Hey everyone,

I’ve been struggling with an ongoing issue with my Fiesta and I’m hoping someone here might have some insight.

Every time I drive over road imperfections – especially when both front wheels hit something like a dip or when going over train tracks – I feel a clunky or loose sensation in the steering. It’s not necessarily a loud bang, but there’s definitely something not right, and I can feel it through the steering wheel. This happens even at low speeds.

Over six months ago, I replaced both the steering rack and the steering column, which helped a little bit at the time. Later, one of my front springs broke, so I replaced both front springs. I’ve also recently replaced the drop links (stabilizer links) after a visit to a diagnostic station where they said everything else looks fine mechanically, except for those.

Unfortunately, the issue still persists and I’m honestly at a loss now.

Currently, I’ve started replacing engine mounts because I’ve also been noticing a strong jolt or shake when turning the engine on or off. I started with the lower engine mount (since it’s the cheapest), but it didn’t make much difference. I’m now considering replacing the right (passenger side) engine mount next.

Do you think a worn engine mount could cause that clunky feeling through the steering and general front-end noise when driving over bumps?

I’d really appreciate any advice or suggestions. I’m feeling quite frustrated with the car at this point and just want to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks in advance!

Have the wishbones been checked? 

Most common thing on cars are the drop links..cheap to buy and replace..

Approx 20 to 25 a pair

Difficult to tell if ther worn until you remove one end

Our 10 plate Fiesta had become terrible to drive on rough roads, was indeed the
wishbones, replaced both sides plus the drop links, car drove lovely again.

2 hours ago, Danny cj said:

Most common thing on cars are the drop links..cheap to buy and replace..

Approx 20 to 25 a pair

Difficult to tell if ther worn until you remove one end

Yes, I’ve already replaced the drop links – the issue is still there unfortunately.

4 hours ago, MJNewton said:

Have the wishbones been checked? 

1 hour ago, Ian Lanc said:

Our 10 plate Fiesta had become terrible to drive on rough roads, was indeed the
wishbones, replaced both sides plus the drop links, car drove lovely again.

The only check that’s been done so far was on the shaker plates at the diagnostic station, and according to the guy there, everything seemed fine. But from what I could see, the control arms are still original, and the car has 145k km on it now. Maybe I should just go to a mechanic and ask them to specifically focus on the wishbones – maybe that’s actually where the problem is.

18 hours ago, Altu said:

The only check that’s been done so far was on the shaker plates at the diagnostic station, and according to the guy there, everything seemed fine. But from what I could see, the control arms are still original, and the car has 145k km on it now. Maybe I should just go to a mechanic and ask them to specifically focus on the wishbones – maybe that’s actually where the problem is.

The control arms on our car was still the originals and the MOT bloke said there's nothing wrong with them visually and prying them with a bar, when we changed the wishbones looking at the originals the bush/bolted on parts was very loose, attached an image which shows the ones that caused our car to feel terrible.

19 hours ago, Altu said:

The only check that’s been done so far was on the shaker plates at the diagnostic station, and according to the guy there, everything seemed fine. But from what I could see, the control arms are still original, and the car has 145k km on it now. Maybe I should just go to a mechanic and ask them to specifically focus on the wishbones – maybe that’s actually where the problem is.

You could, but I would expect any issue with them that's major enough to be detectable when driving would show up when being tested by a mechanic with a pry bar, and the use of shaker plates in particular. It take it they were doing the tests to try and pinpoint an issue and therefore will have been particularly thorough in hunting down something amiss? 

Also check gearbox mount.

Thanks for your replies. I’ve replaced the engine and gearbox mounts and checked the wishbones — they seem to be in good condition. From what I can tell, the issue feels the same as it did before the steering rack was replaced. Now that I’m noticing it more clearly, I realize it was doing the same thing before. Since the parts are still under warranty, I’ll try to contact the mechanic who did the work and hopefully they’ll be able to sort it out.