99 Taurus - Front End Noise "Rattles"

Hi,
My kid's 99 Taurus SE makes a sort of quiet rattle-y, rumble-y sound from the front end when you go over a bump or rough pavement. Have owned many old cars and am familiar with odd noises. This one's curious. Not audible on smooth road. Sound is of something loose but having poked around can't see anything loose. Can't determine if sound is from left or right.

Looks like work has been done on top of front shock mounting bracket. Looks to have been removed and replaced.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Steve in VA

It's pretty common for the anti sway bar end links to cause a rattle noise that sounds like something's loose in the front. You can search the forum for how others have described the sound. Also, other's have mentioned that at least one aftermarket manufacturer makes these in a metal version rather than the nylon version that comes stock.

You can also search the forum for sounds caused by dry ball joints and outer tie rod ends. Often those will be more of a squeak noise. A method for narrowing down which joint the noise is coming from has been posted before.

Certainly, check all front end components to make sure you don't have a loose ball joint, tie rod end, or other suspension component that's loose and has play.

-Rod

THANKS.
Sounds like what you describe and a reasonably easy fix. Appreciate your feedback.