My 2009 Toyota Corolla, 16,500 miles, clicks from the front end tire area when turning on a cold engine. It almost sounds like pool table balls clicking together under a pool table. It also makes a different noise when parallel parking, not clicking but a straining noise. (sorry, I’m bad at describing noises.)The clicking doesn’t sound like cv joints, at least not on my old Hondas. I’m thinking steering, but wonder why it clicks only on the first few miles of driving. I’ve not found anyone with similar issues. Any suggestions?
Isn’t this car still under warranty? I suggest you take it to your local Toyota dealer and let them deal with it.
Exactly. The Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty should still be in effect, so you should take it to the dealership for diagnosis and free repair.
Not only does the dealership not need your help in diagnosing the problem, but they will likely ignore any diagnosis that you provide. Think about it–If they begin replacing parts based on a diagnosis that you provide and if this solution does not work–Who pays for those unnecessary parts? Surely it will not be either Toyota Corporate or the dealership. (Hint: You would pay.)
Unless you want to be in a position of having to pay for repairs that should be free, don’t try to diagnose the problem for the dealership.
Do you have plastic wheel covers, remove them and see if the clicking stops. I had this problem on a 98 Windstar.
As for the straining noise, are you turning the steering wheel all the way to the stop? If so, back off a little while parking.
Ed B.
Thank you for your feedback. I had the 15000 mile dealer service performed at 14300 miles, the noise started after that. Having the time to go back to the dealer has been a problem for me, but getting there before the problem gets worse is not a bad idea. I’m afraid the noise will be gone by the time they test drive it, but we’ll just have to see what they might find anyway. I had not thought about it until just now, they failed to fully close the front hood after servicing the car, so I hope the noise is not related to a bad tech day.
You Checked (Or Had Checked) All Underhood Fluids, Including Engine Oil, After The 15,000 Mile Service When The Noise Began And When They Left The Hood Ajar ?
It’s always a good idea to check car fluids regularly (as per your Owner’s Manual), especially after somebody works on it and especially if they don’t fully close your hood !
Check now if you haven’t done so already.
CSA
If they can’t hear the noise but you do after leaving, turn around and take them for a ride and show them it makes the noise.
I brought the car into the dealer. The noise is getting worse,it still occurs during turns only. The dealer hears the noise, but they can’t figure out where in the front end it’s coming from. They assured me it’s not a safety issue and want me to bring the car back and leave it all day so they can do more extensive testing to figure out what’s going on. Thanks once again for your feedback and I will keep you informed on progress.
Thanks. I Hope They Straighten It Out For You. This Is Unfortunate, But Interesting.
CSA
It’s almost embarrassing to follow-up with you, since I’m a cheap-scape Car Talk lover, but when I started looking at what my Toyota dealer had to offer new car buyers, I went ahead and replaced my 2009 Corolla LE with a 2010 Corolla LE. My thinking was that I had driven the 2009 for 18 months over two Midwest winters but never-the-less recieved a full 2009 trade in value, also I was looking at maybe an $800 dollar body damage repair (I scraped a concrete wall while parking, ouch) and was looking at the cost of replacing my wife’s smart key that got stolen, in addition to the undiagnosed steering problem, plus I bought the 2010 for less money than I paid for the 2009 and the 2010 came at 0 percent interest over 60 months, and I’m getting old, so I’m just enjoying a new car (something I never did while raising kids)! It’s exactly the same color and model as the 2009, but I have noticed the ride seems a little bouncier (it has Firestone instead of Continental tires) and so far the 2010 for whatever reason seems to be getting about 1 mile more per gallon (both automatic transmissions). Even though I copped out and bought a new car, I nevertheless feel part of the Car Talk Community because I still own a 1996 Civic and a 1993 Accord. Once again, thank you for your feedback on the Corolla.
It Sounds Like That New Car Deal Was A “Meant To Be” Transaction. Now, Voil? ! No More Noise, No More Body Damage, No Lost Smart Key, No Previous Salt Damage, Zero %, New Warranty . . .
. . . And that extra mile per gallon will help offset the additional cost ! Problems solved.
Don’t be almost embarrassed. Enjoy that new car !
CSA
P.S. The guy that buys your trade-in will be asking us for help instead of you. It’s a win-win for us. 
Interesting…it tells me that car dealers don’t make most of their profits on the sales and like many have found out, it is worth while trading functional vehicles in early for a variety of reasons, one being financial. People who change cars like their socks, those who keep a car forever and anyone in between, are welcome “cartalk” participants. You can be what we’ll call “a broad spectrum contributor”.