Rogue Frontend Noise

[Minnow]

2009 Rogue 2WDCan anyone help?I hit a bump with the right front wheel, example- sewer indentation or left hand turn into a curb, and a clunk is heard in the right windshield area.Also the first left hand turn of the morning out of a parking spot, full wheel turn to the left, and the clunk is also heard in the same area when starting to move forward.Dealer has had five attempts, one of those being a re-seating of the winsheild that calmed things for about a week or so.Purchased on 12-06-2008.Other than the annoying clunk the vehicle has been a champ, fun to drive and 26 mpg.

[maverick_rogue]

Hello,

Did they check Front Suspension? Some times the spring seat and the spring get misaligned.

[Couz]

Hey,

I had a knock also going on on the right side of the winshield, it was during the summer when it got really hot.

I spent about a month to two months trying to figure it out and i ran some experiments,

In my case it has something to do with the cowel, the black plastic piece that runs along the botton of the windshield.

When I'd hear the noise on my way home I'd get home and take the cowel off, a bit of work, take wipers off, disconect washer fluid line but nothing hard, and no noise, when I put it back the noise would appear.

The reason I didn't take it to the dealer was because it was so on and off.

I went a week with no cowel on my windshield, hence no wiper blades, I had to hope it didn't rain but i work close to home...anyways that whole week I never heard it once...I did the test for a week twice.

When i put it back the noise came back a day later.

I did the cowel on and off thing about a dozen times over the course of two months, every time I had the cowel off I never heard the noise.

So, it has something to do with that 100%, just weird that it only occurred when it was hot out.

Still can't figure out what is going on, what is contacting the cowel ???

Its winter now so I don't hear it.
Modified by Couz at 6:19 PM 12/7/2009

[Minnow]

Thanks Mav and Couz for the replies.Couz, I have read your posts for the better part of the past year on this site and you have been very helpful, thanks.

For the Mav reply, the Dealership as well as my tire rotation guy at Firestone and also my oil change guy, all took a look at the suspension and found nothing wrong.

I think Couz you're on to something here as the noise is right at that point you descibe. A retired mechanic told me last night that the problem is in the steering that something is lose and hitting the winshield (cowel area?).Im not sure what runs along the cowel area, Couz did you see anything when you removed the cowel?Also an update to the noise on the first left turn of the morning, I described it as a clunk but it is more of a click or snap at the lower right windshield area.

Couz, how do I remove the cowel? I figured I'd ask in case their's any tricks to it. I'd like to run that test myself.

Thanks again for your help guys, or girls since I don't know who you are and don't want to offend.

[philipa_240sx]

The only thing below the cowl is the windshield wiper motor & linkage.

The steering rack is located on the the front cross member underneath the engine.

It's possible that you could have a faulty strut bearing/isolator.

[Minnow]

Thanks Philipa_240sx.

I just googled the isloator bearing in the strut mount and that makes a lot of sense because the left turn in the am noise comes from a full pivot turn to the left and causes the click, snap type noise.

I think I'm going to have a independent take a look at that since my dealership is so annoyed with me coming back that it's a very uncomfortable atmosphere there. It's the old "What now?" syndrome.

Thanks again you have been a big help this past year, although I just started posting, I have read your posts all along.

[Couz]

Like Phil said there's nothing under the cowel except the washer fluid lines and wiper motor.

I thought it was my wiper lines contacting the cowel, so I covered my lines with foam tape so it would absorb the contact.

It wasn't that.

All I know is that I can duplicate the sound by taking a section of the wiper lines and just hitting it against the cowel...its that little kind of knock.

I know its superficial, nothing serious but it bugs me.

[nysrogue]

2009 sl awd...have exact same snapping noise as you describe it...left hand turn in the morning, infrequently on right turn, on certain bumps...have not discussed this with the dealer yet, since it is so intermittent, happens maybe 4-6 times a day, also have gone some days without it happening at all, weather conditions don't seem to matter...very weird...

