Been having this issue for a while and hte dealership has been useless.

When in a low gear liek 2nd or 3rd, or accelerating from a stop, there is a clattering or chattering noise coming from the front (right) of the car.

This does NOT happen in 2WD, i.e. FWD, it only happens in 4WD Auto or 4WD LOCK.

The dealership replaces the whole front right axle, and it didnt fix the problem. Now they say hte OEM recommended procedure is to lube the axle and they plan on doing that on the front left axle ?

BUT, they have no idea what is causing the noise.

I think it must be coming from the 'transfer case'? that engages the rear wheel drive when needed.

Does anybody else have an issue like this? ANy ideas, any fixes?

Thanks

 

My wife's 07 Outlander has this chattering sound you describe. I've isolated mine to make the noise only while in 4WD LOCK. At first i thought it may be the driveline carrier bearing and I checked it for gross looseness and made sure its mounting fasteners were tight. Strangely, the chattering did go away after I tightened the carrier bearing, but then came back a day later. I can only hear this chattering sound under heavy acceleration in 4wd Lock. I'm thinking the electronic drive that attaches to the front of the rear diff. may be going bad? Our 07 is still under a 10y 100k drivetrain warranty, so I take a chance and see if our local dealer can help. I'll post any follow-ups.