mine is a high pitched squeeking/creeking that is most noticeable while driving at slower speeds over not-so-smooth roads. It is there almost all the time, but it is more obvious at these times. Also, it used to creak when I get out of the vehicle, or when it rocked from side-to-side, though it does that much less after they adjusted the mount. Now it is only a straight up and down motion that gets it going.

 

I get squeaks ( kinda like radio flyer as originally described ) and I get a whining squeak as if metal is grinding on metal from the brakes.

My wife is starting to seriously regret her purchase. How can Ford not have a fix for something that should never have made it to production models?

 

Have you tried driving for a half mile with the park brake partially set - the FEH brakes get such little use they sometimes bind

 

I have an 07 MMH and so far (~1500 miles), I have not heard of any squeek or noise from the rear (yet?) -- knock on wood ---

Is this something that occurs after a while? Did anyone notice it when their vehicle was brand new? Sounds like some may be lucky and not get the problem? I usually have the radio/DVD for the kids on, so maybe just havent notice it.

From the thread, sounds like this problem is common enough for Ford to find a solution for quickly, otherwise they would potentially lose some sales from people researching....and reading this site...it's the little things like this that gives domestic auto the appearance for quality problems (rightly or wrongly).

 

The brake noise seems to come and go. Some owners find that putting a little pressure on with the E brake helps. Sometimes doing some heavy braking will help. According to the tech I talked to, it is a combination of the metal rotors/drums and the ceramic pads PLUS the minimal amount of usage the brakes get. Remember, the hybrid system rarely utilizes the brakes. Much of the slowing/stopping power comes from the regenerative braking of the electric motors. The actual brakes only work under really hard braking conditions and under 7 mph. Normal stop and go braking is done by the motors.

As for the suspension squeaking....it didn't start right away for me, but by 3000 miles it was pretty annoying. I'm not surprised it hasn't been fixed yet, re-engineering anything like a suspension mount has got to involve some time for evaluation, not to mention fabrication of the parts. At least they acknowledge the problem and appear to be working on it.

 

My 06FEH has had the squeak for probably a year now, and it is MOST DEFINITELY not related to the brakes. I can't remember when the onset of this annoyance was, but it was before my first service appointment but a few months after I purchased it, so probably around 3,000-4,000 miles on the odometer.

 

Wow, it sounds like you are describing my car exactly!

I don't know if Ford is monitoring this board or not, and I hope they are working on this with some sense of urgency. I have been fortunate enough financially that all the cars I purchased over the years were new, and I have to say this is was my first Ford and first bad experience with quality. I have taken it in for the squeak three times to no avail. I just can't see myself getting another Ford unless this is resolved. You know what they say, fool me twice...

 

Well, lets assume its not something you can just fix by moving the shock mount. That seems to have worked for mine (for now) but who knows for how long. With that assumption, its likely there will be a new part required. Said part has to be engineered, prototyped, tested (both to be sure it works and to make sure it doesn't break something else), then it has to go out to have a mold made or whatever it takes to make the new version of the part......

I'm afraid we are going to have to have some patience here. If they've been aware of the problem for years thats one thing, but if they've only gotten wind of it over the last few months it could be several more before a fix that works is ready!

It is a cosmetic issue lets remember, not a safety one. (its a **** annoying one to be sure. That doesn't mean it shouldn't get fixed, but it does mean they can take the time to do it right rather than throwing something together ramshackle that breaks something else!

So lets try to have a bit of patience... I doubt its going to be fixed tomorrow.... its probably going to be more like months.

 

Hi All

The parking brake adjustment and the shock noise are two separate issues IMO. My '05 FWD built in Jan. '05 has had no noise from the shocks, so Ford may have made a change in assembly or something. The noise I had in the parking brake went away by itself, and may have been due to a worker or workers adjusting it wrong at the factory.

The shock problem should have a simple fix when they find out where the problem occurred in the assembly process. I don't think it is a part problem, but maybe a design or assembly issue from what I've heard here.

GaryG

 

Not to get confrontational or anything, I don't feel this is a mere "cosmetic" issue. Aside from the fact that a loud squeak makes your $30K car sound as cheap as the hooker around the corner, it also means something is being grinded unnaturally to say the least. If it's a squeeze between the plastic panels, I could probably care less, but this correlates to a short (though I don't know how short) life span of something that connects the wheel(s) to the body. Nothing to sneeze at.