What is this high pitched cricket like noise?

[tommychanchiwa]

I will try to get some information in my next visit. Or at least something to do with the name or title of the internal article. However, I see now that some drivers in this group are going through the same process of noise recording and analysis based on the same concept or reference. What we need to do is to find a way to convince them to repair or change the faulty part.

Hi i am from ontario. I do have this cricket hissing noise. I am wondering which SC did you webt? I was in north york and vaughan and the technician said they did not hear anything. I already went to SC 3 times for this issue. Looks like they try to avoid admit there is a cricket hissing noise.

 

[fignacious]

Interesting this is still happening with new deliveries. Originally we thought it was a bad "batch" of motors but now seems more common. I've had 4 visits with 2 different SCs and still have the chirp sound. While annoying, I'm kind of over taking days off work to fight with them, especially if some replacements aren't actually fixing the issue. Close to 10k miles and still going.. I just listen to music and try to ignore it!

 

[Mike7564]

For anyone who thinks they may have this sound...

I woke up this morning and drove straight to my SC because I wanted to get this sound addressed. A technician came out and listened to the video, seemed to know exactly what he was hearing, but didn't mention anything. Then we went for a drive together. The second he heard the sound he said "that's your brakes, 100%." Confirmed his suspicion as he kept hearing it.

He said because Teslas barely the friction brakes due to regen, sometimes a coating of rust can build up in cold/damp conditions. I told him I tried doing some hard braking but it didn't help. He said no, it needs to be HARD braking, like going 50-60 then slamming on the brakes just short of the ABS engaging, all the way to a stop. Plus in service mode they can do it with regen disabled which helps a lot. He said he could do it with me in the car but that it's pretty alarming. I told him I'd happily wait at the SC.

So he dropped me back off and he showed me how my rotors looked vs most of the other cars there. He went out and did 10-15 super hard stops. 60 to 0 in like 2-3 seconds. He then put the car on the lift and inspected the brakes, confirmed everything looked fine, and did a minor lubrication of the calipers. He took it out again for 20 minutes and said he didn't hear the sound once. Nor did I on the 10 mile drive home. Was there for two hours total. No charge.

He said it's possible it will come back a little, or may never come back. But it should never need the intense burnishing that he did again. He said if it comes back, I can do a few hard stops on my own, preferably when it's cold so regen is low. Worst case scenario, if it comes back and it's really bad, they could see about replacing my rotors as defective under warranty.

So you may want to try this HARD braking and see if it fixes your sound. He said unless you smell burning brake dust, it's not hard enough.

Ahhhhh. So that must have been what happened here. The Tesla was self-correcting its brake rust.

New video of Bay Bridge 8-car crash shows Tesla abruptly braking in 'self-driving' mode

Newly released surveillance video of November's eight-car crash on the Bay Bridge shows a Tesla suddenly braking, as cars pile up behind it. The Tesla's driver says his car was in "full self-driving" mode.

abc7news.com

 

[tommychanchiwa]

Ed

Which SC did you go to? I went to VAUGHAN in Canada Ontario - First guy barely heard it, did nothing. Second guy didn't hear it at all even though it was loud and clear. Super annoying

i went yo the one at vaughan too, the technical was sitting beside me and he said he did not hear anything (but i can hear it very well while on the test drive). To me, they like try to avoid it OR tesla will takecare of it only when yhe noise is very abvious

 

[likkuid]

Ahhhhh. So that must have been what happened here. The Tesla was self-correcting its brake rust.

New video of Bay Bridge 8-car crash shows Tesla abruptly braking in 'self-driving' mode

Newly released surveillance video of November's eight-car crash on the Bay Bridge shows a Tesla suddenly braking, as cars pile up behind it. The Tesla's driver says his car was in "full self-driving" mode.

abc7news.com

I tried FSD on a loaner and it actually did the same thing when approaching a fork on the highway, where I didn't accept the lane change into Collectors as the Tesla didn't see the massive traffic the Express wasn't subject to. As a result it slowed down significantly and the 18-wheeler behind me nearly rear ended me, honking long and loud. Turned it off from that point onward and don't trust it!

 

[mstendal]

Bummer to hear that it's taking that many service visits. Good idea on leaving the car to cold soak; I think that's why it wasn't replicable for me when I went in last week.

Got an update that the front drive unit needs to be shipped in to the SC so they won't be able to do the repair until next week or the week after. May be a few weeks before I can confirm whether this fully fixes the issue.

