Clicking noise- soft top - rear passenger corner

[stm378]

Thank you! I must have missed that post. I’ll take a look when I get back from my trip. Just noticed the clicking within the last couple of days.

No problem, it was driving me crazy for weeks, but once I was able to pinpoint it the solution was pretty easy.

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[Ford Motor Company]

@Ford Motor Company I just started experiencing a clicking sound on the driver side rear near the passenger seat. It seems to be coming from the bar that goes over the passenger area. My Bronco has around 2700 miles on it and the clicking just started. Is there a fix for this by chance?

Hi there! Are you still experiencing this issue? If so, send us a private message with your VIN and dealership name and location. I’d like to look into this concern on my end.

 

[Jmor]

I ha

I had a pop/squeak right rear and corrected with soft top realignment. Check that the soft top is seated flush on the alignment pins (back by where the top bolts on). My top was misaligned 1/4” and 1/2” on either side. Worth a shot!

Went to dealer ask them to check alignment of top I took panels off they said nothing wrong with it. How do these look to you?

 

[Jelly81Raider]

I ha

Went to dealer ask them to check alignment of top I took panels off they said nothing wrong with it. How do these look to you?

A lot of my noise stopped when I loosened all the bolts, sat it down flush on the alignment pins and tightened back up. Yours looks raised up off the pin. Similar to how mine was.

Also look at one of the tailgate reinforcement brackets. The swing gate is feather light. I think we were getting some noise from that thing trying to carry around that big spare.

 

[Jmor]

A lot of my noise stopped when I loosened all the bolts, sat it down flush on the alignment pins and tightened back up. Yours looks raised up off the pin. Similar to how mine was.

Also look at one of the tailgate reinforcement brackets. The swing gate is feather light. I think we were getting some noise from that thing trying to carry around that big spare.

Thanks, I had the other side the same way both on the front pins.

 

[Capone7532]

At ~1800mi my soft top developed a click. Sounds like it’s coming from the rear passenger corner. Only when I hit bumps (even small ones). Assuming it’s metal to metal contact when the rear makes vertical motion. Nothing major by any means… just annoying because I notice every new sound the car makes now..
anyone else?
@Ford Motor Company ?

Could it be this...

 

[iwantabasebronco]

Could it be this...

definitely going to investigate!

 

[wlschroder]

I have had a very similar problem from day one. The passenger rear roof has been squeaking and rattling since day one. When I took off the backlight (rear window and the two corners that mount the soft top) I found that the driver side has a rubber grommet/retainer that the upper part of the corner piece locks into. The passenger side has it missing entirely. Since the wait for and appointment at the dealerships here in Tucson is at least a month, I decided to see if the part was available. Went to two different dealerships. Neither could identify the part. Truck is currently at a dealership and they have yet to be able to find the source of the noise. I explained this to the service advisor and they were pretty uninterested in what I found.

Has anybody seen this?

@Ford Motor Company any help here? Have you seen this?

@Ford Motor Company

 

[jakebadlands]

I’ve had the soft top rattle, primarily from the rear passenger side, since day one. When the top is folded all the way back, it goes away. I’ve checked all the soft top latch points and adjustment points and they all seem to be adjusted properly and are tight. I really think it has something to do with the rear passenger side plastic window rattling in the track. I can recreate the noise when it’s parked by tapping on the outside, lower part of that window where it slides into the track. The driver’s side doesn’t make noise when I tap the lower edge.

I’m just not sure how to eliminate that rattle/movement of the lower edge of the window in the track. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Thanks!

I think you and I have the same exact issue. I have pinpointed my clicking and popping noise to the rear bottom corner of the soft top. It sounds like its coming from the back window piece with those little silver ball bearing fasteners, but you might be right in that it is coming from the window track. I have had this noise since I got the vehicle in 2021 and it comes and goes like the fuckin wind. I even got a new back window and the noise started up again after a few months of silence. To get the noise to stop on my old window, all I had to do was pull the side clips off, releasing the tension and then putting them back on. The noise would start again a few days later and I would repeat the process. I eventually got a massive scratch on the window so I bought a new one which now also clicks and pops in the same spot, however this one doesn't work with my trick. Sometimes it gets worse and worse all day until I can hear it distinctly over the radio. Oddly enough, whenever the top is wet, there is usually no noise. Driving in the rain has never felt so peaceful. That fact makes me think that it could be related to the window, the window/fabric tension, or the track itself. I am about to install the IAG lift assist as I have heard it has helped some people with noises. Curious though now that it has been over a year, have you fixed it or found anything that helped? Thanks!

