Please help identify the problem

[jmulla]

2009 Pontiac Vibe, 118K miles, mostly short trips on suburban roads. First owner.

Had the passenger side CV fail about 3 years ago. There was no warning sound before it happened. Replaced axle/CV. All appears to be OK on the pass side.

Now hearing strange sounds from drivers side front. Occasionally, I hear a sound like "tock-tock-tock" at the speed of the wheel rotation. You have to be doing at a speed above 20-25 mph. The sound is not a sharp "click". It is more like a washing machine where the load has become unbalanced. But the noise is not ALWAYS there. It seems to be more prominent when the steering wheel is pointed straight head, and disappears when the car is turning.

Also hear the same, or very similar, sound, but more like a rattle, when going over a bumpy road.

Question: Where is this sound most likely originating from? Bearing? Inner/outer CV? Ball joint? Strut? Shock? Wheel?
And can someone provide some simple tests to narrow the problem down?

Thanks!

[Chiadog]

Consider bringing the car to a shop that will diagnose the problem for free and give you a repair cost estimate - Then you will know what to replace.

[Derf]

Have you jacked the car up to spin the wheel or look at the CV shaft and wheel assembly? Any recent brake or tire work? Without being able to hear the exact sound its hard to say what it is. Had a piece of tire tread come loose once, had to go over 20 mph, the cord would then fling far enough to hit the fenderwell making a thud sound every tire rotation.

[ImUrOBGYN]

Sounds like a hub bearing but hard to say for sure.

[triz]

Could be your hub bearing as stated above. These are hard to diagnose without listening to it.

[circuitsmith]

Where did the replacement shaft (from 3 yr ago) come from?
Some aftermarket parts are junk.