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Mysterious static/hissing noise

philaKing

Member
Oct 25, 2018
43
28
New york
Mine started today out of nowhere. It’s not as loud as some others I have heard on YouTube. It’s clearly the speaker under the glove box. I just put some painters tape (non abrasive) over the speaker and it’s now not audible. It’s so far under the passenger side you can’t event see it even set all the way back in the passenger seat. Not worth fretting over and if a fix is ever discovered eventually I’ll get it serviced.
 

TeeEmCee

Member
Nov 16, 2015
901
726
Null
That sounds a lot like a ventilation fan motor going bad. I've had that happen twice on another car and replaced the fan/motor assembly myself. Audis have these fans located under the glovebox; I'm guessing it's quite likely that Tesla places them in the same location.

With the Audi, it was obvious. Ventilation on = squeaky sound, ventilation off = no sound. It's possible that the Model 3 uses some of that airflow to cool other components, such as the computer. The fan could stay on even when the cabin ventilation is off, so hearing the sound when the ventilation is off does not eliminate the fan motor as a potential cause.
 

Petrlol

Member
Oct 16, 2018
399
537
Ohio
It's definately coming from the speaker. I even popped the panel off and put my ear to the speaker. Tried to trace the wire to see if it was up against something and picking up interference but no luck.

I may go the painters tape route. Hopefully someone gets an answer
 

TeeEmCee

Member
Nov 16, 2015
901
726
Null
It's definately coming from the speaker. I even popped the panel off and put my ear to the speaker. Tried to trace the wire to see if it was up against something and picking up interference but no luck.

I may go the painters tape route. Hopefully someone gets an answer

Touch the speaker cone with your finger. If the sound stops, then that's it.
 

StellarRat

Active Member
Jan 8, 2014
1,490
1,337
Pacific
I had that happen on my sound system as well. It was usually the first song I played and would go away if I paused and restarted the song. I hasn't happened for a while now. I think a firmware update fixed it.
 

Petrlol

Member
Oct 16, 2018
399
537
Ohio
I had that happen on my sound system as well. It was usually the first song I played and would go away if I paused and restarted the song. I hasn't happened for a while now. I think a firmware update fixed it.
Hmm I'll try that if / when it comes back.
 

Petrlol

Member
Oct 16, 2018
399
537
Ohio
It came back today...was driving it with a bit of a heavier foot...autopilot chimes on and off...has anyone had without using autopilot? I wonder if the autopilot chimes set it off?
I've had it happen in park in the garage. Went out to grab my usb stick to put more music on and it was obnoxious.
 

Doppleganger

New Member
Jan 14, 2019
2
0
Durham, NC
Exact same problem here. It is present most times I start the car and goes away most of the time by 10 minutes. Seems to occur more when cold.
VIN: F117547

If it is coming from a passenger footwell 'emergency speaker', as others have commented, perhaps an inline ground loop isolator can work? I have a service appointment at the end of this month.

Example of noise:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MPdQ8QaYHvJox7bg9

Has anyone found a solution outside of unplugging the speaker or covering speaker with painters tape?
 

Petrlol

Member
Oct 16, 2018
399
537
Ohio
Exact same problem here. It is present most times I start the car and goes away most of the time by 10 minutes. Seems to occur more when cold.
VIN: F117547

If it is coming from a passenger footwell 'emergency speaker', as others have commented, perhaps an inline ground loop isolator can work? I have a service appointment at the end of this month.

Example of noise:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MPdQ8QaYHvJox7bg9

Has anyone found a solution outside of unplugging the speaker or covering speaker with painters tape?

That's definitely the sound, and yeah, seems to be when cold. Keep us in the loop of the fix! Here's hoping it's making the noise when you take it in.
 

Doppleganger

New Member
Jan 14, 2019
2
0
Durham, NC
That's definitely the sound, and yeah, seems to be when cold. Keep us in the loop of the fix! Here's hoping it's making the noise when you take it in.

The noise was indeed coming from the speaker under the glove box. I unplugged the mysterious speaker and the noise stopped.
It seems to be coil whine, ground loop or EMI being picked up by the speaker wire and broadcast through the speaker. I tried a different speaker attached to the leads with the same noise. Incidentally the speaker wire is unshielded but I cannot trace it back to its origin.

The part number on this speaker is 1118894-00-a. I don't see this listed anywhere on the parts catalog or internet. I tested every noise the car makes, from park sensors to autopilot and nothing is missing after I disconnected this speaker. I am going to keep it disconnected or muffle the speaker as others have done here.
 

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cpxasn

Member
Apr 3, 2016
38
10
Atlanta, GA
I brought my car into service for this issue today, and I forgot to mention to them to listen for it without music, so they did not hear it. They told me to pick up the car and do a bug report if it happened again. As I got in my car to drive home, the noise started up again and I brought the service adviser out and she was able to hear it as well. She drove it around to the back garage, and after she pulled in, the noise stopped and the technician was not able to hear the noise. Apparently there is a service bulletin for this issue and the fix is NOT a replacement of the speaker (I don't know the exact fix), however they would not fix it if the technician themselves do not hear the noise. I find this silly because the service adviser clearly heard it and they still will not fix it unless the technician can replicate it. I'm leaving my car there for another day, however I don't have high hopes.
 

duy.duck

Member
Jul 10, 2018
158
50
Orange County, CA
I brought my car into service for this issue today, and I forgot to mention to them to listen for it without music, so they did not hear it. They told me to pick up the car and do a bug report if it happened again. As I got in my car to drive home, the noise started up again and I brought the service adviser out and she was able to hear it as well. She drove it around to the back garage, and after she pulled in, the noise stopped and the technician was not able to hear the noise. Apparently there is a service bulletin for this issue and the fix is NOT a replacement of the speaker (I don't know the exact fix), however they would not fix it if the technician themselves do not hear the noise. I find this silly because the service adviser clearly heard it and they still will not fix it unless the technician can replicate it. I'm leaving my car there for another day, however I don't have high hopes.

Do you know what the bulletin says?
 

cpxasn

Member
Apr 3, 2016
38
10
Atlanta, GA
Do you know what the bulletin says?

Unfortunately I don't. The service adviser told me that there is one for this issue where noise can be heard when music is turned off and the fix is something other than replacing the speaker. That's about all I got out of that conversation. Maybe I can get more details tomorrow.
 

cpxasn

Member
Apr 3, 2016
38
10
Atlanta, GA
Apparently they are going to replace my MCU to fix this issue, which is surprising to me. I guess I will find out if that actually fixes the issue after I get the car back and drive it around.
 

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