Clunking noise help

[zagato4r]

I am experiencing the same problem with a 2019 Series Gray. At 500 miles it started making the clunking noise at lower speeds on rough streets. The clunking is very noticeable in below freezing temperatures and seems to disappear as temperatures rise. I have had the car in two different Subaru dealers five times, with no solution. On the third visit, they used Subaru's "chassis ears" to try to locate the source of the clunking. On the fourth visit, they replaced the right rear shock, which made no difference. On the last visit, they put the car on the alignment rack and loosened and re-torqued all rear suspension fasteners, this made no difference. I had a 2014 BRZ Limited for 55,000 miles with zero issues, so this problem is very frustrating. I am hoping someone can find a solution or I will need to move to a warmer climate.

[MotoX16]

Originally Posted by zagato4r

I am experiencing the same problem with a 2019 Series Gray. At 500 miles it started making the clunking noise at lower speeds on rough streets. The clunking is very noticeable in below freezing temperatures and seems to disappear as temperatures rise. I have had the car in two different Subaru dealers five times, with no solution. On the third visit, they used Subaru's "chassis ears" to try to locate the source of the clunking. On the fourth visit, they replaced the right rear shock, which made no difference. On the last visit, they put the car on the alignment rack and loosened and re-torqued all rear suspension fasteners, this made no difference. I had a 2014 BRZ Limited for 55,000 miles with zero issues, so this problem is very frustrating. I am hoping someone can find a solution or I will need to move to a warmer climate.

Dang. I hope this isn't something that just comes with the cold weather. The dealer is looking at the car tomorrow and I will report back with what they find.

[chaoskaze]

If you have the oem audio system or added sub in the back, they get lose. I have a clunk whenever I brake hard.

[MotoX16]

Originally Posted by chaoskaze

If you have the oem audio system or added sub in the back, they get lose. I have a clunk whenever I brake hard.

Stock audio system, stock everything. I removed everything from the trunk (tools/spare) and folded down the seats and the noise is still there.

[MotoX16]

Heard back from the dealer today. They inspected/tightened all suspension components but didn't find any problems there. They confirmed there was a noise and believe its coming from the struts although there were no visible leaks. They ordered me a set of new rear struts and top hats but Subaru has them listed on backorder until April. Hopefully they come in a bit earlier but I'll update you guys when they do.

[chaoskaze]

errr....dont think it's the strut at all. That's just blind guessing, aka I don't know what to do so i'm gonna replace this thing.
noise from the rear if it's clunk, it's gonna be one of the bushing/brake area/diff & sub frame area. cuz nothing else moves.

You also said noise goes away when it's warm. meaning it's likely small clearance issue


find someone else who has a twin & let him drive it while you sit in the back, maybe that will help you locate where it's from.

[MotoX16]

Originally Posted by chaoskaze

errr....dont think it's the strut at all. That's just blind guessing, aka I don't know what to do so i'm gonna replace this thing.
noise from the rear if it's clunk, it's gonna be one of the bushing/brake area/diff & sub frame area. cuz nothing else moves.

You also said noise goes away when it's warm. meaning it's likely small clearance issue


find someone else who has a twin & let him drive it while you sit in the back, maybe that will help you locate where it's from.

I'm not 100% sold that its a strut either. But hey its under warranty so I wont complain about free parts.

I don't think I said it goes away when its warm. Hard to tell during winter but whether its -20 or 20 it doesn't make a difference.

[Silverz]

Exact same thing the dealer told me. But mine was out of warrantee and I wasn’t paying dealer prices for struts. Also said struts were on back order. That must be the standard operating procedure when they can’t find problem. Lol

Originally Posted by MotoX16

Heard back from the dealer today. They inspected/tightened all suspension components but didn't find any problems there. They confirmed there was a noise and believe its coming from the struts although there were no visible leaks. They ordered me a set of new rear struts and top hats but Subaru has them listed on backorder until April. Hopefully they come in a bit earlier but I'll update you guys when they do.

[Ultramaroon]

Not joking. Squat down next to one of the rear wheels, grab hold, and shake the shit out of it in sync with the frequency it wants to bounce.


You will find the clunk.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Silverz

Exact same thing the dealer told me. But mine was out of warrantee and I wasn’t paying dealer prices for struts. Also said struts were on back order. That must be the standard operating procedure when they can’t find problem. Lol

Or. It was a strut and they just don't have a huge stock pile of them.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Not joking. Squat down next to one of the rear wheels, grab hold, and shake the shit out of it in sync with the frequency it wants to bounce.


You will find the clunk.

Did you learn that trick from Bubba??




humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Did you learn that trick from Bubba??

Yup

[zagato4r]

I just got my 2019 Series Gray back from the sixth dealer visit. The latest attempt at curing the rear suspension clunking noise lasted 4 days with no resolution. On this visit they disconnected the rear sway bar, swapped the shocks from side to side (one of which was replaced by the previous dealer who looked at the car), retorqued everything and took multiple test drives with two techs. The next step is an appointment with a Subaru field engineer, because the dealer is baffled. This has become a major frustration with only 1600 miles on the car.

[MotoX16]

I'll post a quick update, not sure how much it will help though. I never definitively found the problem. The dealer replacing the rear struts did not help. Unfortunately I did a couple mods on the same day, way back when, and haven't heard any noises since. I'm thinking it was either the rce yellow springs that fixed it, or the whiteline subframe bushings. The rear end felt a lot more solid after those and no more clunks.

Very possibly could have been something else. Having the rear suspension components loosen and the reseated/torqued might have been all it needed. Or maybe it just went away with time. Hard to tell for sure

Hope that can maybe help someone else