[jjanis]

We have had our Outback for just a week but notice a click noise that is coming from the front right side of the vehicle. I hear it after the car has been sitting a little while and after I drive just a few yards. The sound happens just once then, almost like automatic locking doors, but from the front right tire area. Does this have something to do with the AWD engaging or something? Anyone else experience this noise? Again, it makes the sound once, and only after the car has been sitting for a bit.

 

[hallux]

Does it happen around 10 MPH? Is it a quiet grinding sound and lasts a very short time?

ABS self-test.

 

[RocCityOutback]

I'll second the ABS self test sound. In my car sounds like a muffled clunk or click fromt he right front passenger area. Happens at low speed within the first 200 feet of driving after starting. Mines been doing it since day one, and does it within an about 15 foot area on the street every morning after I turn out of my driveway.

 

[subiesailor]

ABS check all cars do it some louder than others. There is also another click that some people notice which is the shift lock mechanism which locks the shifter so you can't by mistake shift to reverse or park when your moving etc.

The AWD system even with my old 2001 5spd MT can be noticed by sound some times. The most common situation is stopped at a stop sign and pulling out onto a main street usually when turning left across traffic where your turning tight from a stop and giving it a pretty decent throttle. The AWD system will give a groan type sound as the AWD system loads up the the axles and tires in the hard turn. This is normal my 2001 did it for all 11yrs and 180,000 miles zero issues great car. My new CVT does the same thing. Thats about the only time you might actually hear the AWD system actively producing sound related to AWD.

 

[jjanis]

I never thought of ABS. In all the vehicles I have owned, I have never heard an ABS noise on start up. It does happen within a few feet of start up after the car has been sitting. Still seems rather odd to me. Every time at first I thought there was a stick in the driveway I was running over so it's not a real quiet sound.

 

[GasGuzz]

It’s not after sitting, but after every start-up.

 

[subiesailor]

My Toyota Sequoia does it about the same time as my Subaru and my VW. Its usually within the first say 15ft of rolling after you put it in gear after start up. If your putting some level of pressure on the brake sometimes this seems to make it louder and you might even feel it in the pedal. The loudest I've ever heard was in the old Saturns I worked at a Dealer as a late night customer service rep. We use to hold owner days and the very first thing we covered was the loud clank the ABS check did. With the Saturns it sounded like you just dropped a major drive system part on the pavement. That was our #1 reason for people bringing their car back thinking something was very wrong.

#2 reason was a cooked and dead fuel pump after running it low on fuel - we had a term for these given we saw 3-7 a week - flat bed non starts. GM fuel pumps are SH-T! Never run your GM car low on fuel it will cost you a fuel pump. The Yukon I ran from SF to Dillion CO a couple of years ago suffered the same fate 7 miles east of Elko NV - took three of us laying on cardboard in a NAPA auto parking lot 3.5hrs to replace the **** thing! The tow into town was costly.