Back in Labor Day weekend, I hit a pothole on highway while driving around 50 mph and blew a tire. I've since been hearing some weird noise whenever I drive over slightly rough road surface or washboard surface in highway speed. It's a high pitch rattling noise sounded like 2 pieces of tin metal vibrating and touching each other. The noise is usually quite gentle and I could only hear it when I rolled up my windows. At time it would get quite loud that my wife could hear it as well (she's not nearly as much a fitfreak as I am). I guess it depends on the road surface and the frequency of the vibration generated by the road surface.

I had the blown tire replaced, had the wheels checked for bent and out of round, had my front brake pads replaced and rotors cut and also had wheel alignment done. Went to 2 different dealers and an independent shop and none of them could pinpoint what's wrong (it's more like they can't really replicate the problem). The dealers checked and serviced my brake, they also checked suspension and they couldn't find what makes the noise.

I am not so sure if something was bent and caused the noise since dealers said everything was fine, or it was something within the cabin was knocked loose by the pothole incident. One thing I realized is that when the noise happens, I could sometimes alter the pitch of the noise by tapping the brake pedal from the side with my left leg.

Any advice or recommendation is really appreciated.

 

get your suspension checked, sounds like something got jarred loose or broke :| and your brake.
i hit a big f'n hole and blew a tire, but no noises

 

Sounds like you might need a new wheel bearing.

 

that could be what it is at well, never thought of that.

 

Thanks for the responses. Really appreciate your help.

Already gone through 2 different Honda Dealers as well as an independent shop where I did my wheel alignment. I had them checked my suspension, brake and I even mentioned to one of the dealers about a possible wheel bearing failure. That dealer ended up telling me the noise was from the brake and went ahead to get the front brake pad replaced and rotors cut.

I myself tried to jack the front up and grab the wheel at the 12 and 6pm position and shake it and didn't find any free play. I don't think it was the bearing, or it wasn't bad enough for me to detect it.

Since it only happens on highway, I am having a hard time pinpointing where exactly the noise comes from. I am suspecting it's either somewhere between the dashboard and the firewall or it's somewhere near the suspension on the passenger side (passenger front tire blew).

 

The civic made a rattle like that in the suspension. Struts had 170k miles of wear, but one day pothole then tack tack tack tack tack tatatack tack tack etc etc.