This weekend my truck started making a slight noise when I would make turns, and today it has started actually making grinding noises when I turn the wheel from center. It is also clunking when I accelerate or decelerate.

Is this likely a brake problem, perhaps a broken rotor?

And if it is a brake problem, is that normally covered under a new car warranty with under 3500 miles on it?

I've never experienced this type of problem on any of my previous cars, but the truck obviously has far different suspension.

 

did you check to see if it was in 4 wheel drive?

 

Sorry, its 2 wheel drive.

Its a 2003 (STX package) also w/factory towing, and the 5.4 w/automatic tranny.

 

could be your steering gear or you should actually check your lugs to make sure they are tight ya gotta think simple first

 

the clunk you hear may be the drive shaft sliding back and forth on accell and decelleration. just an idea ..

 

Well, there is a noise on acceleration/deceleration as you describe, but I"m not worried about that..

wolf_creek_61 was right on the money, somehow the lugs had loosened up, I guess they didn't tighten them up enough at the dealership when I had it in for the first 3,000 mile checkup, since it happened just a few days after that.

 

they tighten to 100 ft-lb and you should check em 500 mi after you had your wheels off

 

It had only been 4 days, definitely not 500 miles.

These were interesting lugnuts, I've never seen that kind before, they had a ring on the inside that contacts with the rim, allowing you to tighten the lugnut to the rim without it damaging the rim. Very nice.

 

i have the same lugs and if it was only 4 days they wernt tightend down enough in the first place you should check your wheels to make sure they arnt damaged from where they sild back and fourth

 

Well 1st off it should be 50 miles, NOT 500, especially if they're aluminum with the acron lug nuts (don't worry, you don't have those) but thats just for future reference if you get aftermarket wheels. I almost lost a wheel going down the interstate on my F150 from that, and I DID lose a wheel going down the road with my Ranger. Like I said though, with the washer style lug nuts that come from the factory on all 97+ F150s you don't have to worry about it, but its still a good idea to check them 50 miles after you've put them back on just to make sure. But I would defiently take off the wheels and check the studs to see if the threads have been destroyed. If they have then go back to where it was worked on and have them install new ones at their cost since they didn't tighten the lug nuts enough. My guess is that they're ok. The factory wheels are hub centric which means that the wheel centers itself using the hub, not the lug nuts (hence thats why they can use the washer style lug nuts). If they were just a little loose and it didn't slip off the hub (you'd know IMEDIATELY if that had happened) then they won't be riding on the studs, just rotating a little.