Clunk sound - terrible shake/shudder on washboard dirt road
 

I recently purchased a used 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid 2WD (actually my girlfriend did). Well, we got a good price for the car, and hoped we wouldn't suffer terrible problems I have seen reading this forum.

We hear a slight front end clunk (sounds metal on metal, and I even feel it slightly in the steering wheel) when we are traveling less than 10-15 mph and run over bumps. We live on a dirt road, and when we drive over the wash board (repeated small bumps) sections, the clunk becomes a shudder.
We replaced all shocks and struts initially just to freshen up the suspension. We replaced all outer tie rods, the stabilizer links trying to troubleshoot the clunk with out mechanic. Today I even had the mechanic check the sub frame bolts which were perfectly secured. The mechanic is baffled, and so am I.

I think we replaced every suspect component except for the control arms which appear to be fine, even when pried with a pry bar.

Any assistance from prior owners would be greatly appreciated, because I believe this shudder may eventually damage this car if it's not repaired.

Thanks for reading this.

Re: Clunk sound - terrible shake/shudder on washboard dirt road
 

This is a long shot, but since you've already checked a lot of things... When parked, try jiggling the steering wheel back and forth less than an inch. By doing this I was able to determine that my '09 FEH had a loose bolt in the steering column. Again, unlikely, but as you said you can't be casual about the steering system.

Re: Clunk sound - terrible shake/shudder on washboard dirt road
 

Thanks XSpirit, I did what you said with the motor turned off and could hear and feel something loose. I really appreciate your I reply, and will have my mechanic get on this. I will let you know how it goes next week;-)