Shrill sound at low speeds

[rogbmw]

Anyone else have a shrill high pitched sound at low speeds when slightly accelerating? It goes away at higher speeds, or heavier accelerator pressure. It has just seemed to have started in the last 200 miles (at 14,500 now). It seems to be coming from the motor area.

 

[Al Sherman]

Yes. I have it. Not loud but noticeable. There seem to be different sounds and different parameters. The one I have (and others) has been discussed for a while here.

 

[pilotSteve]

Yes, I believe it started for me with 1.51.96 (now on .106, still same) firmware. As noted in other forum posts, the "whine" and "deflating balloon" sounds have changed with various software revisions. Amazing what software control over the entire battery and power train can do!

With 1.51.xx my deflating balloon disappeared entirely smile but the low power (only acceleration up to about 40 kWh, none on regen) noise appeared and is starting to bug me.

My strategy: wait for the next SW rev and see if it changes again for the better. If not or it gets worse I will talk with service and see what they say.

 

[David99]

Yes I had the same thing. They replaced my drive unit and it's gone now.

 

[pilotSteve]

Yes I had the same thing. They replaced my drive unit and it's gone now.

What did that entail? Is that the motor/inverter unit on the rear axle or the entire skateboard with battery pack?

 

[David99]

I think it's motor and inverter as one unit which probably includes the reduction gear plus housing. But I'm not sure. The paperwork just mentioned drive unit.

 

[JonathanD]

Just tell her to relax and apologize for forgetting your anniversary

 

[mibaro2]

Just tell her to relax and apologize for forgetting your anniversary

Somehow, that just made the noise worse !

 

[olanmills]

I also had it. Like David, they replaced my drive unit to fix the issue.

The "high-pitched whine during acceleration" is a separate issue, and I also have that. I've been told that it's normal, so I'm not concerned about it. Apparently some electrical contacts somewhere can vibrate under high current, which causes the noise.

 

[pilotSteve]

Tesla has reinvented service IMO! I got a proactive call from my local SC mentioning my noise issue. Service tech went for a drive with me and he recorded the sound. Said in his opinion it was not bad enough to be immediately concerned but he would contact engineering and see what they said. Waiting for word. In the mean time I continue to hear it but its not changing (e.g. getting worse).

Service is now calling us BEFORE we do to report a problem. How cool is that? I'm confident they would have give me a loaner if the noise was worrisome and I do expect to get a call telling me what engineering says the next step will be.

 

[kendallpb]

Yes, I believe it started for me with 1.51.96 (now on .106, still same) firmware. As noted in other forum posts, the "whine" and "deflating balloon" sounds have changed with various software revisions. Amazing what software control over the entire battery and power train can do!

With 1.51.xx my deflating balloon disappeared entirely smile but the low power (only acceleration up to about 40 kWh, none on regen) noise appeared and is starting to bug me.

I started noticing this "low power, acceleration only" whine a little while back. I'm not sure when, really (I'm frequently listening to an audiobook; occasionally, to music)--may have been after firmware upgrade, or not. It hasn't changed with 5.11. I've started paying more and more attention to it, now that I know it's there...ugh. ;-)

- - - Updated - - -

Tesla has reinvented service IMO! I got a proactive call from my local SC mentioning my noise issue. Service tech went for a drive with me and he recorded the sound. Said in his opinion it was not bad enough to be immediately concerned but he would contact engineering and see what they said. Waiting for word. In the mean time I continue to hear it but its not changing (e.g. getting worse).

Ha! Interesting. Well, mine's not gotten worse...I think. I was used to the "floor it and it makes a whine" from the start, but I like how quiet the car is, especially at low speeds; it's annoying to have this low-speed-acceleration whine show up suddenly, after just over a year. (But it's not a huge big deal.)

 

[rogbmw]

I still have mine - it is at light pedal pressure.

 

[olanmills]

I am now also noticing a faint noise at low power when my windows are open and there is something to reflect the sound as I drive by like a wall or building.

 

[rogbmw]

As an update, I took my car in for the 12K service last week (car has 15K on it but I was not able to get it in earlier due to job commitments). They recorded the sound, sent it in to Freemont, and ended up replacing the drive unit. All the service by Tesla Orlando was great but the way. Had the car 2 days and Peter delivered it back to me Saturday morning. A friend of mine with a Mercedes S Class was very impressed by the Tesla service team and how they took care of me. I think he was a little jealous!

 

[teslasguy]

I got my car in Dec 2012 and a couple months ago it started producing a pretty loud "groan" noise at low speed (30-40mph). Doesn't happen all the time and seems more prevalent on really hot days. I finally got an appt for yesterday to drop it at the Devon Pa SC. The service writer said it's probably the compressor. She said they are noisy but it's not a problem. However she said they have a blanket the will wrap around the compressor to help reduce the noise. What I don't understand is why it never happened for over a year and just started now? Also, yesterday afternoon as I was driving the loaner S I heard the same noise a couple times, although not as loud. I also discovered that if I turn the climate control off so I can more easily hear the noise, the noise instantly stops. Sounds a bit like a bad bearing. Anyone else having this problem?

 

[rogbmw]

A/C compressors do have a tendency to make a groaning sound. I usually keep my car in range mode, as the A/C does a good job in that mode, but does not seem to ramp up as hard and thus the A/C sound is less. Tesla checked out the sound at a service about 8 months ago, and said it was normal. But - that was not the sound I originally referred to.