parked for 2 hours, and as we pulled away, the metal-on-metal squeal started. It lasted for the time it took us to get down the driveway, about 30 seconds. It happened regardless of the amount of pressure applied to accelerator or brake. Once the truck stopped moving, the sound stopped. After full stop, it made the sound up to about 20 mph. I am going to attempt to post the video shortly.

 

[skiteton]

Video from last night

 

[Blue22]

That doesn't sound good. I know you said it sounds like it is coming from the front, but did you ever pull the rear tires to check for a sheared axle bolt? If you did, and it's still making that noise, I would start by jacking up the front and rotate each of the front tires to see if you can hear any grinding noise or feel any kind of resistance.

 

[skiteton]

That doesn't sound good. I know you said it sounds like it is coming from the front, but did you ever pull the rear tires to check for a sheared axle bolt? If you did, and it's still making that noise, I would start by jacking up the front and rotate each of the front tires to see if you can hear any grinding noise or feel any kind of resistance.

You're right, I'm starting to think it's a sheared bolt. If I can visually see that it's broken by removing a wheel and can confirm that is the issue, how safe is it to drive? We have a busy week of hauling and towing ahead of us and don't want to have a catastrophic failure while I'm hauling livestock or our camper. (4-H fair week)

 

[Blue22]

You're right, I'm starting to think it's a sheared bolt. If I can visually see that it's broken by removing a wheel and can confirm that is the issue, how safe is it to drive? We have a busy week of hauling and towing ahead of us and don't want to have a catastrophic failure while I'm hauling livestock or our camper. (4-H fair week)

If you're planning on towing I would definitely pull the rear wheels for peace of mind since it's very easy to do. I'm pretty sure it's only an issue with the 9.75" rear and 3/4 floating axle. If you do find one of the bolts has been sheared I would not tow with it.

 

[truck trader]

A reoccurring issue on these threads is the dealer not being able to assist a customer for a delayed period of time. I would think drivability issues should take priority over an oil change. The more I read this stuff, the more questions I have.

1. Are there so many quality issues that service departments can't keep up with the problems?
2. Is the workforce depleted to the point where service is understaffed?
3. Do service managers prioritize drivability concerns over regular maintenance?
4. Are repair parts so scarce that jobs can't be completed in timely manner delaying other repairs?

This wasn't the norm before Covid in my region. I hear it on a weekly basis locally now. The dealer can't get to my vehicle for repair until xx/xx/xx. I read about it way too often on here too. What gives? I'd hope this service issue is a high priority to Ford or any auto manufacturer.

I think we can all agree we've seen a decline in service. The OP should have been told to bring his vehicle in immediately. Obliviously, something is broken and could be a serious drivability issue. I would think they'd want to address it before something else breaks causing further damage. In my mind delayed service identifies another problem. It's really frustrating - especially to the owner of the vehicle having problems.

 

[skiteton]

I took off the passenger side rear center cap and saw this. Is it ok? Couldn’t get the driver side off.

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