2001 PT Cruiser Limited edition -RATTLING/CLUNCKING NOISE

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Hello all, I recently traded in my old '96 Infiniti for this great 2001 PT Cruiser. It drives great ,mileage is at 76K and in very good condition …except for this.
Whenever I am driving and going over minor or major bumps I get a lot of loose RATTLING, clacking noise from the front end. Obviously from the tires bouncing up and down. Is this typical for this particular PT? I remember having that in an old Jeep of mine too. Very boxy sounding in the front.
Im sure this may be something most of you would know about right away. What might I expect it to be and what would be the possible cost in improvements?

by the way,my wife and I had traded both of our cars in…2009 Versa for a 2013 Chevy Sonic–1996 infiniti for a 2001 PT Cruiser

2

It is not normal. There are too many possibilities to hazard a guess, it could be a 2 dollar muffler clamp or bid dollar component and anywhere in between. Get it checked out to make sure it is not a safety hazard. Or if you want to check yourself a rubber mallet and looking for failed parts, motor mounts, ball joints, strut problems etc. is a start.

3

Barkydog,thank you for responding. Ill take it into the shop for a once over

4

I rented one of those cars one time, and no, this noise isn’t normal. At least not for a newer one. The one I rented was nearly new and had good road feel and was very quiet, that’s one thing I liked about it. Not even very much wind noise at higher speeds.

It might be something simple, like something not tightened down tight in the engine compartment. Sometimes that stick-thing that holds the hood open when you are checking the oil can get loose and rattle for example. Or it might be the tires have thrown their weights and are out of balance. That can cause a rattling like sound. And is easy for a tire shop to check and fix. As mentioned above, I agree this merits a visual inspection by a qualified mechanic or alignment shop at the very least, to insure there’s no safety issues.

5

Thanks George, another sound piece of advice that i will heed.

6

Have that shop make sure your sway bar links and strut mounts aren’t worn out. Those can certainly make the kind of noises you describe.

7

Db’ great suggestion! Thank you!

8

My apologies for the silence on this topic.
Thanks to everyone here…The sway and stabilizer bars WERE the PROBLEM. I had taken my PT into the shop last Feb…it was all replaced/fixed. My 2001 PT Cruiser drives perfectly…Thanks again for the suggestions