About a month ago my 2012 FX4 started making a clicking sound in the front end any time the truck was in motion with the steering turned. It doesn't have to be a hard turn. It can be a slight curve in the road. The clicking has increased somewhat and the steering is getting stiff when turning. There's also a slight wobble in the steering and when moving slow it feels like the front end is wobbling back and forth a little. I've taken it to a Ford dealership twice and they can duplicate the issue with no problem, but can't figure out what is causing it. It's annoying and probably unsafe if something breaks, but they told me to drive it until it breaks and then they'll fix it. The sound is very similar to the sound you'd hear when small rocks are stuck in the tires. It's getting louder and a little rough in tight turns. Has anyone else had this issue?

This is the best video I could get and it was before the issue started to get worse. You can start to hear it around the middle of the video. I'll try to get another video today.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...ps6b186803.mp4

 

I'd tell that sumbitch that HE can drive until it breaks and see how safe HE feels!

That's a BS chicken schite answer, and that "service adviser" should be fired! In fact, take it to the dealer and explain the situation again. This time, have your smart phone of choice in your pocket with the voice recorder on any time you're talking to the service personnel. Then, present this evidence to your regional service manager from Ford!

Ugh, that drives me freakin' crazy when they just pass off a warranty, and potentially unsafe, issue!

OK, now that I have that off my chest....

I'd give the dealer one more shot. If they won't play ball, do go to Ford and present your issue that way. At the very minimum, the dealership should get Ford engineers/techs involved since the dealership apparently isn't equipped to fix the issue.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Edited to add: Since you stated the steering is stiffer now, maybe the electronic steering assist has an issue?

 

Is it in 4x4?

 

Yes,
It's an FX4.
I should add that it doesn't do it after sitting all night until I drive it a few miles and it's warmed up.

 

My question was, is it IN 4x4? The way I understand it, vacuum is what keeps it OUT of 4x4. Maybe you are losing vacuum to whatever engages the 4x4.

 

No, it's not in 4wd. It's in 2wd and at any speed. Highway speeds, slow, anytime.

 

Find a different dealer.

 

My dad's 2011 does this too, and his is 2WD. I think it might be the dust plate behind the front brake rotor. We're gonna take a look at it soon.

 

I took it in for service this morning. The rack and pinion need to be replaced and some sensors or solenoids for the 4wd in the front end. I've never had a steering rack go bad, but would it cause a rough ride in the front end? It's been pretty rough recently even on smooth roads. When I push the brake pedal the front ends shaking a little bit now too. The truck has 15k miles on it.

 

Get ALL those issues documented for warranty purposes.

 

A couple months ago, I kept getting a "Service AdvanceTrac" warning message. It would go away for a while and come back on for a while, but other than the annoying message popping up, I didn't experience any other negative symptoms.

Long story short, the dealer said that there was an "unserviceable sensor" for the AdvanceTrac located in the steering rack that had gone bad. They had to replace the steering rack on mine, too. Guess I should've gotten the ecoboost!

Have you ever gotten a the AdvanceTrac warning?

 

I've never had any warning lights at all. It's documented and I'm working with a regional CSM who's supposed to call me back tomorrow.