Got my M3 back on Friday and am happy to report that the noise seems to be fully resolved. No longer hearing the chirping sound at any speed. Unfortunately in the process they messed up my alignment so I now have to hold the wheel ~5 degrees to the left in order for the car to track straight so heading back to the SC for that... but glad to have the noise gone.

In the past week also picked up a new MY for my wife and her car is making the same noise. Not as loud as my car had been, but definitely noticeable. Not sure if we A). Got really unlucky B). Both happen to have super sensitive hearing or C). Tesla has some serious QC issues they need to work out. Crazy that 2x new cars build several months apart would both have this issue. Both Fremont built cars.

 

[likkuid]

Got my M3 back on Friday and am happy to report that the noise seems to be fully resolved. No longer hearing the chirping sound at any speed. Unfortunately in the process they messed up my alignment so I now have to hold the wheel ~5 degrees to the left in order for the car to track straight so heading back to the SC for that... but glad to have the noise gone.

In the past week also picked up a new MY for my wife and her car is making the same noise. Not as loud as my car had been, but definitely noticeable. Not sure if we A). Got really unlucky B). Both happen to have super sensitive hearing or C). Tesla has some serious QC issues they need to work out. Crazy that 2x new cars build several months apart would both have this issue. Both Fremont built cars.

Great! (On the first part.) Do you have a screenshot of the service report / what they did to resolve? This seems like a YMMV issue.

 

[RafidTM3]

Hi i am from ontario. I do have this cricket hissing noise. I am wondering which SC did you webt? I was in north york and vaughan and the technician said they did not hear anything. I already went to SC 3 times for this issue. Looks like they try to avoid admit there is a cricket hissing noise.

Hi Tommy, I went to Kitchener SC.

 

[mstendal]

Great! (On the first part.) Do you have a screenshot of the service report / what they did to resolve? This seems like a YMMV issue.

This is what was on the invoice to resolve the issue. So strange that this wouldn't resolve the issue in all cases. The tech said that they got the car up on a lift and ran it up to the speed range where I was hearing the noise and the drive unit specifically had been making the pulsing sound.

 

[Tim Roland]

I found this thread a couple of weeks ago. I picked up a new ‘23 M3 in mid December. Immediately I started hearing this hissing noise whenever the car would hit 55mph. At first I thought it was air hissing into the cabin. Five trips to the SC, four rides with techs and an adjusted driver’s door, adjusted window, and replaced windshield and still the same noise at highway speeds. Finally I found this thread during a deep dive and showed the SC techs. They were a little skeptical, but they eventually agreed to digitally record the sound and send it in to the Tesla engineers to see if the Front Drive Unit needs replacement. Just dropped the car off today. Rode with the tech and he recorded from inside the cabin. They kept the car and want to affix the recorder to the undercarriage somehow and record from there. Hopefully they don’t give me the “within spec” answer. This is one of those noises that once you hear you can’t unhear. I notice is every single time I take the car above 55.

 

[777Path]

This is one of those noises that once you hear you can’t unhear. I notice is every single time I take the car

This 100%. When I drive my Model Y this noise is the only thing I can think about.

 

[Pianewman]

I found this thread a couple of weeks ago. I picked up a new ‘23 M3 in mid December. Immediately I started hearing this hissing noise whenever the car would hit 55mph. At first I thought it was air hissing into the cabin. Five trips to the SC, four rides with techs and an adjusted driver’s door, adjusted window, and replaced windshield and still the same noise at highway speeds. Finally I found this thread during a deep dive and showed the SC techs. They were a little skeptical, but they eventually agreed to digitally record the sound and send it in to the Tesla engineers to see if the Front Drive Unit needs replacement. Just dropped the car off today. Rode with the tech and he recorded from inside the cabin. They kept the car and want to affix the recorder to the undercarriage somehow and record from there. Hopefully they don’t give me the “within spec” answer. This is one of those noises that once you hear you can’t unhear. I notice is every single time I take the car above 55.

Yikes! FIVE trips to the SC, FOUR tech rides. Clearly you're a patient man. Kudos to you!

Hope they solve the problem for you.

 

[jurde]

It was finally my turn at the SC today. At first, they were sceptical at my suggestion that the front drive unit might be the cause of the complaint, but after about 2 hours I already got a call that they had managed to isolate the sound in - indeed - the front drive unit! Credits for the SC that, even after being a bit sceptical, they did a thorough investigation and found the suspected culprit.

After escalating to Central, they are now keeping the car for further investigations. I'll give a next update as soon as I know more.

