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Hum Going Over 70 MPH

steveo

New Member
Mar 9, 2014
1
0
Santa Cruz, CA
Just turn 12k mikes and I'm getting a loud hum when the accelerator is pressed going over 70. It started a couple of thousand miles ago and seems to be getting worse. As soon as you let off the pedal, it goes away and starts back as soon as you step on the pedal again. Kinda sounds like a ICE engine noise. Anyone experienced anything like this? I keep getting comments from Tesla like, "thats the way they all work", when I complain about the radio not working or the squeaky sound that resembles letting air out of a balloon every time I accelerate hard. Any suggestions or similar goings on?
 

pgiralt

Supporting Member
Jun 16, 2013
1,520
154
Cary, NC
Typically when people run into this is starts happening around 60 mph or so and usually happens with low amounts of acceleration and goes away when you are not accelerating (when you go into regen). If this describes your problem, take it into your service center and they will replace your drive unit. It's a known issue where apparently something goes slightly out of balance and causes the noise. They will give you a remanufactured drive unit and send yours off to the factory to have the issue fixed.

The service tech should take the car out for a test drive and record the sound then send it to Engineering to make the determination if it is loud enough to warrant a replacement, but if it's as loud as you say it is, it should be replaced.
 

Todd Burch

Voltage makes me tingle.
Nov 3, 2009
7,801
28,498
Smithfield, VA
Just turn 12k mikes and I'm getting a loud hum when the accelerator is pressed going over 70. It started a couple of thousand miles ago and seems to be getting worse. As soon as you let off the pedal, it goes away and starts back as soon as you step on the pedal again. Kinda sounds like a ICE engine noise. Anyone experienced anything like this? I keep getting comments from Tesla like, "thats the way they all work", when I complain about the radio not working or the squeaky sound that resembles letting air out of a balloon every time I accelerate hard. Any suggestions or similar goings on?

Balloon--normal.
Radio not getting great reception--normal.

Hum over 70--not normal.
 

Todd Burch

Voltage makes me tingle.
Nov 3, 2009
7,801
28,498
Smithfield, VA
By the way, hearing a soft hum at certain power levels is not abnormal. However, you wouldn't be able to hear it at 70 or even 55 mph. Only at speeds below about 30 mph in a narrow power band.
 

scaesare

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2013
8,200
12,995
NoVA
There are a couple of threads on this floating around...it's not uncommon.I had it start at about, 16K miles. I just had my drive unit replaced as a result.
 

efxjim

Member
Jan 18, 2011
231
29
Glendale, CA
I noticed mine at 20k. Service said it was normal. Now at 25k getting a lot more noticeable. Comes on strong at 80 mph. Also have the minor clunk between accell and decell. When driving next to a wall at about 25 mph in a quiet location a quiet mechanical grinding sound can be heard when at 20kw acceleration. It goes away when coasting or regening.
 

huntjo

Member
Aug 3, 2012
542
0
Fort Collins, Colorado
Just turn 12k mikes and I'm getting a loud hum when the accelerator is pressed going over 70. It started a couple of thousand miles ago and seems to be getting worse. As soon as you let off the pedal, it goes away and starts back as soon as you step on the pedal again. Kinda sounds like a ICE engine noise. Anyone experienced anything like this? I keep getting comments from Tesla like, "thats the way they all work", when I complain about the radio not working or the squeaky sound that resembles letting air out of a balloon every time I accelerate hard. Any suggestions or similar goings on?

Welcome to the forums. You have included several catch phrases from others' postings so I assume you have read through the forums on this topic in some detail. As others have stated, it is most probable that your service center is correctly reassuring you about some normal sounds that electric motors can make under a high energy load. However, if the noise is concerning to you, take your service center for a test drive to point out to them exactly what you are noticing, as there are occasionally actual problems with contacts, etc necessitating replacement under warranty.
 

MassAmped

Member
Mar 1, 2013
12
0
Western Massachusetts Hills
Wow, this forum is great! I just encountered the HUM on my 2013 85S w/36k miles...happens just as described, at 60 mph when you gently accel out of regen I get a LOUD hum, and it goes away as soon as you go back into regen. I did a search here on hum, and here we are! I'll be heading into service this week. Thanks fellow Tesla owners!
 

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