We hear a horrible metallic clunking or cracking noise - only occasionally - when coming to a gentle stop, like at a stopsign. The noise is coming
from the driver side front and happens more often when the car is stopping gently on a flat or slight downhill. It does not seem to happen when we
stop on an uphill. It does not happen during sudden stops. A mechanic recently replaced the driver side tie-rod, thinking that would solve
the problem, but it didn’t. The same mechanic looked at the brakes and found no apparent problem. The sound is very loud and sounds almost like
something is settling. Any suggestions?
My first suspect would be the shock absorber.
Or maybe a broken spring. If this noise is so bad, it should be easy to find. The mechanic who replaced the tie rod was clueless. Take it to someone else.