Probably the CV Joint (constant velocity joint).
Is the "boot" that covers the CVJ damaged? The grease inside may have been "washed out" in rain puddles. Note if there is a coating of grease on the inner side of the wheel/tire. If no grease, then the CV joint (like a bearing) will fail rapidly.
Just in case, check again for wheel making contact with a loose wheelwell flap. There may be wear on the front of the wheelwell.
It sounds as if the constant velocity (CV) joint is failing. With the front-end on proper safety jacks remove the left-front tire and look behind the front tire, you'll see a rubber bellows of sorts (this is the CV boot) if it is torn this is probably (however it may still fail witout boot damage) the issue (grease came out and dirt went in) Any how not too difficult of a fix for either yourself or a shop. I recommend replacing the entire axel with a new or rebuilt unit.
I hope this may have helped,
Tom
Check a little further inward to the CV joint which is likely full of ground metal. I would replace both CV joints, because if one fails, the other may soon follow. Make sure that fresh rubber boots are installed as well. With the CV joints off, that is the time to check the condition of the wheel bearings.
Ck the CV boot. if its broken you need a new cv axle, if its ok, jack up the car so both wheels are off the ground. either put the car in drive or just manually spin each front wheel while gripping the coil spring for the front strut. if you feel any (roughness) at all, that wheel bearing is bad. it should be smooth. if you have a bad one you will know it by this method. Even good mechanics sometimes replace the wrong bearing, but this 100% works every time.
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The CV boots have no visible damage on either side, and are actually in great shape (the axles on both sides were replaced within the past three years.) I've tried manually rotating the tires and they turn smoothly. There is a bit of play when starting or stopping the rotation, which leads me to believe it's the wheel bearing, but when I had the bearing replaced two years ago on the driver side because of the same issue, the noise persisted. It only stopped after I took apart and reassembled the entire hub and break assembly
Firstly, thank you all for the help. After taking off the wheels, checking the CV joints and bearing, and replacing everything, I took the car for one last test drive to try and locate exactly where the noise originated... and it was gone! I believe that my rotors were simply slightly out of alignment, and since my brake pads are about halfway worn, had worked into a position that was causing the rotor to rub against the inside pad during left turns. Taking off and reinstalling the wheel must have realigned the rotor. Since this also happened after rebuilding the brakes and hub on the driver side several years ago, I have to surmise that it is the rotors. Check this first! I might have saved money on a new wheel bearing several years ago if I had.
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