Suspension noise, struts or alignment

Across roughly 10,400 complaints on the vehicles this site covers, about a quarter mention a clunk, a knock or bumps, the most common thread. Around one in eight names a control arm, bushing or ball joint, one in ten mentions struts or shocks, and one in ten a pull or drift. The median mileage owners give is about 28,000. The same trucks lead the steering wheel shake sheet: the 2019 and 2017 F-250 Super Duty and the 2018 Wrangler.

The suspension is what keeps each tire on the road and the wheels in line: springs and shocks or struts to absorb bumps, plus the arms, bushings and joints that let everything move and help set the wheel angles. The FTC's plain-language guide ties a clunk to a loose shock absorber or another loose suspension part, and it suggests a simple check at home: push down hard on a corner of the car and let go. If it bounces twice or more, the shocks are weak. Firestone adds the other signs owners report here, such as a nose that dives under braking, body roll in corners and one corner sitting lower than the rest.

The biggest recalls in the data are about parts coming apart. GM's 16V-256 replaced front upper control arms with weak welds on some 2016 and 2017 Silverado 1500s and GM SUVs. Tesla's 21V-835 tightened or replaced front lateral link fasteners on some 2019 to 2021 Model 3 and 2020 to 2021 Model Y cars, and NHTSA opened a new investigation in July 2026, PE26-006, into 156 complaints of lower lateral links detaching on older Model 3 and Model Y cars. Ford's 26V-340, on some Bronco Sports and Mavericks, told owners not to drive until lower ball joints were inspected.

Expect a shop to look for worn or loose parts at the corner you point to and to check the alignment if the car pulls. (Firestone notes that one hard pothole can be enough to knock the wheels out of line.)

Stop driving if a wheel suddenly sits at an odd angle, the steering goes loose or the car wanders after a loud bang from underneath. Those match the failures the recalls describe. Firestone's view is that driving with a steering or handling problem is unsafe, so a new clunk shouldn't sit for long either.

Tell the mechanic which corner the noise comes from, whether it's on bumps, turns or braking, and when it started. Check NHTSA's recall lookup with your VIN, and report the problem during the warranty so it's on record; the FTC says a defect reported in that window must be fixed even if the warranty expires first.