First off i'd like to say hello to everyone(my first post).

My '03 Outlander emits this popping sound 5 mins after starting the engine and 1 min or 2 from shutdown (after a drive).The sound is somewhat metallic (i think) and seems to be coming from the lower rear portion of the vehicle.

Is anyone experiencing the same problem or might know what the cause is?

I'm not experiencing this problem with my outlander, but it sounds like a similar problem found in other cars.

I think what your describing is the sound the heat sheild around the exhaust makes as it heats up and cools down. Off the top of my head i've never heard of it making that noise while heating up, but the 1 to 2 minutes after shutdown definatly sounds like your heat shield is just cooling down.

Depending on your climate its certainly possible is slightly more corroded than usual which would explain why its making the noise.

I'd say dont worry about it, but if you know a mechanic have him listen to it and he'd probably tell you the same.