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High pitch sounds when driving

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Gibbus

New Member
Apr 26, 2022
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Texas
Anyone ever notice their Tesla making a high pitched noise when going at a high speed? I usually get this sound at 80+ today and since I don’t often go this fast it never really bothered me and I treat it like a warning sound that I am going too fast anyway - but I would like to know what it is or if it can be fixed.

 
A bottle-top whistle sound. More low-frequency, compared to what you normally hear about here on this forum. I would start looking at your car, starting around the windshield, then going further and further away. Look at the chrome trim around the windows. They are open-ended and would be about the right size and shape for a bottle-top whistle sound. Plug it with something. Check your mirrors to make sure everything is snapped in the right place. Anything sticking up, even a little, into the airflow could be a source. I'd put masking tape on suspicious spots, and then test it.

Of course you could take it to a Service Center.
 
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Anyone ever notice their Tesla making a high pitched noise when going at a high speed? I usually get this sound at 80+ today and since I don’t often go this fast it never really bothered me and I treat it like a warning sound that I am going too fast anyway - but I would like to know what it is or if it can be fixed.

You ever figure this out? My car is doing the exact same thing and it drives me nuts, except for me it’s like 95-110 ish mph. Appointment is 2 weeks out so I’m just dying to know why it is, 2022 model 3 performance here
 
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There is a recent discussion about this on 2022 MYLR here: High Frequency Noise/Hum-New Model Y

I have an annoying dentist drill type high pitched whine from the rear any speed between 25 - 90mph and even when decelerating via engine braking. It is really grating and I have an appointment for it in a few weeks but it is very unlikely they will do anything about it. From researching it, it can often be due to poor grounding for the rear drive unit or due to a missing seal that results in poor sound isolation.
 
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I do have a high pitch sound if I accelerate very fast. Did not notice anything at high speeds though.
That's usually a grounding strap issue. The rear grounding strap (on the drive unit assembly) is the normal culprit. You can give it a bit of a tighten and see if it goes away. If not, you can take it to an SC and either ask them to diagnose it or ask them to replace the grounding strap. I think they upgraded the grounding strap to a newer design, but don't take my word on that.

I had this same high pitched whine under acceleration, and just tightening the grounding strap on the rear drive unit fixed it for me.
 
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I agree, some of these, but not the OP's, since his sounded low frequency, might be rear grounding strap issues, but usually, when the speeds get above 60mph, the ambient noise drowns out the high pitch frequency. As Phlier said, you can take off the Left Rear wheel, and tighten the nut to see if that helps. Take it off and clean it first. Different model years may have moved the location of the nut, but on my 2018, it is here:
IMG_9165.jpeg

The install spec is 10Nm, or just above finger-tight. The idea is that that is too low, so tighten it more.
 
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Anyone ever notice their Tesla making a high pitched noise when going at a high speed? I usually get this sound at 80+ today and since I don’t often go this fast it never really bothered me and I treat it like a warning sound that I am going too fast anyway - but I would like to know what it is or if it can be fixed.

I figured out this problem, at least for me.

My 2021 Model S makes a high pitch whistling sound around 80 MPH when it is cold outside. On some days it is so loud it drowns out the music even when the volume is up at 9. I called Tesla about this and they said they cannot not verify the problem, because they aren't allowed to speed.

So during a trip down the coast a few days ago, I brought a roll of painters tape with me. I figured since it only happens at high speeds on cold days, it must be a window sealant that is retracting when it is cold, leaving an air gap. I pulled over on safe areas of the highway and started taping different zones of the windshield, and then getting back up to speed. I started with the top of the windshield, about 18 inches at a time. It took about 10 stops, but I finally found it.

The whistling at high speeds for me is caused by a gap in the sealant at the bottom center of the windshield, When I taped over the bottom of the windshield gap, to the plastic trim in front of it, the whistling vanished. I drove another 6 hours that day and no whistling.

Now I have to replace the painters tape with something less visible. It's under the hood, so you only see it when the car is parked, but still...

I have to see if Tesla is willing to reseat my windshield now. I'm betting they are going to tell me no. We'll see.
 
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