[Minnow]

Hi NY,

Yes that's it, not constant but annoying. Do you feel that the sound appears to be coming from the bottom windshield area?I also find that I can produce the sound 99.9% of the time when turning left over a curb or dip in the road.I can hit a fire hydrant and a tree on my way golf course with the left front wheel and not hear a peep.The people on this site have been great and I will take their suggestions to the dealership. My problem is that my dealership thinks I'm full of it.I found a dip in a road behind the dealership that makes the noise every time but sometimes not very loud. I test drove a Camry the other day thinking I might just give up on the Rogue after the last trip (#5) to the dealership, but I found that the Rogue drives much better than the new Camry...wow did they go down hill.The Rogue is a great vehicle, fun to drive and, as of this mornings trip into my office in Chicago, gets 26.3 mpg...I just want the noise to go away.

[nysrogue]

hello minnow...the sound is like that of snapping glass...it seems to come from down low, between the center of the windshield and the passenger side of the windshield...tough to pinpoint...i've poked around a little looking for looseness in the windshield and have stuffed hard form in the opening between the the interior windshield and the dash, this didn't help...i can't seem to duplicate the noise...it just seems to occur when it feels like...yes it is quite annoying...i think it might be one of those noises that the cause of which may never be found...even though my rogue is not quite a year old, i've really considered trading for the new subaru legacy sedan or outback...

[Minnow]

Hey NY,I agree with your assesment of the noise and I also have attempted to wedge various materials between the dash and windshield without success.My SL was a year old on 12-6 and I to have thought about trading away but I have a hard time believing that someone cannot figure this thing out.

This morning I did NOT hear the click on the first left turn of the day, which I can count on hearing EVERY morning when I get coffee for the drive to Chicago....Maybe because it's 2 friggin degrees out and whatever is making the noise shrank. I'm going to drive down my usual testing road on the way home and see what happens.

I really don't want to give up on the Rogue because it's fun to drive and the mpg is great.

[Minnow]

Hey NY,

All clanks were present and accounted for this morning. I guess my hat was on too tight over my ears yesterday morning.First turn of the day snap and a few clanks of the windshield on the way in.So apparently the change in temps has little to do with the noise.

[kerrton]

Considering the loss that you take by trading in a vehicle that you purchased new, I would recommend sticking with it and keep reporting it to the service dept. until you get a positive resolution.

I find my Rogue is full of rattles, creaks and squeeks especially now that it's really cold where I live, which disappoints me but it's not enough to convince me to sell or trade the vehicle. Also, the engine is so loud and unrefined when it's cold I can't believe I didn't notice this during the test drives, probably because the dealer always had it warmed up for me prior to testing!!

[Minnow]

Hi Kerrton,

I was waiting for you to jump in on this thread. I have read your posts for as long as I have had the Rogue. I believe that you know more about the Rogue than Michael Jordan knows about basketball.

Fortunately I'm not upside down on the value of the vehicle, but none the less, I agree with you and find it hard to beleive that someone can't figure the klank out.I expect all the other noise such as plastic creaks, seat creaks, wheel well niose from road debris and cold engine noise, that just comes with a light crossover with a small engine. Those are the things you expect in order to get the better fuel efficency.

One of the unfortunate side effects of the ongoing hunt for the klank"n klunk has been the deteriorating attitude of the dealership toward looking for the noise.

I'm thinking of printing the suggestions from this thread and having another dealership (closer to home) have a look, as a last ditch attempt.

Thanks again for posting kerrton.

[kerrton]

Good luck, I really believe if you keep a positive attitude with the dealer and be persistent you will find the cause, and it won't cost you anything, but the fact that a new vehicle requies so much attention is a little disheartening and I myself struggle to keep a positive attitude sometimes. I think once the car is off warranty I'll enjoy it a little more, because I won't have such high standards!!!

[Minnow]

You have a great point.

I have always let the small stuff slide on a vehicle that is a few years old with more mileage on it.A door ding on a 1999 Accord with 155k doesn't have as much of a disappointment as a door ding on a 2009 Rogue with 20k miles on it.

