New Model Y high pitch whining sound

[Trourou]

I got my Telsa Model Y on later Oct. It is pretty new and I found there is consistent high pitch whining sound while driving (seems > 20 mph) and sometimes goes away a short period, then come back. Attached is a mp3 file I recorded while driving locally about 30 to 40 mph. This annoying whining sound also repro while driving in highway (though I didn't record it).
By the way, it is interesting, and very odd, that the sound seems not repo driving in rain ... I don't know what does this mean, and cannot 100% sure if this is just a coincident, but most time I drove, the sound is in my ear and in my brain, it made me crazy. I love Tesla, almost everything but this annoy whining sound.
Can anyone please listen the attached file (especially 2bd half from 30 seconds) and see if you have similar issue, and how did you solve it?
I had appointment for a service in early November, but the service center told me the issue cannot be repro. I now schedule a new service (two weeks later) with a recorded sound. Hope I can get some help from this community before service center. This sound really kills me.
P.S. I have problem to attach a .mp3 file in this post. I renamed the file to .mp3.txt. If you can click and open it directly, please download and rename the *.mp3.txt back to *.mp3 and list.

 

[Trourou]

Just found the whining sound persist even with the car parked. Still waiting for the service (schedule middle Dec.)
New video by Rou Rou
Googled, and seems it is heat pump related, this sound makes me very uncomfortable ...

 

[ARReflections]

Agree I have same high pitch whinning noise. Makes me think I am taking off at the airport. I mentioned to tesla service and of course they said it was normal... I felt more like they knew but did not want to admit anything was wrong. The high pitch is annoying.

 

[M109Rider]

I would think it’s likely the rear motor ground strap/cable.
This is a common fix for the infamous whine, if your car has it.
They all whine a bit when cold, or when pre-conditioning.
Constant or loud, even in warm weather usually points to the ground cable.
It’s usually loose, but they usually just replace it.

 

[ARReflections]

I would think it’s likely the rear motor ground strap/cable.
This is a common fix for the infamous whine, if your car has it.
They all whine a bit when cold, or when pre-conditioning.
Constant or loud, even in warm weather usually points to the ground cable.
It’s usually loose, but they usually just replace it.

Can you say more or point to more info? It really sounds like jet engine when accelerating or driving along. It was disappointing to hear because I expected to hear only road noise when I received my Y in Nov 2021.

 

[Cavity]

High pitched whining sound you say.....just let your significant other out of the car. Problem solved.

 

[M109Rider]

Can you say more or point to more info? It really sounds like jet engine when accelerating or driving along. It was disappointing to hear because I expected to hear only road noise when I received my Y in Nov 2021.

It was determined that the ground cable to the rear motor is often the culprit.
I’ve had the whine for years. Thought it was normal. Had the cable replaced about a month or two ago. All different now. Only hear it when cold or preconditioning to a supercharger. Even then, it’s quieter.
There’s a service bulletin out on this from Tesla as well. Not sure where to find those now though.

 

[djr1028]

Just found the whining sound persist even with the car parked. Still waiting for the service (schedule middle Dec.)
New video by Rou Rou
Googled, and seems it is heat pump related, this sound makes me very uncomfortable ...

Did you ever figure out what the cause of the whining sound was? Was Tesla able to resolve the issue?

 

[markschneider]

My wife and I had never driven an electric car and were wondering if we might want a Tesla, so when we landed in Phoenix, we rented a Model Y from Hertz (with less than 1,000 miles on it) and drove to Sedona.

After enduring the variable pitch whine the whole way, we swore Tesla and electric in general probably aren't for us. If such a noise is abnormal, we would have expected the car to detect and point out on the screen that service is needed.

 

[M109Rider]

My wife and I had never driven an electric car and were wondering if we might want a Tesla, so when we landed in Phoenix, we rented a Model Y from Hertz (with less than 1,000 miles on it) and drove to Sedona.

After enduring the variable pitch whine the whole way, we swore Tesla and electric in general probably aren't for us. If such a noise is abnormal, we would have expected the car to detect and point out on the screen that service is needed.

