Brand new...and problem...

[vforrest]

My 2014 SHO that is a month old has a rattle coming from my driver side mirror since I got it. It rattles internally and is quite noticeable when it comes into the cockpit with wind turbulence causing it at highway speed. Interstate speeds makes it rattle and is very annoying for a brand new car that would be super quiet otherwise. Have to crank my Sony to mask what I know is still there.

They have been trying things for three days and in communication with the factory. They put a new mirror on today taking it from one of their two other SHO's on the lot and it was WORSE. They then noticed that mine was the BEST one of the three! They all had the rattle!

Now waiting and what Ford tells them...and am bummed for this should not be happening. Wish it was just mine and they could just put on another mirror and done with this.

Bummed.....:frantic:

 

[Dave]

That is a bummer. Is it rattling inside or is it the mount? Does the remote mechanism work? Can you pull the cap and see what's inside? It could be part of the folding devise too.

 

[vforrest]

We've had it apart...

That is a bummer. Is it rattling inside or is it the mount? Does the remote mechanism work? Can you pull the cap and see what's inside? It could be part of the folding devise too.

...so many times so I learned a lot. I have the BLIS, heated, etc. so there are a bunch of wires and male/female connections inside and then a frame that holds the motor and moves the mirror so there are plenty of things that could be making the noise. It mostly sounds like a label flapping in the breeze and when we opened it there were labels...no help.

Found that the four screws holding the inside frame...three of them were loose and were turned a half a crank...no help.

Wind gets inside there somehow and is causing the noise that kind of transmits into the cockpit.

We have added extra gasket seal...a number of times in different spots...a little better but still way annoying.

And the Soap Opera begins now that no one knows how to fix it.

 

[SDSHO13]

Funny the 2013's have not exhibited this problem. Ask the dealer if Ford can tell him of any changes they made to the mirror, vice the earlier models.

One suggestion, and this may be way out in left field..have them check the plastic trim strip on the roof. We had one on a Jeep and it drove everyone nut's trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. It made the same sound you are describing. It was loose right at the end and would vibrate when the wind buffeted it.
These strips are apparently held on by industrial strength velco.

 

[SHOrod]

You might want to try driving the car at the same speeds and roads with the mirror removed just to confirm that the rattle you are hearing is coming from the mirror. Maybe you'll find that the rattle is something between the door frame and the door panel, or maybe someone dropped a socket in the door during assembly at the factory....

-Rod

 

[shaker281]

You might want to try driving the car at the same speeds and roads with the mirror removed just to confirm that the rattle you are hearing is coming from the mirror. Maybe you'll find that the rattle is something between the door frame and the door panel, or maybe someone dropped a socket in the door during assembly at the factory....

-Rod

As always you make an excellent point. I chased a noise on my 06 Explorer that seemed to be coming from under the dash for 3 months. Turned out to be the seat belt at the point it attached near the seat back. Certain noises are difficult to localize.

Or maybe blue tape to block wind flow into the mirror to see if that helps?

 

[SHOclass]

^^ agreed I drove myself insane trying to track down a noise in my '12 Optima...Thought for sure...beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was coming from outside and translating into the cabin...I inspected the side mirrors, under the windshield wipers, under the hood, in the sunroof tracks....drove me nuts...come to find out it was my sunglasses ratting in the sunglasses holder in the headliner....I had to just stop and laugh after I figured that out.

Hope you find a solution soon. Good luck

 

[vforrest]

Good thoughts...

....thanks for the ideas. We have tried all the idea's stated above however and it is the mirror. We took it off...we taped up all the gaps...and right now I'm just holding to see what they come up with. I really just figured it was my car and was shocked to hear the other SHO models they had on the lot were worse than mine.

Confused...but at least the SONY can drown it out...

 

[SHOrod]

Did the dealer say the other cars on the lot were worse than yours, or the mirrors from those other cars were worse (when installed on your car) than yours? I find it hard to believe this could be a common issue on the 2014 models and no one else has reported it or figured out how to solve it. Although someone has to be the first. It still seems like Ford would have encountered this on the test track if pretty much all of the 2014s have the issue.

There is such a thing as a Steelman Chassis Ear that helps pinpoint rattles, however the microphones that come standard with it are too large to attach to components of the side mirror. Maybe you or the dealer would be willing to modify a couple of the microphones to fit in small spaces.

