Squeaking sound in the front end

Hello,

I just bought a 2019 offroad premium in November and have been loving it so far.

I noticed 2 weeks ago that i hear a very faint sqeaking sound when i drive over 35 mph. It sounds like it is coming from the front left part of the vehicle. The only mods i have done so far are diode dynamics ss3 fogs so i thought it was one of the fender lining screws that i didnt tighten but its not that. The best way to describe it is that it sounds like a metal hamster wheel turning. I can only hear it with the radio turned off.

Any ideas on what this might be? I have 20k miles on it.thanks!

 

Inside the wheel well, separating the wheel well from the engine bay, there are rubber splash shields. Check the fasteners for tightness. These typically get lose, and flap in the wind and create the noise you speak of. Adjustment or replacement of the fasteners will solve the problem.

You can test for the noise by jostling the splash shields or their fasteners.

 

I did check there and didnt seem loose. My 16 tacoma had a loose splash sheild and it sounded very similar but this noise is less squeaky.

 

So i checked the engine splash guards again to be sure. All the fasteners were not snug but secure. I then jiggled the rear portion of the splash guard and it was very loose and made the noise i was hearing. I may try to replace some of the fasteners or just get the rad rubber splash guards. Thanks for the tip

 

Good luck! I had the exact same noise. I ended up getting aftermarket splash guards (can't remember brand) that are thicker with more substantial hardware. Haven't had an issue. The OEM stuff was so bad that even parked in high winds I had the hamster on the rusty wheel noise going on.

 

One tip I can offer, being a veteran of the flapping flaps. Before you glue down the flaps and plastic keepers, remove the rubber flaps and check the frame paint where they attach.

I had this symptom early on and discovered that the frame paint had been rubbed off where the flaps make contact. I just cleaned the area up real good and applied black rattle can paint to the affected area. After the paint dried, I reinstalled flaps using RTV on the contact areas and a liberal amount of RTV on the original plastic fasteners. Problem solved.

Next you will be chasing a front end squeak that sounds like your front suspension, but is actually the hood latch and rubber bumpers. All it takes is a little dust in these areas to cause the squeak ing sound.

When I’m on the trails I carry two bottles of water. One for me and one for the hood so I can rinse off the latch and rubber bumpers when I exit the trail so I don’t have to listen to the squeaking on my way home.

 

I have the same noise after installing SS3 Pro fog lights. After removing the fasteners I had to bend the splash guards pretty extreme to be able to access the fog lights. So I thing I might have messed up the splash guards.

 

Had the same noise, but noticed it only happened above 20 or 30mph. The folks at the dealership knew exactly what was wrong after driving with me. Same remedy: Check the engine dirt/dust covers on the inside of each wheel. The mount is aluminum and the covers are flexible and when they move with airspeed, they cause the noise. They affixed a piece of felt to quiet the noise but I also slightly bent the mount outward to add a little tension and the noise is gone.