wheel rattle on bumps and right turns

Discuss any problems, warranty, repair, or replacement issues you are having with your Vibe & Matrix
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euphoric85
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2012 6:39 am

wheel rattle on bumps and right turns

Post by euphoric85 »

Hey y'all,

Fairly new here and I haven't had the money to do any mods on my new-to-me 07 Vibe Base, so I haven't been on much.. But I'm having an issue I'm hoping someone can shed some light on.

My drivers side front wheel makes a rattling noise. It only does it when I hit a bump or am making a right turn- can't hear it at all during left turns. I initially thought it was the plastic wheel cover but I just had my tires rotated and its still doing it :(

I recently changed the front brake pads, and doing so make a stupid mistake; the bottle jack I once used for my Chevy Blazer didn't fit under the Vibe so I used the b.s. Scissor jack and was quickly reminded why they should not be used! While the same wheel was removed, the Vibe slipped off the jack and the rotor/hub slammed onto the concrete. There was no obvious visual damage so I put the wheel back on and drove it to the in-laws to borrow their hydraulic jack and jackstands to finish the job! I can't remember if the wheel made the noise before that incident or not :/

any thoughts?? Thanks so much y'all!
thebarber
Posts: 1162
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:01 am
Location: kitchener, ontario

Re: wheel rattle on bumps and right turns

Post by thebarber »

I'm guessing its a blown strut. Any oil-like fluid on the bottom of the strut (coming from under the rubber boot)?

Could also be a loose swaybar endlink

Or a wheel bearing

But I'd start from the strut and work down my list. I had the same issue with rattles a couple months ago...ended up being a blown strut ( luckily I have all the tools to check/replace the strut)
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euphoric85
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2012 6:39 am

Re: wheel rattle on bumps and right turns

Post by euphoric85 »

Thanks for your suggestions! Just an update..

I am going out of town tomorrow on a total 2,000+ mile trip, so I thought it best to get it looked at quickly before I go.. I was doing the mechanic prayer (pleeassse be something cheap, please be something cheap..) the whole time, and I got lucky: they did a full vehicle inspection and the noise I was hearing was the brake backing plate hitting the rotor. They bent it back into place for no extra charge. Said my suspension is A OK

Other than needing some new tires and a serpentine belt soon they gave my Vibe a clean bill of health!

So I guess it's a good case of Occam's Razor: sometimes, believe it or not, it really is the simplest problem! :D
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