New and very strange noise

[LACALawyer]

Yesterday I got in my car with 90% SOC.

Just downloaded 40.2

I heard a very strange noise. It was a very quiet, low pitched whine that went higher in frequency and then cycled back down to the starting frequency, much like a very quite police siren.

At first I thought it was some external noise. I drove a block or so and stopped at a stop sign and I heard it again when all was quiet.

After driving for a bit I did not hear it again.

I have not seen this noise posted in this forum previously.

Anyone else have the same experience?

Oh, my car is a P3D.

Thanks.

 

[CDN-Build]

This may be full of errors, but this is what I know based on what I’ve researched.

When you’re battery calls for heat, the battery management system (BMS), uses the stator to create this heat. Coolant runs the heat from the stator through the battery via coolant.
This not only occurs when the battery calls for heat, but also when your battery is in pre-conditioning mode heading to a supercharger.
I don’t know what specifically causes the whining sound, but it is from this process, based on everything I know.
It’s also normal, but seems to vary in intensity somewhat from car to car.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Did you also notice red and blue lights behind you?



* I have nothing to add. But that’s damn funny to me.

 

[stonelance]

How old is the car? Sounds like it is probably the low speed Pedestrian Warning System.

“Starting September 1, 2019, all Model 3 cars built for the US market now come with a Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) to meet US requirements.”

“The Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) is an audible tone played when the vehicle is moving slowly (up to 19 mph) in either Drive or Reverse. The sound is played via a speaker mounted in the front fascia and alerts nearby pedestrians of the car's presence in low-speed situations.”

 

[Garlan Garner]

Yesterday I got in my car with 90% SOC.

Just downloaded 40.2

I heard a very strange noise. It was a very quiet, low pitched whine that went higher in frequency and then cycled back down to the starting frequency, much like a very quite police siren.

At first I thought it was some external noise. I drove a block or so and stopped at a stop sign and I heard it again when all was quiet.

After driving for a bit I did not hear it again.

I have not seen this noise posted in this forum previously.

Anyone else have the same experience?

Oh, my car is a P3D.

Thanks.

Pedestrian warning?

 

[ecarfan]

At first I thought it was some external noise. I drove a block or so and stopped at a stop sign and I heard it again when all was quiet.

After driving for a bit I did not hear it again.

If you only hear the noise below 20mph, in D or R, and the noise goes away above that speed, it is very likely the Pedestrian Warning sound.

See All Model 3s built since 9/1 have a pedestrian warning speaker installed

 

[LACALawyer]

Thank you for your replies. That seems to make sense. My car is a June 19 build.

 

[LACALawyer]

Did you also notice red and blue lights behind you?



* I have nothing to add. But that’s damn funny to me.

I appreciate a good joke!