Rattle/buzz under car

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Greetings All…

I have a 2002 Kia Sportage 2WD that sometimes makes a strange noise: Occasionally (not every time) when I go over a bump, I get a noise that sounds like a bunch of light metal being rattled around - almost like a bunch of aluminum pieces sliding around in the back of a pick-up bed. The severity of the bump doesn’t seem to matter, and the speed I am going doesn’t seem to matter. It is very unpredictable. I have tried driving with the windows open to get a better feel for where the sound is, but I can’t tie it down. I did a cursory inspection of the underside of the car, but didn’t see anything obviously loose. Ideas?..
…No, I don’t have a bunch of loose aluminum in the back of my Kia!

Thanks,

Bill

2

it could be a loose heat shield on the cat that is rattling. Sometimes just one weld breaks and they will rattle. If thats it, you can drill a hole where the spot weld was and put a screw or pop rivit in it. OR you can buy a couple of very large hose clamps, put them together and snug it back down.

Yosemite

3

+1 on the heat shield. Pretty common.