Need help with two issues
 

Good morning.

I am at wit's end over two issues I am having with my 2006 GT.

First Issue:

I bought the car new in 2006, and after just a week of owning the car, I noticed a distinct vibration noise coming from under the vehicle. Near as I can tell, it's coming from the center of the vehicle. The noise would occur mostly as I accelerate from 1st to 2nd, and from 2nd to 3rd. It occurs when I get to around 2000-2500 rpms. It sounds like to metal plates slapping together.

I have taken the car to the delear to repair this three times. The first time they said they couldn't reproduce the problem. The second time they said they thought it was a heat shield, but when they examined the car, they found nothing. The third time they said they figured it out and that the problem was fixed (I quickly learned that all they did was stick foam between the liscense plate and the liscense plate holder).

I have been concerned about this issue for nearly 4 years. I don't think it is the tranmission because it is not a grinding sound, but more of a 'metal plates vibrating and hitting each other' kind of sound. I am currently at 23,000 miles on the odemeter and will be taking it in soon for its 25,000 maintence, and I really want to pin the mechanics down on this. I am seriously considering asking to speak with a factory rep. Does anyone have any suggestions for pointing the mechanics in the right direction?

Edit: I have managed to find a few posts about this kind of issue on these forums, though most seem to indicate colder weather has an affect on the vibration. . .to be honest, I can reproduce this noise any time of the year, in any temperature. Might just be me. Unfortunately, my warranty has run out, but I am hoping that since this is a reoccuring problem that I have reported (and is on record) since I bought it and had a warranty, that if they DO opt to replace the transmission to fix it, that it'll still be covered. Wishful thinking?

Second Issue:

About a year and half ago, my car developed a problem with the emergency brake system. The emergency brake would lock into place on the rear right tire. I began to notice the car was sluggish to move forward as I drove off in the morning. . .and then I would hear a loud 'PANG' and the car would start to respond normally. Took a couple of mornings to figure out it was the emergency brake sticking. The dealer took care of this and fixed it.

However, ever since, I can hear a jingling noise coming from the rear right side of my car. . .it sounds like keys jingling to be more exact. It occurs when I am going over bumps. . .and seems to be more pronounced the slower I am driving.

I have had the car in the shop twice for this issue, each time, the dealer has been unable to figure out what was wrong. Does anyone have any suggestions that might point me in the right direction? I highly suspect this noise is related to the original problem with the emergency brake.

Much appreciated in advance for any help you can provide.

Issue #1- Youre taking it to a stealership.

Crawl under there yourself and start shaking things down. I know there are a lot of shields under that car, so one of the fasteners could have come down. Another possibility could be the two peice driveshaft..

The second issue, follow the e-brake cable back all the way, and you will find your problem. The bracket may have come loose.

i have a feeling that they might have sanded or filed the brake pad plate so it doesnt stick. the vibration could be the center hanger bearing for the drive shaft if it wasnt checked yet i would.mustang ray good luck.

my stang had a rattle issue that no one could diagnose, check the dust shield on the bell housing. See if you are missing bolts/ loose? Come to find out from the factory they forgot to install the bolts on mine...

there is a TSB about your e-brake cable. for mine I just use some PB down the cable, so far good.

Good luck, let us know how you fixed it.

Afternoon, All.

I just wanted to return and let you know the end result of the two issues I had reported.

I took the 2006 in for routine 25,000 maintenance and asked them to continue trying to figure out the issue.

Well, after they had the car for a few days. . .they said they had fixed the buzzy vibration noise, but that they couldn't hear the jingling noise in the right rear of the car despite having driven it around several times. . .so they couldn't find anything to fix.

The buzzing vibration noise they said was being caused by an assembly bracket that hadn't been removed. I assume this means it was an extra bracket. . .and they said it was touching the muffler at times. I didn't find out where exactly.

I drove the car home and heard nothing from either location. The next morning, I drove into work and the buzzing vibration noise was back. As strong as ever. I called them and they didn't believe me, and asked me to bring it in and drive with a Tech so he could hear the noise too. I do so and nothing. No noise, even though when I left work to go to the dealership, it was there. I was sore. I waited and hour in the waiting room and took the guy out again...still nothing. They were showing me the door with one hand on my back and their foot rearing up to kick me in the ass. Then I decided that I wanted to leave it overnight. . .and have them drive it in the morning. They did, and they heard the noise. I'm not crazy. *grin*

Turns out, when they removed the assembly bracket to fix the buzzing noise, they were actually fixing the jingling noise. . .and when they drove the car to hear the jingling noise, it was already fixed. . .so nothing.

The buzzing noise (so far so good), turns out to have been the seperator plate between the transmission and the engine. I asked to see this part and it showed definate wear and tear from where the flywheel and it had been making contact. Apparently Ford knew about this, because they had already redesigned the seperator plate. . .the dealership took another few days to get the part and swap it out. So far so good. No noises. Still testing though.

I truly appreciate everyone's help in this. If you hadn't begun throwing ideas out, I wouldn't have had nearly as much ammunition to go back to the dealer with. Thanks to all. I hope this problem and solution will be able to help someone else out who searches in the future.

EDIT: Incidently, it this buzzing noise only occured when the engine/car was cold. After having driven it 20-30 minutes, the car heated up and the flywheel and plate pulled away from each other and no longer made contact. This is how it was explained to me.

Good to hear its fixed!

That was about the same for my car, so annoying when the car was just started...