Nissan Frontier - Front End Squeak When Turning

[TWG1572]

I've had an annoying intermittant squeak in my frontier for about 2 years now. It only occurs when I am turning right, and is typically in sync with the roughness of the road. If there are four potholes, I'll get four squeaks.

I can't duplicate this when sitting still. I can bounce the truck up and down all I want in the garage, with the wheel turned right, and no dice. I can't get a really good bounce since the front end has the plastic covered bumper, and I don't want to jump all over that. But I did jump up and down on the back bumper, and I'm 250 so the front end was moving as well.

All I can say this point is that it squeaks when the suspension travels. I can't tell if it is a supension squeak though given my limited ability to replicate this in my garage.

Any thoughts on where to go trouble shooting this?

 

[Boomer]

I get the same with my 2007 Frontier but on a more intermittent basis. I have sprayed the anti-sway bar bushings with silicone spray and that has helped. I also found spraying the rubber inserts with silicone where the upper and lower control arms are fastened to the frame gave some relief from the noise as well.

Keep in mind that these trucks also have non-greasable ball joints that might be doing this under rapid loading )(like hitting a pothole.)

 

[marco246]

I have a 2006 Frontier which had a driver's side squeak which occurred on any surface but a smooth highway. It was driving me nuts. Replaced the rubber grommets (or whatever they're called) where the control arms fasten to the frame, as noted above, and the squeak went away completely.

 

[Shannow]

Plastic turn stop worn away and metal on metal now ?

I smear Lee Liquid Alox (bullet lube) on it and let it dry.

 

[VicVinegar]

My wife's '05 Xterra squeaks over bumps from the front suspension.

Of course there is a TSB for this (I've recently realized this Nissan has quite a few TSBs) which after a quick read does include the Frontier and says it can happen when turning left or right. Here is the TSB number: NTB10-072a

Says the repair is front stabilizer bushings.

 

[TWG1572]

Awesome. Thanks for the information, I'll take a look.

It was making noise last night, so I played with the wheel while driving. If I was even 5 degrees right of center with the steering wheel it made noise. Dead center or left of center, it was quiet. I had no idea it was that precise in when it started/stopped.

80K on the truck, and this is the first non preventative maintenance item. I guess I can't complain too much.

 

[artificialist]

What year Frontier?
The earlier ones didn't have rack and pinion steering, and on those models I would frequently have to replace the Idler Arm, Center Link, and less often I would have to replace the ball joints.

 

[Mustang_Pilot]

I just fixed a squeak in my '06 frontier. It was mostly with a left turn and sometimes going strait over bumps. noise did not change significantly when braking was added in the turn, eliminating brake and many wheel noises. After reading blogs I did the parked testing by pushing, pulling, jumping and shaking on each corner without duplicating the noise. I tighten the tailgate and looked without finding lose body panels. One blog suggested the hood hinges need lube. I lubed the hood hinges but on further inspection found the two rubber bumpers for the hood had become hard. I could actually duplicate the squeaky noise by rubbing my fingers over the spot where the rubber bumpers meet with the frame. I added a cheap felt stick-on pad where the bumpers close and the squeak was gone! I assume you can replace the bumpers instead but this worked fine for now.

 

[RD400]

OK, this sounds crazy, but I fixed a squeak that would happen every time I turned into my driveway.

I was sure it was suspension related, but I put some grease on the hard rubber hood stops where they contact metal and all has been quiet for years.

 

[TWG1572]

Wow! Talk about a blast from the past. Mustang and RD400 nailed it. It was the hood stops. My bad for failing to update the post.

I just smear a little Sylglide on them whenever I hear the squeaking and it's good for 6 months or so. I might try the felt pad idea - we have some at home for chair legs to keep them from scratching the hardwood floors.