-Rod

 

[TRBOSHO]

I have a very late 2014 (5/2014). No mirror noise that I'm aware of, and I'm pretty particular....

 

[vforrest]

Did the dealer say the other cars on the lot were worse than yours, or the mirrors from those other cars were worse (when installed on your car) than yours? I find it hard to believe this could be a common issue on the 2014 models and no one else has reported it or figured out how to solve it. Although someone has to be the first. It still seems like Ford would have encountered this on the test track if pretty much all of the 2014s have the issue.

There is such a thing as a Steelman Chassis Ear that helps pinpoint rattles, however the microphones that come standard with it are too large to attach to components of the side mirror. Maybe you or the dealer would be willing to modify a couple of the microphones to fit in small spaces.

-Rod

They were worse on both...when they tried one on mine and then drove the others compared to mine which they had been working on.

No news yet....in holding pattern...I'll certainly post the cure once it arrives.

 

[PokerMunkee]

Interesting, subscribing. I have no noises on my '13 and I'm very sensitive to noises!

How do they know it's the mirror? If they take it completely off, is the rattle gone? If a a new mirror doesn't fix it, then it must be something else!!??

 

[SHOdded]

Unfortunately, it could still be the mirror. If the design or the assembly is defective, you will get the fault. Could be loose clips (not providing enough tension) on the parts inside the mirror, for instance.

 

[SHOrod]

If you have the auto-dimming mirror, I'd be very hesitant to take it off any more than absolutely necessary. I've had to replace the side mirror on my wife's MKT, well, more than once. Since used ones are the only semi-affordable ones I've been picking up used, disassembling, and painting to match. Twice now the auto-dimming mirror glass has fogged up within days of being reassembled. I didn't get rough with any of them so I'm not sure what causes it, but I suspect they can't handle hardly any flexing such as what it takes to unsnap and re-snap them.

-Rod

 

[Bosscav]

I just bought a 2010 a week ago and I too have a noise at 75mph that sounds like a plastic label or tag flapping in the wind. I thought it was coming from somewhere near my left foot on the exterior of the car. No clue where to find it and DAMN is it annoying! Sure my Sony system can drown it out but sometimes I enjoy relaxing in the blissful interior behind the Soundscreen glass.

Please let me know what you find as I haven't really had time to pinpoint the source on mine and don't want to remove the auto dimming mirror if Rob says it fogs up.

 

[vforrest]

I just bought a 2010 a week ago and I too have a noise at 75mph that sounds like a plastic label or tag flapping in the wind. I thought it was coming from somewhere near my left foot on the exterior of the car. No clue where to find it and DAMN is it annoying! Sure my Sony system can drown it out but sometimes I enjoy relaxing in the blissful interior behind the Soundscreen glass.

Please let me know what you find as I haven't really had time to pinpoint the source on mine and don't want to remove the auto dimming mirror if Rob says it fogs up.

No problem Boss...I certainly will.

 

[Dave]

Check your fender liner.

 

[vforrest]

Check your fender liner.

Nice...hadn't thought of that....I will!

 

[Dave]

I didn't have any noise but, the last time I took my wheels off, I found a screw loose enough that I could move the liner. Just came to mind. There are all kinds of plastic pieces and screws on the front end. I'd check for any movement. Years ago, I had a terrible high pitched rattling noise on a '89 T-Bird SC and found it was a loose heat shield. Could be that too.

 

[vforrest]

Update....

Got the car on June 2nd with a rattling mirror. Everyone is stumped with much effort including trying two mirrors off of new cars in the lot just to make sure. Last test was to drive it without and no rattle so it is definitely the mirror. It still rattles from the inside out from turbulence when at highway speed but maybe down half the noise with all the dicknaround. I drown it out with the awesome stereo but it is still there when I turn it off...and maybe I'm just a bit **** but a $47k car shouldn't have a rattling mirror...**** even a $20K car.

Anyway I just had the tires rotated on my second oil change and 12K on it and thought I'd walk over to the body shop and see if FORD Corp. had come up with any ideas or fixes....yah...no hope in site. I'll cycle out of this work car in four years and asked the body shop mgr. what or the odds that I'm going to have to live with this for four years and never get it resolved. No reply....but no answers for now either.