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.