What is this high pitched cricket like noise?

[rjack1282]

New Tesla owner so not sure if this is a common noise that we just have to get used to or if it is not normal. It started off very intermittent like on the first drive of the day we would hear it. Now it seems to be getting less intermittent and doesn't depend on whether the car is cold. It is almost so high pitched it's hard to hear through my cell phone video but it seems to be coming from forward of the driver position. I almost describe it like the sound of crickets coming from under the hood.

I hear it with HVAC on or off so I have sort of ruled that out and it's not the whine sound heard during hard accel or regen. I like that noise. I wouldn't describe it as a whine at all more like a bearing noise possibly in the front motor.

 

[Madsen203]

Check your ground strap above the rear driver side wheel. Snug to 20nm. That will eliminate 80% of it.

 

[Madsen203]

DIY Fix: High-pitch Whine from Drive Unit(s)

Decided to post this as a separate thread since there's multiple related threads with slight differences. Preamble The Problem: My 2019 Model 3 LR AWD started to make more noise a few months ago, during and after a long road trip. I've always had the "beeping" noises and the "acceleration"...

teslamotorsclub.com

This is how I fixed mine. I haven’t messed with the front but the rear is easy to access and resolved much of my issue. Same as yours.

 

[Benito1283]

New Tesla owner so not sure if this is a common noise that we just have to get used to or if it is not normal. It started off very intermittent like on the first drive of the day we would hear it. Now it seems to be getting less intermittent and doesn't depend on whether the car is cold. It is almost so high pitched it's hard to hear through my cell phone video but it seems to be coming from forward of the driver position. I almost describe it like the sound of crickets coming from under the hood.

I hear it with HVAC on or off so I have sort of ruled that out and it's not the whine sound heard during hard accel or regen. I like that noise. I wouldn't describe it as a whine at all more like a bearing noise possibly in the front motor.

I’m having this same exact noise. Did you ever resolve it?

 

[Madsen203]

I’m having this same exact noise. Did you ever resolve it?

Read post #2 and attached link.

 

[Benito1283]

Read post #2 and attached link.

I know you’re a big believer in the ground strap being the culprit. I removed my left rear wheel and checked the ground strap nut. It was already *very* tight. I tightened it even more, as tight as I was comfortable with, maybe another 1/4 turn. Zero improvement.

 

[Madsen203]

I listened again. Almost sounds like something in the brake pad/rotor.

 

[Benito1283]

I listened again. Almost sounds like something in the brake pad/rotor.

You’re right, it does have that sound. I got new tires ~200 miles ago. Not sure if that’s related. And not sure why mainly in the 50-60 mph range.

I drove about 60 miles today, mostly highway speeds, and the sound gradually but significantly decreased. In the last 20 miles I’d say it was 90% improved. Only a few sporadic chirps at a couple very specific speeds.

Not sure if it has something to do with the car warming up, or something in the brakes that has to work itself out, or what. But I’m hoping it continues to disappear.

 

[rjack1282]

My noise is occurring whether or not the car has been driven and warmed up. It also occurs at any speed and is louder at 70-75 than 40-45. Even with the additional wind and road noise at higher speed the noise is easier to hear. The only trigger seems to be the car has to be near neutral power.

I have service scheduled for Feb 12 which was first available time. We'll see what Tesla says.

 

[fignacious]

Curious to see what they say.. I had an appointment in December for the exact same sound and was told it's just the sound of brakes contacting the rotors. Not too sure how I feel about that because it seems like a cop-out answer to me, but interested in seeing what they tell you.

 

[Benito1283]

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.

 

[rjack1282]

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.

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I will try and report back.

 

[Madsen203]

Lubing the calipers also helps prevent them from sticking. Easy to do if you know how to change brake pads/rotors.

 

[Benito1283]

Lubing the calipers also helps prevent them from sticking. Easy to do if you know how to change brake pads/rotors.

I do not know how to do that. Can the calipers be lubed without taking the wheel off? The technician also said not to use de-squeaker products on Tesla brakes, but that "Brakleen" is fine.

I forgot to mention - he said without doing the burnishing, the sound will either stay the same or get worse over time, but not better. Not sure why this happens to some rotors and not others. But I've put enough mental energy into this that I'm just happy to be done with it.

 

[Madsen203]

I do not know how to do that. Can the calipers be lubed without taking the wheel off? The technician also said not to use de-squeaker products on Tesla brakes, but that "Brakleen" is fine.

I forgot to mention - he said without doing the burnishing, the sound will either stay the same or get worse over time, but not better. Not sure why this happens to some rotors and not others. But I've put enough mental energy into this that I'm just happy to be done with it.

Need to take wheel and likely brake pads off.

This video provides a brief and excellent view of what needs to be done. If brake pad becomes sticky, it will skip on the rotor and continue to make noise.

 

[Pianewman]

I've had daily brake squeal, backing down my driveway, first drive of the day. LOUD!

Charged the car to 100%, which shuts off regen. Next morning, did 3-4 heavy braking events, downhill, from 60-0, full stop. (Zero cars/pedestrians around.)

Squeal is gone.

 

[Benito1283]

Alas, my sound returned this morning. It was louder than I've ever heard it. I was so hopeful it was fixed. The sound WAS gone after they burnished my rotors, so perhaps it is brake related as they were super warm after that. My Tesla SC said I'll need to leave it for a whole day to give them a chance to isolate it. Super bummed.

 

[Pianewman]

Have you tried what I advised in post #16? Please try it before you go to the bother of taking it to the SC.

 

[Benito1283]

Have you tried what I advised in post #16? Please try it before you go to the bother of taking it to the SC.

Yes. Read my post, #11. They burnished the living hell out of my brakes. Also my sound is present regardless of accelerating, regen, or friction braking.

 

[Pianewman]

Oops. Sorry. I overlooked that critical info.

How many miles on the car?