My parents have a 2009 Explorer XLT 4x4 with the 4.0 V6. They have had it a few years now and I beleive they have had this suspension clunk ever since they got it. It has 57,XXX miles. Over the weekend my father and I were looking into it. from driving next to the wall over a bridge a few times I narrowed it down to the the rear passenger side. I hear it from the rear drivers side as well but not as bad (could be because of the sound off the bridge wall). They have taken it to the dealer multiple times while it was under warranty and each time they told them they either couldnt hear the noise or they couldnt find it which is a total line of BS because my dad is practically half deaf and can hear it easily. I checked to bushings on the sway bar and they looked to be fine, no gaps while jacked up. The noise will happen at any speed really and even on just small cracks in the road. Any idea what this could be in the rear suspension? What else should we be looking for? Thanks for any help.

 

No suggestions? I know its an Explorer but it should be the same general idea right?

 

What kind of suspension is the rear of those?

 

I believe its an independent rear suspension.

 

The suspension is independent and control arms. A clunking in the rear eh? It could be some things but id pay special attention to your hub bearings then check moving parts. Ideally, it's similar to an F150 up to the output of the rear differential then it's basically built like a car. Again, check your hub bearings then your CV joints. If those and your universal joint at the rear diff looks good, hen you might want to check out the differential. I have a 2007 sport track and at less than 60k it's got no problems. Do the rear axles go through the frame rails on the explorers like the sport tracs?