This just happened about 15 minutes ago. I decided I would take the GP on a Drive. I'm driving up the Driveway which is a dirt Driveway and only going about 5 MPH up the Driveway and avoiding as many as the Bumps as possible. Everything is fine now but then I slow down and then pull out of the Driveway onto the Road and right when I pull out onto the Road, I hear something break/snap. I thought maybe I had scraped the ground or something. I start to proceed down the road and lets just say, I'm glad I don't live in a area where I can touch my neighbors on each side. I live in the woods. The road I was Driving on, was paved.

I'll try to describe the noise..

It was VERY VERY LOUD!! High Pitched!! Sounded like Metal on Metal.

This awful sound was coming from the Driver's Front Side, so my thoughts are that I broke something suspension related on the Driver's Front. This would somewhat make a little sense to me because recently well driving, I have been able to feel even the smallest bumps and on roads that I travel most often. To think, I was going to call the Shop to have them check things out..well I guess I have a really good reason to call now. However, when I came back down the driveway, the noise stopped. I won't be driving the GP tomorrow though, until I know what happened.

One more thing..The Steering Wheel doesn't feel the same now, after tonight. I did go back up and down the driveway in a different vehicle to see if I could see anything but I couldn't. I checked underneath the GP, too and nothing was hanging on the ground.

So, anyone got any thoughts on what the heck happened??

 

Check for rocks stuck between the brake caliper and inside of the wheel. I'm hoping you just picked up some rocks when it bottomed out.

 

Front control arms and bushings?

 

I am also hoping for you that it is only a rock in the brake area as suggested by BoostLE. Also check for a rock between the rotor and shield. Maybe since you do not have the noise any more the rock(s) fell out and it is OK now. Hopefully, it was just a rock and you are just being a little too sensitive about the steering feel.

 

Okay so I have NOT heard the noise since Sunday Night. I guess BoostLE was correct about it being a Rock stuck up somewhere. Thing is though, I've had cars where a rock got caught between the brake rotor and the inside of the wheel, and the noise was Never that bad. Not as bad as the sound I was hearing on Sunday Night, which is why I thought it was something else.

As for the Possible Steering Wheel problem. When I was in at the Dealer last time, which was about 2 weeks ago, they said that the Power Steering Pump was Frozen. The Tech did manage to unfreeze it though. Maybe the Power Steering Pump froze back up again and is causing the Steering Wheel to feel different.... (I don't know how or why it freezes). Maybe I should spend the $250.00 for the Generation 5 Power Steering Pump that includes a Protection Grille.

 

look to see if strut mount ripped.. open hood, look at the rubber around the tip of the center strut bolt....

 

Well, I had a Tech Inspection done on the 24th of May to make sure that the GP is still up to "Standards". I had a Tech Inspection done because I'm going to MINIS ON TOP in June and I wanted to make sure the GP was in Sound Condition. The only thing they found wrong was that the Right Inner Ball-Joint had some play. They also installed the Craven Speed Strut-Tower-Defenders to prevent Mushrooming.

I have not heard the noise again though, which is a good thing I think.