 

[djn3400]

I think you and I have the same exact issue. I have pinpointed my clicking and popping noise to the rear bottom corner of the soft top. It sounds like its coming from the back window piece with those little silver ball bearing fasteners, but you might be right in that it is coming from the window track. I have had this noise since I got the vehicle in 2021 and it comes and goes like the fuckin wind. I even got a new back window and the noise started up again after a few months of silence. To get the noise to stop on my old window, all I had to do was pull the side clips off, releasing the tension and then putting them back on. The noise would start again a few days later and I would repeat the process. I eventually got a massive scratch on the window so I bought a new one which now also clicks and pops in the same spot, however this one doesn't work with my trick. Sometimes it gets worse and worse all day until I can hear it distinctly over the radio. Oddly enough, whenever the top is wet, there is usually no noise. Driving in the rain has never felt so peaceful. That fact makes me think that it could be related to the window, the window/fabric tension, or the track itself. I am about to install the IAG lift assist as I have heard it has helped some people with noises. Curious though now that it has been over a year, have you fixed it or found anything that helped? Thanks!

I have not fixed it, unfortunately. I have the IAG lift assist and I didn’t notice any difference in the clicking noise after installing it. My Bronco is at the dealership as we speak for a transmission fluid leak and I asked them to try to fix the clicking noise while they have. We’ll see what they come up with.

It definitely sounds like we have the same issue. Keep me posted if you figure anything out and I’ll do the same.

 

[jakebadlands]

I have not fixed it, unfortunately. I have the IAG lift assist and I didn’t notice any difference in the clicking noise after installing it. My Bronco is at the dealership as we speak for a transmission fluid leak and I asked them to try to fix the clicking noise while they have. We’ll see what they come up with.

It definitely sounds like we have the same issue. Keep me posted if you figure anything out and I’ll do the same.

I think I just fixed it. I took off my soft top windows and inspected the back window lift frame that the back window slides into (not sure what to call it but it's the track portion that lifts up and can be propped up with the prop bar). I noticed some areas (specifically on the far left corner of the frame where I heard my noise) where it looked like the bottom of the back window was scraping the top of the back window lift frame that it connects to. I noticed that the black paint of the lift frame in these few areas was scratched off, like it was coming in contact with a rough spot on the bottom corner of the back window piece. The bottom corner of the window must have been scraping against the frame in sits on and creating a weird noise. I put some black electrical tape over almost the entire area where the window piece comes in contact with the frame and it seems to have stopped clicking. To be safe, I also added more foam protection under the corners of back window, exactly where Ford put the foam. I noticed that the foam they put under the window wasn't exactly covering everything like it should have been so I added a new layer just to be safe. Haven't heard the noise since after a few rides. Hopefully this works for you!

 

[stm378]

I think I just fixed it. I took off my soft top windows and inspected the back window lift frame that the back window slides into (not sure what to call it but it's the track portion that lifts up and can be propped up with the prop bar). I noticed some areas (specifically on the far left corner of the frame where I heard my noise) where it looked like the bottom of the back window was scraping the top of the back window lift frame that it connects to. I noticed that the black paint of the lift frame in these few areas was scratched off, like it was coming in contact with a rough spot on the bottom corner of the back window piece. The bottom corner of the window must have been scraping against the frame in sits on and creating a weird noise. I put some black electrical tape over almost the entire area where the window piece comes in contact with the frame and it seems to have stopped clicking. To be safe, I also added more foam protection under the corners of back window, exactly where Ford put the foam. I noticed that the foam they put under the window wasn't exactly covering everything like it should have been so I added a new layer just to be safe. Haven't heard the noise since after a few rides. Hopefully this works for you!

Any chance you could take pictures and post them, please?

 

[jakebadlands]

Any chance you could take pictures and post them, please?

If you look closely you can see where I added black electrical tape to the outer edge of the window frame where I noticed there were scratches.

 

[stm378]

Thank

If you look closely you can see where I added black electrical tape to the outer edge of the window frame where I noticed there were scratches.

you!

 

[Tataman]

Could it be this...

This! I just made an appointment at the dealership, once I saw the tsb on the tailgate. I just checked on my bronco, and I have the exact same sound. If this is this the culprit you just solved an 18 month mystery. I have had some of my family members sit in the back to pinpoint and they couldn’t place the noise. I know mine is not the soft top as I go 80% of the year without.

Thanks for posting!

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