key_on

Looking for thoughts on the cause of a grinding noise at low speed ... generally 10-25 mph. Above 25 mph the grinding noise is not noticeable and cannot be felt, although there seems to be much more road noise than there used to be at all speeds. The car is a 2010 GT auto with 12K miles. This grinding noise has become noticeable in the last 1000 miles. It can be felt through the brake pedal and steering wheel. It occurs regardless of whether the brakes are applied or not. The tires were last rotated at 7500 miles.

I plan to have the dealer look at the car next time its in for an oil change, but was curious if anyone else has experienced this.

bakerjd

I had something similar happen before but don't know if it's what's going on here. I had a small rock wedge itself in between my caliper and rotor and it made a squeeking/grinding noise...My solution, which probably wasn't the best, was to go WOT and the rock kicked free. Like I said though, this could or could not be what's going on with yours.

key_on

Thanks for the idea. Probably ought to pull the wheels and see if something is there that shouldn't be.

FordService

Hi key_on,

My name is Deysha from Ford Customer Service. I recommend you contact your dealership as soon as possible. If you need further assistance, please message me with your VIN, dealer, contact info, and mileage.

Deysha

Nuke

Since you're still under warranty, get your butt to the dealer before it fails catastrophically and leaves you stranded. That noise is your car telling you something isn't right. Waiting for your oil change is NOT the correct response.

bigblue95z

Jack up thefront and spin the tires. See if you can hear anything. But with the warranty get it in to the dealer.

key_on

Deysha and everyone else,

Thanks for the responses, ideas, and offers for help. I plan to contact the dealer tomorrow.

I took a close look at the front tires today. Both are cupping on the inside edge, indicating a problem with the alignment. The car drives straight as an arrow, but just looking at the way the car sits, it appears to have excessive negative camber.

Not sure if alignment at 12K miles is covered by warranty, but I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

key_on

I took my car to the dealer to have the grinding noise diagnosed. As I suspected, the alignment was off and had started to feather the inside edge of the front tires. Its amazing how much noise and grinding vibration can be transmitted through the steering wheel and brake pedal when the tires are wearing abnormally.

Anyway, got the front end aligned and rotated the tires front to back. All is smooth and quiet now. I wish the alignment had been covered by the warranty, but no such luck. I'm just glad to have the car sounding and feeling right again.