My 2006 2.5x auto has been been plagued by an intermittent noise
coming from the front passenger wheel area that occurs when backing up
(when car has been parked a while) , going over speed bumps &
irregular surfaces and often when applying the brakes. The dealer has
inspected the suspension and they replaced the control arm bushing and
the brake pads with no luck. A Subaru rep said the noises I'm hearing
are being caused by the brake pads moving around in the caliper due to
normal play in the rotor. He suspected an Axle nut was loose and
contributing to the rotor movement so it was changed but the noise
persists. To me it seems the noises are coming from a lack of
lubrication. The other day we had dry winds so the humidity was low
and the problem was magnified 10 fold. Below is how the rep described
the problem.

"as demonstrated when you were there the rotor can move slightly on
the hub and or the brake pads can rock in the caliper, this is
especially true when moving from forward to reverse. The movement is a
normal function of the assembly of the vehicle,"

I have provided links below to a WAV and a MP3 file of a couple
recordings I made. Once you hear me say "there" you have heard the
noise. The first recording was made when the car is cold as I 'm
backing it out of the garage. My garage is level but the driveway is
slanted so it almost always pop's there. Any help with a diagnosis
would be greatly appreciated. I have posted before on this forum w/
same problem but didn't have the recordings so this may help.
Hopefully I'm not the only Subaru owner with this problem but I might
be.

http://www.bikingdestinations.com/00...2007_11_28.wav

http://www.bikingdestinations.com/00...2007_11_28.mp3

Here is another recording as I was driving over uneven pavement.

http://www.bikingdestinations.com/00...2008_03_02.wav

http://www.bikingdestinations.com/00...2008_03_02.mp3
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2006 x Auto