I have a 2013 Hyundai Elantra that I purchased in early July, which now has around 5500 miles. Sometime within the past couple of months, I noticed a dull clunk that occurs within the first 100 yards or so of driving. This seems to happen only when the car has not been driven for a few hours (although it seems more frequent lately), and it sounds as if something has dropped from the bottom of the car, between the front seats.
If anyone else has experienced this, or has any thoughts on the issue, I would appreciate your comments!
More than likely, you are hearing the sound of the ABS system, as it goes through its normal self-test.
This automatic procedure takes place under the exact circumstances that you described…
…after driving a very short distance, at low speed…
…after the car has sat idle for at least a few hours.
The noise from this procedure varies considerably from one car model to another, and it can even vary a small amount within the same model line. And, some cars seem to produce no noticeable noise, while others might make a fair amount of noise while doing this self-test. All of this is…normal.
Is this your first car with ABS?
If you have not yet done so, I suggest that you read your Owner’s Manual in its entirety, paying particular attention to the section where it describes what you are hearing. Since different car mfrs describe the ABS self-test in different parts of the manual, you will probably have to read most of the manual to find that information, but that is a good thing, because…as Sir Francis Bacon said, “knowledge is power”!
Thanks for the info, VDCdriver.
This isn’t my first car with ABS, but it is my first new car, so I’m keeping an ear out for odd noises. I don’t remember this happening for the first few months I owned the car, which is why I was concerned. The manual does mention sounds from the ABS and stability control kicking in, though.