You can’t have the computer detect and notify for everything.
For example; Worn wheel bearing make noise, worn suspension can also make noise. Computers don’t usually detect and report on things like that either.
It’s likely a loose ground strap. Fairly simple fix.

That being said, if you’re expectations are that intolerant, to imperfections, I agree that any electric car that runs on software is likely not for you yet.
Stick with gas.

 

[Ben W]

It was determined that the ground cable to the rear motor is often the culprit.
I’ve had the whine for years. Thought it was normal. Had the cable replaced about a month or two ago. All different now. Only hear it when cold or preconditioning to a supercharger. Even then, it’s quieter.
There’s a service bulletin out on this from Tesla as well. Not sure where to find those now though.

Here's a link: https://www.tsbsearch.com/Tesla/SB-18-17-003

We've also been experiencing this problem with our new MYLR, hopeful that the SC will tighten or replace our ground straps to fix it.

 

[DylanHongTech]

I’m dealing with a similar issue on my new 2022 MYLR. I made a video with many of the issues on my car upon delivery. I’ve had a drive along with two techs and they said it was excessive, but ultimately they didn’t do anything about it. I’ve had 3 service appointments already and will be on my 4th next week (for other issues). Andy Slye, the YouTuber also has the high pitched whine issue. We need to make sure we’re reporting this to Tesla so hopefully they create a service bulletin for the issue. My service center wants to charge me to investigate/replace the ground strap.

 

[alexgr]

FYI, Tesla makes a strong high-pitch grinding sound when pre-conditioning for super-charging, and it's normal. It is related to the coolant flow and the pumps I believe.
Just one sound to eliminate from the list of concerns.

 

[M109Rider]

FYI, Tesla makes a strong high-pitch grinding sound when pre-conditioning for super-charging, and it's normal. It is related to the coolant flow and the pumps I believe.
Just one sound to eliminate from the list of concerns.

True. It does for sure.
However, if your ground strap is lose, the whine is much louder while preconditioning, and it whines much louder, even when not preconditioning.

 

[DylanHongTech]

Mine whines when I'm cruising at highway speeds above 67mph. Doesn't matter if I'm preconditioning or not. It's honestly a bit painful

 

[Ben W]

Here's a link: https://www.tsbsearch.com/Tesla/SB-18-17-003

We've also been experiencing this problem with our new MYLR, hopeful that the SC will tighten or replace our ground straps to fix it.

My car is currently in for service, they found that the battery penthouse perimeter seal was not properly installed at the factory. Hopefully that will fix the whine; I’ve also asked them to tighten the ground straps while they’re at it.

 

[Ben W]

My car is currently in for service, they found that the battery penthouse perimeter seal was not properly installed at the factory. Hopefully that will fix the whine; I’ve also asked them to tighten the ground straps while they’re at it.

Just got the car back from service. They fixed the perimeter seal under warranty, but charged me $86 for tightening the ground straps. In any case, the motor whine is completely gone, except under high acceleration. So I'll consider it worth it

 

[ejvee]

Haa....good that I searched the forum. My MYLR (delivered March 2022), has suddenly started this whining sound after 6000 miles. It happens only when I'm accelerating, and sounds exactly like when a jet takes off . It's quite annoying. Good to know that it's an easy fix.

 

[Kapeejay]

I just took delivery Saturday of a 2022 Model Y Performance, and I have the sound, most prominently between 40mph-65mph. I took it to a service center today, and as soon as I dropped it off, they started with the "you just don't know what sounds it's supposed to make". Within 2 hours of dropping it off, they marked it as ready for pickup and noted that "noise is normal". Not sure how I get them to actually assess the issue and look into the perimeter seal.

 

[atlchamp]

I just took delivery Saturday of a 2022 Model Y Performance, and I have the sound, most prominently between 40mph-65mph. I took it to a service center today, and as soon as I dropped it off, they started with the "you just don't know what sounds it's supposed to make". Within 2 hours of dropping it off, they marked it as ready for pickup and noted that "noise is normal". Not sure how I get them to actually assess the issue and look into the perimeter seal.

Can you post a video of the sound?