NHTSA Complaint #710500 — 1997 FORD TAURUS

VEHICLE STARTED MAKING A "POPPING" NOISE (SIMILAR TO KNUCKLES BEING CRACKED) EVERYTIME A LOW SPEED TURN TO EITHER SIDE WAS MADE. SOUND SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM DIRECTLY UNDER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. NOISE OCCURRED PREDOMINANTLY WHEN THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING OUT IN THE HOT SUN OR WHEN IT HAD BEEN RUNNING AND WAS HOT. WOULD NOT HAPPEN IN COOLNESS OF THE MORNING. TWO ATTEMPTS TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM BY A FORD DEALER RESULTED IN THEM HAVING NO IDEA WHAT WAS CAUSING IT. THE THIRD TIME A MECHANIC DROVE IT AND PINPOINTED THE "SUBFRAME INSULATORS". THEY ORDERED NEW ONES, INSTALLED THEM AND CHARGED ME FOR IT. NOW LESS THAN 2 WEEKS LATER, THE NOISE IS STARTING AGAIN. SAME LOCATION. I WAS TOLD TWICE BY THIS DEALERSHIP AND ANOTHER FORD DEALERSHIP, THAT THIS WEAR WAS NOT INDICATIVE OF BAD DRIVING HABITS OR DAMAGE AND THAT IT WAS NOT "A SAFETY ISSUE" IT IS HOWEVER, VERY ANNOYING AND UNNERVING TO HEAR THE SOUND NEARLY EVERYTIME THE CAR MAKES A SLOW SPEED 90 DEGREE TURN TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT.