slight rattle on cold start for 2002 Ford Explorer

wrote:
> Ford Explorer 2002 XLT, 95k km on it.
>
> After a cold start, when accelerating between 20-50km/hr I get an
> intermittent rattle coming from underneath the front of the
truck...its
> fairly quiet but noticeable if you don't have the radio on. After
> driving for about 10-15 minutes the rattle goes away, and when
driving
> faster than 50km/hr there is no rattle at all. There is no engine
> strain or noticeable impact to the driving experience when the rattle
> is present. Although I can consistently recreate the rattle, it is
not
> constant...it stops and starts depending upon if I'm coasting,
> accelerating, decelerating, etc.
>
> Based on all of this behaviour, I'm guessing its just a loose bracket
> or heat shield, however I've only had this truck for a month so I'm
> wondering if this is possibly a symptom of anything more serious?
I've
> got extended warranty on drive train, exhaust, and electrical but not
> suspension so I'm inclined to ignore this problem unless people say
> otherwise...the dealership is 45 minutes away and its a big impact to
> us to lose the vehicle for a few days.
>
> My biggest fear (based on previous experience) is with the dealer
> taking everyone apart to isolate the rattle and introducing more
> problems.