 

[jurde]

Update:

I just got a call from the SC... Engineering has deemed the noise too low in volume to merit any action. I indicated that the sound is intermittently louder/softer, so I agreed the following actions with the SC tech:

1. He will contact the engineer that made the assessment to not swap and ask him if he would be willing to take a drive with me to discuss the sound levels (and fluctuations).
2. If my car has a "particularly bad day" I can drop by unannounced. Provided they have time, they will make a new recording of this "worst-case" situation to help assess the severity of my issue. Luckily the SC is on my route to work, so depending on my agenda for the day this is feasible.
3. If all this fails, only thing to do is wait and see if the issue gets worse over time or live with it. I sincerely hope we don't reach this point...

All in all, I still really cannot place any blame with the SC. They have been very helpful and are taking the issue seriously. The central organization however is sticking its head in the sand, which is annoying.

I'll post another update if there's any progress.

 

[ev_go123]

Update:

I just got a call from the SC... Engineering has deemed the noise too low in volume to merit any action. I indicated that the sound is intermittently louder/softer, so I agreed the following actions with the SC tech:

1. He will contact the engineer that made the assessment to not swap and ask him if he would be willing to take a drive with me to discuss the sound levels (and fluctuations).
2. If my car has a "particularly bad day" I can drop by unannounced. Provided they have time, they will make a new recording of this "worst-case" situation to help assess the severity of my issue. Luckily the SC is on my route to work, so depending on my agenda for the day this is feasible.
3. If all this fails, only thing to do is wait and see if the issue gets worse over time or live with it. I sincerely hope we don't reach this point...

All in all, I still really cannot place any blame with the SC. They have been very helpful and are taking the issue seriously. The central organization however is sticking its head in the sand, which is annoying.

I'll post another update if there's any progress.

In my experience, generally the colder the car, the louder the sound. But you need to let the car sit in that cold for a long time, 8-12 hours. Ideally, let it sit overnight and see if it's louder for you.

 

[perplex1]

Interesting this is still happening with new deliveries. Originally we thought it was a bad "batch" of motors but now seems more common. I've had 4 visits with 2 different SCs and still have the chirp sound. While annoying, I'm kind of over taking days off work to fight with them, especially if some replacements aren't actually fixing the issue. Close to 10k miles and still going.. I just listen to music and try to ignore it!

if you live in georgia (or any state with a similar lemon law enforced) you can actually get Tesla to force to buy your car back (minus a sum due to mileage), or give you a brand new one -- since you have 4 visits. 3 visits is the requirement.
and it wouldn't hurt to get them to buy it back, and repurchase at the new discounts + tax credits

 

[perplex1]

ive found my people. add another one to the list (me). I thought it sounded like a dentist drill, or machine lathe cutting metal. But I can see how "cricket noise" works too!
I have my first SA this friday. Any pointers on what to make sure to tell them? I've taken video of the noises when driving, also will be showing them this thread.
Also, i actually have a video of it happening WHILE THE CAR ISN'T MOVING -- just sitting in my garage making the noise.

 

[Pianewman]

ive found my people. add another one to the list (me). I thought it sounded like a dentist drill, or machine lathe cutting metal. But I can see how "cricket noise" works too!
I have my first SA this friday. Any pointers on what to make sure to tell them? I've taken video of the noises when driving, also will be showing them this thread.
Also, i actually have a video of it happening WHILE THE CAR ISN'T MOVING -- just sitting in my garage making the noise.

HUH?????

It's hard to believe the cause of your sound is related to other posts here. If your car makes a dentist drill/lathe sound while stationary, it probably isn't one of the drive motors.
Maybe it's a coolant fan bearing that is defective? A defective A/C compressor? A defective HVAC blower motor?

 

[777Path]

ive found my people. add another one to the list (me). I thought it sounded like a dentist drill, or machine lathe cutting metal. But I can see how "cricket noise" works too!
I have my first SA this friday. Any pointers on what to make sure to tell them? I've taken video of the noises when driving, also will be showing them this thread.
Also, i actually have a video of it happening WHILE THE CAR ISN'T MOVING -- just sitting in my garage making the noise.

Can you post the video of it doing it while parked? I'd like to create a spectrogram from the video and see if it looks similar to what others (myself included) are experiencing, thanks!

 

[rolling green]

I’ve had this issue too as I posted before. It does sound like a metal lathe or a cd seeking. Mostly occurs around 72-74MPH. The other day after my usual 35 mile commute, plugged in the car and a fan was still on and I heard a sporatic chirping noise coming from the front. Doesn’t sound anything like the noise I hear while driving and I don’t think it’s the same noise but maybe it’s because I’m outside the car. Next time it happens I’ll definitely jump in the car and see how it sounds. Never crossed my mind that the two could be related. Sounds like an animal is in the frunk.