'03 Taurus, "knocking" coming from rear suspension

smurray · 12-31-2008, 03:58 PM

My wife and I recently purchased my mothers old car, a 2003 Ford Taurus. Last week I noticed a noise coming from the rear of the car that can only be described as a "knocking". At first I thought it was something rolling around in the trunk, but when I checked I saw the trunk was empty. It seems to happen mostly when I'm going over bumps and/or turning. I first started noticing it when the temperature dropped and the snow started falling, though to be honest I didn't drive the car much before that so it could of been happening and I just didn't notice it.

Anyone have any idea what might be causing this, and if so where the best place to take it to be fixed (dealership vs. local shop). The car is not in warranty, so wherever I take it I'm a little concerned about how much it's going to cost.

Thanks in advance to anyone who offers help.

theoldwizard · 01-01-2009, 08:46 AM

It could be something as simple as a broken spring, but you won't know unless you jack it up and crawl underneath (and no one likes to do that in the cold and snow).

It is not necessary to take it to the dealer, take it to a trusted local mechanic.

If the spring is broken, I would buy the Monroe "Quick Strut", a new spring and strut, pre-assembled, for about $120 each. They should be replaced in pairs.

goon · 01-01-2009, 10:19 AM

make sure the stabizer links are okay, look at the back you will see a rod going from one tire to the other tire and they are connected with stabizer links (from the rod to the strut)they are cheap and always snap off

mark v · 01-01-2009, 01:04 PM

I get this in my Windstar, I am leaning to replacing the rear shocks.

jfjohn · 01-01-2009, 04:57 PM

did you pull the cover off of the spare tire and check under there? I used to have a rattle on mine when going over speed bumps. It went away after I had my rear drum brakes and brake spring kit replaced. Not sure if that definitely was causing it but if you have drum brakes that were never replaced, check there too. Maybe it was the brake drums that were bad and deeply grooved that were causing it. I had those replaced at the same time.