Creaking noise

Hi there!

recently my toyota blade has a creaking noise which sounds like it is coming from underneath the car on the drivers side. Everytime i slightly accelerate and take my foot off the pedal it creaks, sounds like a rusty door trying to open. Any ideas as to what this could be? I have a feeling it could be lower control arm bushes but want to get some opinions. Thanks

I've had 3 Yaris's and every one of them has suffered from creaky bushes on the front and rear control arms. It's a common issue with Toyotas it seems. I presume they could be sprayed with a lubricant, but I have never bothered, after a while you just get used to it - it doesnt do it all the time, seems worse when the weather is damp or cold, and none of the Yaris's have ever failed the annual test of roadworthiness - the bushes are just noisy, rather than having too much play. It must just be the type of rubber Toyota uses. It's not ideal, and I suppose you could just have the arms replaced, but they will often all start creaking in the end and that could be expensive to replace every arm that has creaky bushes.

As the Blade (a JDM Auris) was discontinued back some 12 years ago, your car would be getting on in years now, so to be honest, unless the car will not pass a roadworthiness test, I would live with it, or I think I read somewhere that someone sprayed the bushes with silicone lubricant, although I wouldnt think this would last for long before they started creaking again.

If you are unsure, the best thing maybe to take the car to a garage and have them test the suspension.

Hi Cayden,worn out bushings are a common cause of creaking sounds in a cars suspension, especially when they're located on the drivers side which gets more stress due to driver weight. Bushings are essentially cushions that absorb vibration and noise between metal parts in the suspension. Over time the rubber in these bushings can dry out, crack, or wear thin, reducing their ability to absorb noise. This wear and tear can cause the metal parts to rub against each other, creating a creaking sound that often described as similar to a rusty door hinge. The creaking might be more prominent during acceleration and deceleration because these actions put more stress on the control arms and bushings.

If you are comfortable with checking them yourself, you can try visually inspecting the lower control arm bushings for any cracks, tears, or excessive wear. If you are unsure then ask a  mechanic to check them for you.If the problem is worn bushings, replacing them is a common repair and should not be too expensive. However don't Ignore the problem as it could lead to further wear and tear on the suspension components, so it's best to get it sorted out ASAP.Hope this helps.

Rubber suspension bushes come in two basic types - (1) Ultra Duty bush, where the rubber is bonded within two cylinders of metal, where the outer diameter is pressed into a housing and the inner metal has a bolt through it and clamped to a moving part. (2)The second is a rubber bush bonded to an inner metal and pressed into or against another metal part.  This rubber bush can cause a creaking noise as the bush and metal move under compressed friction.

In the case of (1), where either the outer metal is contracted in diameter or the inner metal diameter is expanded (this is done after moulding to nullify shrinkage of the cooled rubber, and to produce a compressive force in the rubber), and the creaking could be due to failure of the bond between rubber and metal cylinders.  Here, the bush has failed and must be replaced.

I should explain:-  Where a UD bush is replaced, it must be finally tightened with the vehicle unladen and resting on its wheels. This is the static condition, and avoids the bush being overworked and subjected to early failure (excessive torque) during its working life.