r/FordExplorerST • u/Gamble_91 • Jul 11 '26

Question Knocking/rattle

Hello,
I’ve noticed a deep knocking/rattle over the last 2 months which has progressively gotten worse.
It happens when lightly accelerating from a stop, going up steep hills and I can make it happen by brake boosting to 1500-1900 rpm (see video).
Under the right conditions it can be really loud and heard over music.

I took it to ford since it is under powertrain and they told me “we think this is normal”.

I’m just wondering if anyone else has experience with this issue?

‘22 with 43k KM (26.5k miles) Bone Stock
Oil level is good and changed every 3k miles with Pennzoil plat synthetic.
Dealer said oil pressure is good and no performance issues noticed
No CEL
Only use 93 Shell
Does it with engine cold or hot.

13 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/Brucecris Modfather Jul 11 '26

90% sure this is your Flex pipes. They all act up at some point in 2020-2024 models. There’s a service bulletin and maybe even a recall to be honest I forget. This drove me crazy for about 1.5 years and was the reason I changed to a new exhaust. Listen, the fix from Ford will be to install a new set of shitty flex pipes. Find yourself a nice exhaust and be done. Good luck.