I have the exact same issue. 2023 Model Y, Fremont production around May 2023. It was delivered in June 2023.
The sound occurs just slightly below and above 50mph, with the most consistent noise occurring at exactly 50mph. It can be observed coming from the front-driverside of the car. It’s been a constant source of intrigue for me:
Here’s what I feel as if I may have ruled out so far:
1. It’s not being caused by wind. No amount of head wind or tail wind changes it.
2. It doesn’t behave like a failing bearing noise; bearing failure gets louder as the speed is increased.
I believe the noise’s cause to be a resonance, as it only occurs at a very specific vehicle speed. The way I explained it to the Tesla tech was, “It sounds like you put washer on a bolt, held it horizontally, and shook the bolt”. For kicks, I have tried removing the wheels covers and rotating tires, neither produced a change. I inspected the brake rotor dust shields and checked the mounting bolts to be sure they were not loose.
The noise is similar to the loose ground strap that plaqued the Model 3, but distinctly different. I’ve not been brave enough to check that yet, but I’m just about ready to remove the plastic cover in the frunk and inspect the area for anything loose. If that doesn’t produce a results, I will resort to attaching my phone in different positions while recording to see if I can narrow down the general area or part the sound is coming from.
I’ve seen a few others complaining about the sound. They went back and forth with Tesla until the drive motor was replaced. This sometimes fixes it, at least based on the later reports from those complaining about the issue initially; some reported back that the noise is still there or even that a third motor was required.
Something to note about that - I’m NOT saying it’s NOT the motor, but I don’t want to assume that it is the motor. There are likely two dozen or more components, pieces, and likely way more bolts that need to be removed to be able to remove the motor. During the process of a swap, it’s very likely that something that may have not been torqued down correctly at the factory may finally get tightened.
If it’s the motor, it’s the motor, but I want be sure before I walk in there and ask them to replace it. More importantly, if it’s not the motor, I won’t be as concerned about it - and if it’s not the motor, perhaps it’s something that people can adjust/tighten down with very little effort and avoid a trip to the service center.
I brought it up while I had my car in for another issue. The service team seemed completely unaware of this issue/sound, but were willing to look into it. The tech was eager to see a YouTube video with the sound and even went out on a drive with me. Unfortunately, our service center is on the bumpy roads of New Orleans, making it difficult to get the car up to 50mph or even hear the noise at all.
The tech offered to look further into the issue, but I was told they would need to keep the car for a while to figure it out. I declined at the time, seeing it as only a minor issue.
I’m currently at 14k. I can’t say it’s any more noticeable. This again really makes me think it’s not a bearing. Not only is the noise not a typical beating noise, but bearing issues should degrade very quickly. I’ve got a trip planned next month, so I’ll be interested to see if the noise is impacted by a road trip.