I'll give the dealership another go at it and see what happens.The service guys have been great, it's the manager that seems to be annoyed with my persistance of the issue. Since the noise is not constant like a full blown strut and varies in loudness depending on the bump in the road, the service manager thinks I should just live with it.

He mention to a friend of mine "You can barely hear it".

[kerrton]

Well another approach would be to leave it for a few months, maybe even a year, then the service manager will forget about you, you can drive the crap outta the car and maybe the problem will become more obvious over time and you can get them to address it then. My point is, you have 3 years complete warranty, so as long as it gets addressed before that expires you'll be ok, but this is just an idea and I'm not so sure I'd take my own advice on this one!!! We both know how annoying it is to drive a new vehicle with a problem, especially one that annoys the heck outta you!!

Good luck, it'll get taken care of I'm sure. My steering wheel has squeeked like crazy for the past couple years, they tried 3 times to fix it, every time the noise came back, now they're going to give it a 4th try next week, hopefully that'll be the end of it.

[Minnow]

Point well taken, I like the way you think.

I have completely ignored the steer wheel rattle that mine has because I'm so focused on the front end noise. I have told myself that the only noise that I want fixed is the front end and I'll be satisfied.

The little stuff I can handle or take care of like the glove box, I put rubber weather stripping used for house doors (single sided adhesive) along the inside of the glove box door and NOT so much as a peep since.I used a foam mattress pad cut up to fit the spare tire as well as the jack area and that to has worked like a charm.If I knew how to take the plastic off the rear wheel wells I would pack those also to eliminate the road debris noise..have you ever removed those side panels?

point being is that the only noise that has me in a mental full nelson, is the front end.

[Couz]

I too am not enjoying the little noises I get here and there, I'm entering my first winter with the Rogue, first storm the other day and man all these new noises.

Suspension...going over speed bumps when the car has been sitting in freezing cold weather all night...sounds like a squeeky door.

Wheel well debris noise....LOUD !!!

I get a click here and there when I brake, then I don't here it again for miles, then it re-apears...I brake and a click, simillar sound to the ABS test except it seems to be doing it once in a while well into my drive and not on first few feet of startup....but does once every 50-60 brakes in cold.

But these sounds are way too intermittent for me to bring it to the dealership.

My thing with my windshield cowel noise that I worked on figuring out for two months....I never bothered to bring it in because I know I can't re-create it at will so I know it won't appear on the road test.

My approach...I register when I first here these problems and if in a span of three to six months they haven't gotten worse or nothing has gotten damaged I chalk it up to a machine with many moving and non moving parts just making noises and being harmless.

Think about it, a vehicle is a complexe machine with thousands of parts, impossible for noises to not appear here and there....the thing to look out for is if they are damaging the performance or creating consistent sounds.

My windshield/cowel noise...started in mid July, 5 months ago, it hasn't gotten worse...so I know its not serious.

If I try to address each sound I'll go nuts.

[Minnow]

I agree with you Couz and I think we all will agree that we have never had a vehicle that was completely quiet.

I expect the cold weather creeking and cracking of cold plastic and metal, so those don't bother me. I even expect the road debris noise since this is a light weight crossover with emphasis on fuel economy.I would like to see about taking off the side panels by the rear wheel wells and putting some insulation in them. I have had great success putting insulation materials in other noise making spots.

Back to my point,,,,,I can deal with all noises except the windshield klank on left turns and right wheel bumps.

I've thought about giving up and trading the Rogue away but after talking to you, philip and kerrton I feel like I have a duty to ride this thing out to resolution just so we can say we got it.

[Couz]

Minnow,

Here's the thing, I can almost guarantee you that your next vehicle will have something that will bug you.

My friend bough a BMW, a friggin $50 000 car and the brakes have a tendency to squeek, nothing can be done.

Another buddy bought a brand new honda Fit and the gas tank is located under the driver seat...guess what...he can hear the gas sloshing and bouncing around quite often...nothing can be done, he has to live with it.

Another friend has a pontiac Torrent....the interior plastic creaking is on a whole new level...the back area is unreal, I never thought an interior can sound so loud...oh well, he said....what are you gonna do.

