Rear End Noise - 2004 Sebring LX
 

The only "rear end" noise I'm familiar with is a fart ... and those don't apply to my beloved Sebring!

Here's what happened: The same day she turned 41,000 miles, a loud "rattling/banging" noise began after I crossed a rough set of railroad tracks. It sounds like it is coming from the right rear, although the entire trunk area seems to clatter whenever I drive over a bump.

I tightened the spare tire but the noise is still present. I also pulled back the trunk liner on both sides and noticed that the rubber cap fell off the right strut mount. There was a large amount of gray "dust" in this area (present on the left side too but the cap was attached).

Aside from this annoying noise (which scares our Dachshund when she co-pilots), the vehicle drives in a straight line, brakes properly and is completely quiet on smooth surfaces.

I'm guessing that my '04 Sebring is in dire need of rear suspension work, right? I'd like to approach my grease monkey (I use that term fondly) looking like I'm somewhat mechanically inclined. Knowledge is power - and a fair price, me hopes.

Thanks, y'all.

You need to get out and under. Take a good look at the suspension back there, grab and tug on each link. If something is loose, bent, broken or missing, you will have a good inkling where the problem is. Look for shiny areas indicating rubbing.
There are parts diagrams on chryslerparts.net that will give you some clues as to the names of the various parts back there and a general idea of prices.

The RIGHT REAR STRUT MOUNT failed. My mechanic replaced both rear ones at a total cost of $213.34. The Sebring was road tested at speeds up to 90 MPH - no noises and the handling/ride was perfect.

Thanks for the report. Glad to hear you found the problem and corrected it before anything really bad happened.

Thank you for your advice, DCotter! I can't believe how well my Sebring rides and handles now!

Thanks for everyone's comments here. I noticed my rear end sound on my 04 convertible, off and on going over bumps but didn't pay it much attention. I'm kind of a "If it ain't broken don't fix it guy" if I don't think it's a safety issue. Regardless, I just had the need to trailer my motorcycle for several hundred miles and along the way it became apparent that the rear suspension had settled and was quite obvious with the additional weight of the bike on the car. Going over highway bridges and rough sections I heard a rather nasty noise. It was determined to be the rear quarter panel rubbing against the tire. I could barely get the fingers of my hand between the tire and panel. It didn't seem to be cutting the tire so we let it ride until we got home. I'm jacking it up and checking it tomorrow, but I have a lot of good ideas of what to look for from this thread. Thanks for posting!

Yep, just had this happen on my 04 sedan. Had the rear strutmounts and struts replaced and four wheel alignment. Shopped around for mechanics. Quote for $800 at one place and $550 at another place.