My Fusion creaks only when its warm outside

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a real puzzler on my hands. I have a 2006 Ford Fusion with a manual transmission. Its only got around 70K miles on it, since i was not driving it much for the first couple of years after purchase. Around the fall of last year, i was noticing that the car would make a creaking noise, and with time i was noticing it more. The “creaking” only is heard when the car comes to a stop and takes off (like in bumper to bumper traffic). So when the car is normal speed, i dont hear any noise regardless of putting on the brakes.

I have also noticed that the noise would only come during the afternoons (after my car had been sitting in a hot parking lot). In the morning, the car sounds normal and has no “funny” sounds, due the fact that I park my car in a cool garage overnight. The car drives normal no matter the heat conditions, but the noise can be very annoying. I have also recently noticed that you can sometimes hear this noise when people get in their seats of the car.

I have tried to take my car to a mechanic, but they can not find what is wrong. (Unfortunately, I have only been available to take the car in the mornings, so they of course can not hear a problem). The bearings all check out fine, and doesnt appear to be the shocks. My father also knows alot about cars, and this is really stumping him. The only that he noticed is that the engine mount was cracked, so we got that replaced. We were hoping that this would solve the problem, as he guessed that the “creak” was of the engine shifting. This did not solve the problem, but I am glad that we got it taken care of. As far as I can tell, the sound seems to be coming from the front center of the car, and not from a particular wheel.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions, as I am really at my wits end here. During the winter here in Houston, I have not heard the noise, but now that its heating up; the “creak” has reared its ugly head again. What can i do?

2

Possible Cracked Weld ?

This was a puzzler for some Ford technicians too, so Ford put out a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) to help their technicians diagnose a creak in 2006 Fusion, Milan, and Zephyr models only.

“Some 2006 Fusion, Milan, and Zephyr vehicles may exhibit a concern of a squeak or creak noise from the front suspension while going over bumps or turning.”

The 2 page bulletin tells how to diagnose the problem, locate the cracked weld(s) and repair it. It refers also to a LCA repair kit (LCA = lower control arm ?).

The bulletin is TSB 06-24-7.

Here’s a link to a write-up of the bulletin, but not the actual bulletin.

If this sounds like a possibility then I recommend that you get the actual bulletin.

CSA

3

Possible Jounce Bumper Rubbing Against The Dry Strut Plate ?

Ford issued a TSB for noises in some models, including 2006 - 2009 Fusions.
“Some 2006 Zephyr, 2007-2009 MKZ, 2006-2009 Fusion and Milan vehicles built before 8/5/2008, may exhibit a popping, rubbing, grunting, squeaking, crunching or creaking type noise from the front strut mount when going over bumps, while driving at 1-10 MPH (1-16 Km/h) and/or during parking lot maneuvers. Typically, the noise is heard in the front
outboard wheel while turning at low speeds. This noise may be caused by the jounce bumper rubbing against the dry strut plate.”

The fix is to disassemble the strut/spring and apply Ford Motorcraft Silicone Brake Caliper
ACTION Grease and Dielectric Compound and reassemble, as outlined in the 2 page bulletin TSB 08-18-4.

Link:
http://www.fixya.com/cars/t6782927-own_2007_ford

This one sounds good. The person with the squeaking noise says it’s only when the weather outside is above 50*.

CSA