So, I have a 2007 Suzuki SX4, about 172,000 miles on it. Great little car. Love it. It’s the AWD Hatchback model.
I recently noticed that it’s been squeaking a bit. But only right at start up. In fact, it’s summer where I live, and A/C is required just about anytime you go anywhere, day OR night… so, it may have been going on a while without me noticing it. Certainly sometime since the last oil change (almost ready for a new one).
Tonight was typical… Start the car. Back out. Drive half a block to where there’s a stop sign. I hear squeaking when I step on the brakes. Take my foot off the brakes (just to test it) and I still hear squeaking.
I turn left from my side street onto a busier street, hear a bit of squeaking. It goes away. Then I go two more blocks, make a left turn onto an even busier street, where it squeaks LOUDLY while turning left. By the time I drive another six blocks, the noise is gone. Completely.
At first I wondered about the summer heat and the serpentine belt.
The squeaking while turning left made me wonder if it’s a stuck caliper.
The fact that it goes away after about a mile of driving makes me scratch my head.
Tonight, I did experiment a little. The car DOES pull – EVER SO SLIGHTLY – to the left. But I mean… just barely to the left. And that could’ve been because the particular road I was on (when I “over corrected” a little and aimed the steering wheel a lot more to the right, it started to drift right). Alignment was last done a little over a year ago. Maybe year and a half.
So… I know I should get this checked out. Just looking at what this might be. The fact that ALL squeaking goes away after about a mile of driving… that seems odd to me… (unless of course it’s the belt).
Noise seems to be generally coming from the front, and yes, it would appear to be only when I’m moving.
Just changed the serpentine belt about 4 months ago. When my mechanic put in the new one, he figured the old one had never been changed.
Don’t know if it’s worth mentioning or not, but I do live in a climate with extreme heat in the summer time.
P.S. - Oh, and one more thing. The squeaking noise? Does NOT happen when the car is in reverse. As in, when I first start it up and back out of the driveway, apply my foot to the brakes, and shift into drive. The noise does not happen then. Only when going forward.
P.P.S. - Upon further inspection, the noise seems to be coming from Left Front… but then again, that’s also where I sit as the driver…
I’d still look in that direction though, and get all the belt driven accessories and idler pulleys checked. If one is sticking a bit when the engine is cold (like power steering,) it could still cause a slipping belt.
I guess it is something associated with the power steering pump. My Corolla sometimes makes a little squeak when first turning when it is cold, which I’m pretty sure is the power steering pump or belt. If the serpentine belt is on the PS pump routing, as posted above, could well be that.
Brake pads… rear brake pads replaced in May 2015. Two oil changes ago my mechanic (one of the 5 star rated folks here on the website) said that my front brakes would need replacing at the next oil change. On my last oil change, I asked them, and they said they still had some wear left and there was no need to replace them just quite yet.
I did get out and look today and from what I can see… the part that’s visible… is that the rotor? They all look fine and with even wear, no unusual signs or anything.
Coming home from a meeting tonight, driving through the remains of a torrential downpour… there was LOTS of squeaking… took longer than normal for it to go away.
Mechanic says that the squeaking noise is due to me needing front brakes. Something about the brake sensor making that noise. A little poorer as a result, but glad to be free of the problem…
It must have been the wear indicator that was squeaking. That’s what it is supposed to do, so you know the brakes have reached their wear limit and need to be replaced. Glad you are back on the road with good brakes.
Yup. That was exactly it. And it was, indeed, the left front that was making the noise, as I suspected. Unfortunately, the left front rotor was just beyond its useful life… so that added to the expense. On the other hand, my mechanic has a lifetime replacement warranty on the pads. So, there’s that.
Thanks for everyone’s input and help. Appreciate it!