Our 2011 Durango 3.6l with 110k on the clock has developed it's first sound. It seems to be a metal on metal grinding noise only at slow speeds like pulling in a driveway the sound is pretty faint but was pretty loud when we initially heard it. Looked at the CV axle boot is not torn. Everything looks normal any suggestions? P.s the sound only happens when turning left.

 

First off, describe the sound. Is it a "tink tink tink" like metal tapping? A scraping sound like something rubbing against another piece of metal? Have you pulled the wheel off or just looked underneath? It could be worn brake pads, bad ball joint, a dry CV joint, or any number of things.

 

Sound doesn't stop when you use the brakes. It sounds like metal rubbing against another piece of metal. Checked the brake dust shield and its not bent.

 

Was the wheel pulled to check? I worked on a Dakota once that the driver had a tendency to wait until the last minute and hammer the brakes instead of stopping gently. I was trying to figure out why there was a groove inside the wheel. Then I noticed the brake pads. They were worn at an angle from hard braking. This caused the caliper to rub against the inside of the wheel. The braking would pull the calipers at an angle. It eventually pulled the sideways. New pads and an admonition to lighten up and the problem was fixed. 20,000 miles later, the same thing except the drivers dad brought it in. I think the daughter got an ear full on that one. I pulled the pads and held them up together and you could see the angle.

That's why I asked what the sound sounds like. Lot's of different sounds depending on rotational mass or angle of inertia.

 

haven't pulled the wheel off yet, but the pads were replaced a good 10,000 miles ago, I'll take the wheel off this weekend and look and shake a few things.

 

The pads should be good, but might not be. You don't have to pull them, just look at the end of the pad. It will be thinner on the bottom where the pressure will be greater when you stop. It could be a bearing hub, failed CV joint even if the boot is good. What does the sound sound like. Metal tapping? Metal scraping? Different issues will cause different sounds.

 

I'm wondering what you mean by "This caused the caliper to rub against the inside of the wheel. The braking would pull the calipers at an angle. It eventually pulled the sideways." Are you saying that the caliper rubbed against the inside of the wheel rim?Did it occur only when turning one direction? I don't know what you mean by "pulled sideways". The reason I ask is because I recently replaced rotors, calipers and pads on my 2011 Durango Crew and I noticed on the front drivers side I hear a metal on metal grinding sound when I turn the wheel to the right. See my recent post (from Dodge79). I'm trying to understand how a new rotor, caliper and pads could cause a grinding sound when turning right, or if this is possible.

Thanks

 

DodgeGeekr - did you ever learn the cause of this grinding sound? I am experiencing a similar sound only when turning right. This started happening on the front drivers side after replacing the rotors, calipers and pads. In my case it isn't the grinding sound of pivoting on a ball joint axis, but a rotational grinding sound like the wheel, rotor or axle is grinding on something while the wheel is rotating.

 

Repeated heavy braking can cause the front pads to wear at an angle. This will cause the caliper to splay out some. The first truck I worked on with this problem had been heavily loaded a lot. The caliper itself was grinding on the insode of the wheel. If it was let happen long enough, it would have ground through the wheel itself.