Random Thunk While Driving

[achou0722]

Has anyone had any random thud/thunk while driving? Was driving in a parking lot (returning from lunch), wasn't speeding, just maintaining parking lot speeds and the car, out of the blue, had a loud thud/thunk sound. I think it was about as loud as the double thunk when you get into your car in the morning.

Called Tesla inquiring about this, they mentioned that there have been numerous reports of this issue, they however do not know the root cause.

Thoughts?

 

[SMAlset]

Did you have sense of where it was eminating from in the car?

 

[mswlogo]

I think I’ve heard it once in great while. Similar to the sound you get supercharging. I think it’s thermal expansion/contraction.

 

[achou0722]

Did you have sense of where it was eminating from in the car?

Unfortunately not. It was completely out of the blue. First time its done it (while driving) in 1500 miles.

 

[mcorbin]

I had something similar-sounding over the past week. I've had the car a few months and never heard anything like it before, so it's definitely a new thing for me. One data point -- as well as while driving, we heard the noise at least twice while completely stopped, so that rules out any motion-related things. The noise/thud is not very loud, to me, from inside the car. Feels like underneath the car, center or front.

Anybody else have this? Maybe a software update is causing unneeded contactor or coolant valve openings? Would the contactors be a solid thud that one can feel as well as hear?

 

[BenR]

I just had this this morning - heard it about 4-5 times in ~15 minutes while sitting parked in a parking lot, then once more as I was driving out of the lot (very low speed.) None after that.

It was very similar to the "thunk" while supercharging, but not as loud. First time I've heard it while not plugged into a charger. For me it always seems to come from the roof (passenger side center-rear, ~ish.) I always have to check to make sure something didn't just hit/crack my roof...

 

[SMAlset]

I got curious and did some searching and over on the Tesla.com site going back months there were reports of a thunking sound being heard by owners and most of the time when the car wasn't even moving. The explanation someone was given by service and mentioned by a number of owners was it was from the High Voltage contractors opening and closing. Notably after parking the car or waking it up. Some people however reported hearing the sounds throughout the night (which wouldn't be normal and also reported battery drain). Over the months some people said they noticed it happening after they got a particular software update. I think unless it's constant over hours and draining your battery it's just a normal EV sound.

Here's a few threads I found on the home site if you are interested:
Clunking noise when parked | Tesla
What the ever-living are the knocking noises? | Tesla

There's also this thread on TMC that seems related:
Thunk while supercharging

 

[ngogas]

Yup. Heard twice while driving. I scratch it up to another Tesla clunk clank dealio.

 

[1deepthink]

I've heard it about every other day during my two months of ownership. The location seems to be in front of the passenger front seat feet area. It happens when I'm driving without any predictable pattern. At first it alarmed me, but not seeing any negative consequences, I just ignore it. This is a very different sound than the knocking associated with charging.

 

[shrspeedblade]

I've heard a thunk or two pretty consistently while doing the 1500ft drive up a ridge to the town I live in. Oftentimes it's usually even around the same spot! That lowered my concern a lot as it's probably connected to some thermal/cooling component of the car.

 

[LarryT]

yup.. I heard the thunk twice this week while driving <25mph.. ambient temp of ~40 degrees.. can't tell from where it comes from.. attempted to replicate it by driving the roads again but no luck..

 

[torch0395]

Wow thats crazy. Just got my car back after a month at body shop. Was driving down drive way and heard a bang. Thought I had bottomed out somehow or something. Never happened to me before after owning car for 4 months. Temperature outside 33 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Mod3forMe]

heard it once as I pulled away from a supercharger

 

[Dan_LA]

I had something similar-sounding over the past week. I've had the car a few months and never heard anything like it before, so it's definitely a new thing for me. One data point -- as well as while driving, we heard the noise at least twice while completely stopped, so that rules out any motion-related things. The noise/thud is not very loud, to me, from inside the car. Feels like underneath the car, center or front.

Anybody else have this? Maybe a software update is causing unneeded contactor or coolant valve openings? Would the contactors be a solid thud that one can feel as well as hear?

When my kids drop something behind the floor, I hear that metal thud sound, like a metal plate sound... I think the plate is so big that wobble maybe? Didn't bother much to the point to take to SC.

 

[suwaneedad]

Note the date/time and when you call in to service, provide that. It gives service the opportunity to review your vehicle logs for that specific date/time to see if anything weird got logged.

 

[Superspectral]

If you bang on the rear floor panels it sounds like banging on old school steel garbage can. Very loud and definitely unexpected. I had a full water bottle fall from the back seat to the floor and I swear it sounded like a boulder was just kicked off the freeway into my undercarriage. Even dropping a golf ball back there makes a *huge* thunk.

 

[ngogas]

My kids play basketball and soccer. They drop there ball into the back floor and I too thought a small bomb just went off and there would be a hole on the floor. Battery casing for ya.

 

[ViperDoc]

I have this sort of thing too. Got Model 3 in October. Since soon after it was new, there would be a random thunk that you would hear and feel for no particular reason. Usually at 30-45 mph. Not usually accelerating. Road always smooth. But you would hear and feel this. It felt to me like it came from somewhere on the driver's side, but I probably felt it best since my left foot is usually flat on the floor. My front seat passenger heard/felt it too though. It is not reproducible since it is intermittent and unpredictable.

 

[Magneto3]

I have this sort of thing too. Got Model 3 in October. Since soon after it was new, there would be a random thunk that you would hear and feel for no particular reason. Usually at 30-45 mph. Not usually accelerating. Road always smooth. But you would hear and feel this. It felt to me like it came from somewhere on the driver's side, but I probably felt it best since my left foot is usually flat on the floor. My front seat passenger heard/felt it too though. It is not reproducible since it is intermittent and unpredictable.

Did you ever get to the bottom of this? I've had this happen five times in 300 miles with a brand new 2020 M3P, accompanied by unusually harsh ride quality.

Do we know what this might be?

 

[Kilotango74]

I had a thunking sound several times today always when going around corners. Turns out my surefire flashlight was sliding around in the center console. Lol