Have a look at the lower control arm. The rear bushing is fairly common to be a problem. Sometimes they will dry rot. Sometimes they start to separate. The rubber will pull away from the metal part. My car is currently starting to do this. It just hasn’t gotten bad enough that it’s extremely loose. But I will be replacing both lower control arms at the same time. My car has a little over 136,000 miles and it’s amazing they have lasted for 15 years! I am also experiencing vibration at highway speeds that comes and goes. Sometimes will not do it for weeks. Usually seems to be when it’s cool and humid that I notice it.
I would also look at the inner and outer tie rod ends. They can also clunk under acceleration and braking. Also common is the rack and pinion. The inner tie rod end may appear loose, but can actually be the rack and pinion moving. My car has this issue. Again it’s not real bad in my cause, but a new rack and pinion is on my list of repairs. Not so important yet, but probably should be if it gets any worse.
Any time you have suspension or steering parts like control arms, tie rod ends, or struts replaced on the front end of this car, you will need an alignment. It should always be done immediately after the parts are replaced so the tires don’t quickly wear out. Luckily I have a shop and alignment machine at my disposal so this isn’t an issue for me.
