Loud electric whiny noise

[DavidZ]

I just took delivery of my 3 on Saturday (VIN 19XX) and noticed when I stop the car something in front of the car is making a loud whiny noise. It sounds like an electric motor running at high rpms. It stops when the car locks itself.

Has anyone seen this issue? I was hoping it would be a software thing.. but rebooting didn't help.

 

[Cattledog]

Hard to know without hearing it but in our Model S and X sometimes after we stop we hear the heating/cooling system continue to run for a few seconds to a few minutes as the car manages the battery temperature into the right range. I'd characterize our sound as a whirring fan noise from a compressor. That's normal for Tesla because of their active battery management system.

 

[Snerruc]

Normal for a Tesla to make odd noises at any time. The car is never really off and will hum, whirl or even make klunks when off. The latter is usually contractors closing to draw current from the battery for some reason. Most everyone takes a few days to get used to it. You will too.

 

[gjunky]

You can hear the Model X AC across a parking lot so this might be similar for the Model 3. The car uses it to cool the battery if needed even after you park and lock the car.

 

[BerTX]

Also on S/X there are baffles on the cooling system, little doors that open and close on the front that have an electric whirring/grinding sound. That's just for a few seconds, though.

 

[gavine]

Depending on how loud it is, it's either the AC compressor or the coolant pump. The latter is less loud. It's simple to test. Turn-off the HVAC system and if the noise stops, there's your answer.

Come to think of it, since the noise stops when you shut the door, that tells me that it is the AC compressor. On Teslas, the HVAC turns-on as soon as you open the door and off when you close it. Because of this, I made a habit of turning the HVAC off before I exit the vehicle.

 

[dragoljub]

I just took delivery of my 3 on Saturday (VIN 19XX) and noticed when I stop the car something in front of the car is making a loud whiny noise. It sounds like an electric motor running at high rpms. It stops when the car locks itself.

Has anyone seen this issue? I was hoping it would be a software thing.. but rebooting didn't help.

I have the same thing. I think it’s headlights electronics. Not sure why since I thought they were LED.

 

[DavidZ]

It's a different sound from Model S/X cooling system. Instead of a hum you get more of a motor whine. I think @dragoljub might be right that it's the headlights.. but they are awfully loud. My wife's X has similar looking headlights, but none of the noises.

 

[silentsnow31802]

Either headlight electronics or headlight motors. Haven't been able to figure it out yet. I notice it gets louder if the lights have been on for a while.

 

[DavidZ]

I noticed if I just unlock the car, it's ultra quiet.. only gets loud after a drive.

I'm going to take it in for them to take a look. Will update this thread

 

[dragoljub]

I noticed if I just unlock the car, it's ultra quiet.. only gets loud after a drive.

I'm going to take it in for them to take a look. Will update this thread

Maybe it’s some cooling system for the high power LEDs.

 

[insaneoctane]

I noticed if I just unlock the car, it's ultra quiet.. only gets loud after a drive.

I'm going to take it in for them to take a look. Will update this thread

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to hearing what they say.

 

[K-MTG]

The headlights make the noise...if I am parked in the car and I turn on the high beam...I hear it. Also, I hear a high pitch hum when I power on the seat heaters

 

[gregd]

See also: Why do Roadsters make so much noise while charging?

 

[dragoljub]

The headlights make the noise...if I am parked in the car and I turn on the high beam...I hear it. Also, I hear a high pitch hum when I power on the seat heaters

Is it possible the headlights are HID? Not LED. The DRL are silent, but when u turn on headlights there is a whine.

 

[S3XY]

Is it possible the headlights are HID? Not LED. The DRL are silent, but when u turn on headlights there is a whine.

It's probably interfering with your AM radio.

 

[schwedisch]

I have this noise coming from my headlights, the video doesn't quite convey how loud they really are. The noise seems to vary, sometimes louder.

I'm curious if anyone ended up taking the car to Tesla and what the outcome was (is it normal or not)?

 

[daniel]

I have a Roadster. When I shut the car off the cooling system keeps running until it reaches the temperature it's happy with. After driving it hard, for a long time, on a very hot day, the noise is quite loud. When the car is off even if it has been off all night, if I unplug it, or open a door or the trunk, it will start to hum. I think it's starting the cooling system to get a head start. This is all normal operation.

 

[JonathanD]

Sounds like the A/C compressor, the one on my S used to be very loud. The eventually replaced it. If you take a video with some good audio indication of how loud it is, like how loud you need to talk in order to be heard over the sound, and then send it to them, they can often tell you if it sounds normal or too loud. In the latter case they will have you bring it in and check it out.

 

[K-MTG]

I have this noise coming from my headlights, the video doesn't quite convey how loud they really are. The noise seems to vary, sometimes louder.

I'm curious if anyone ended up taking the car to Tesla and what the outcome was (is it normal or not)?

Mine makes noise.