Clunk noise from from passenger side when starting

More then likely this is one of two things. First it could be the starter that is disengaging and it is clunking. The second and most likely is this is a clutch pack inside the transmission. When you start the vehicle your transmission pump is pressurizing the system and it is most likely putting pressure into a clutch pack when it should not and this is causing the clunk noise.

When you set the parking brake, it is not putting any pressure on the parking pawl so it could be quieter due to not as much stress on the transmission.

I have seen this before on Grand Cherokee's that has the same transmission as your vehicle. There is nothing wrong with it and it will not hurt anything so I would not worry about it unless you get it to the point where it is doing it more often and you can duplicate it to a dealer. Your vehicle should be under powertrain warranty for a while so I would just keep an eye on it and if it gets worse take it in.

If you would like to try and confirm this, can you get a recording of the noise and I will see if it sounds the same as what I have heard? Thanks

Here are a couple of guides that will help with these different types of noise. I don't think it matches your issue but it may help others that visit this page.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-noises

That is very similar but yours is more of a hollow sound. The ones I have heard are more of a metallic click or snap.

Can you provide the last 8 of your VIN so I can see how the vehicle is equipped?

Also, how does it change when you put the parking brake on? Is it not as loud, does it change the noise or just doesn't seem to happen? Does it ever happen when the parking brake is on and does it sound different when it is on?

Okay. Are you sure that this is coming from outside the vehicle? Have you opened the glove box to see if it is louder in and coming from the dash? That sounds like an air door is clunking but if this happens from under the vehicle, can you get a recording from standing outside the vehicle?

Lastly, is this something that happens all the time and just less with the parking brake or is it random? Every other start? Just looking for how hard this is to duplicate?

Sounds great. That is also interesting that it is not doing it as much. Have you had a large temperature change since you started trying to record it? If so, I wonder if it starts doing it again as it warms back up. If so, just keep that in mind because that may be useful info. Thanks

Did temp seem to make a difference? I am going to check some systems and see if there are others out there that seem to match this. Since it is such a new vehicle I would be surprised if there isn't others. It doesn't seem to match the transmission noise that I have heard but hopefully I will find some more info to go on.

Taking it to the dealer is always a good idea but I just found out that this is being researched by FCA's engineering team. It turns out that it appears to be in the transmission so it is most likely the same issue that I heard in other vehicle's equipped with an 8 speed transmission. I replaced the transmission is one of those and it did not solve it.

This is not a performance issue or will not cause any damage other then hearing this clunk noise. It appears what is happening is there is pressure on only one side of a clutch and when you turn the vehicle on, it is pressurizing and it clunks. I suspect they will fix this with a flash so if you can get it documented with a dealer, they should notify you when that flash is available.

You are welcome. Some people appear to be reporting that if the starter is replaced it stops. Looks like that may be a coincidence but I would not be surprised if the dealer tries that. The key is to get it to act up for them to hear it so even if it takes a couple tries, plus you can show them that video as proof.