In our case we have our issues, we try to find a fix and the longer we go without finding a fix sooner or later we'll just live with it when we realize its not a serious problem, just a quirk of the car.

I tried to fix my cowel problem almost on a daily basis for two months, eventually it got so intermittent that I forgot about it and now its as if it doesn't even exist.

My advice, try fixing it yourself, give it a good go, but sooner or later you'll just get fed up with trying that you'll accept it and realize its not serious if its not getting worse.

As for the dealership, there's some things that they can't fix if its not consistent....I wanted to bring it in but I knew nothing was gonna get fixed as long as the noise can't be replicated at all times.

If it gets worse and consistent that'll be the time to bring it in.

[Couz]

Minnow,

I seriously thought and still thinking of purchasing the following.

http://www.b-quiet.com/

I want to put some inside the hood, get the heat resistence stuff to quiet down the engine noise and maybe my cowel knocking sound I get on hot summer days.

I'd also love to add some to the rear to deaden the wheeel well and tire noise from the trunk area.

Just don't really know where to go to get someone to install it here in Montreal.

How have you went about it in the past ?

[Minnow]

Couz,

It first depends on where the noise is coming from. As I mentioned in an early post , the glove box door I lined with household weatherstipping and not a peep since.The spare tire and jack areas cut pieces of a mattress pad (foam) to fit and again the occasional rattles stopped.All the above took about 10 minutes to do.I would use the same mattress pad or carpet padding (foam) to do the rear wheel wells and although it probably won't relieve all the road debris noise I'll bet that it will greatly deminish it.

Let me know if you remove the real wheel well panels, I'm curious to know how hard or easy it is.

I can get pretty inovative when it comes down to it.I got pissed at a trap pipe under my bathroom sink and went down to NAPA and bought a radiator hose and clamps, slapped it on, it's been there since 1985 and hasn't leaked a drop.

I just got back from dinner down the road and the windsheild snap was happening on both left and right turns now..so getting worse.

[Couz]

I'm afraid to do these things because if I don't know how to re-assemble whatever I do I'm screwed and have to bring it in to the dealership.

Taking apart the cowel was easy, I put foam all around the windshield fluid lines because I thought that's what was knocking around at the bottom of the windshield...that was easy.

But I prefer bringing it in to a pro if I'm gonna insulated the trunk and wheel well area.

Just need to find someone who does it....I guess I can put the stuff under the hood my self however.

I'll keep you informed if I decide to go ahead with this project.

[DELL]

I'm afraid to do these things because if I don't know how to re-assemble whatever I do I'm screwed and have to bring it in to the dealership.

Taking apart the cowel was easy, I put foam all around the windshield fluid lines because I thought that's what was knocking around at the bottom of the windshield...that was easy.

But I prefer bringing it in to a pro if I'm gonna insulated the trunk and wheel well area.

Just need to find someone who does it....I guess I can put the stuff under the hood my self however.

I'll keep you informed if I decide to go ahead with this project.

[DELL]

The power of suggestion.......after reading the noise forumsI think I hear all of them

[philipa_240sx]

A lot of creaks can be attributed to the interior plastics. As temperatures change, the plastics can expand/contract creating a lot of different noises.

The fix (according to the manual) is to isolate the location and use carefully applied pieces of 'cloth' tape to insulate the rubbing.

[Couz]

Hey Phil,

What kind of insulation do you suggest I stuff my spare tire area with ?

I wanna fill the spare tire area with something to deaden some of the rear tire sound.

[Couz]

I know, since I've come here I tend to isolate the things people discuss with my Rogue.

But honestly, this is my first SUV, I was used to driving small hondas and Acuras that had smaller wheels, brakes and a not so exposed trunk area.

It took me a while to learn what was normal...the first time I drove the car in rain I had to pull over to make sure my trunk wasn't open because of the rear tires sound it makes in rainy weather.

This partly why I want to put some insulation in the spare tire area, its hollow in there and empty.

[Minnow]

Hey Couz,

For areas like the spare tire and jack compartment I used foam padding, something like carpet padding works just fine.