What is this high pitched cricket like noise?

[hatch]

Super helpful info, thank you. I will test this tomorrow (we just got a foot of snow last night). If I still hear the sound when using the friction brakes, could it still be some type of brake issue?

Whatever it is, it sounds like probably something to do with the brakes. If you find you are 100% sure that the sound happens with braking as well, it's not the shims and you can rule that part out.

 

[rjack1282]

Does sound dissipate when you apply the brakes?

You get all kinds of noises in disc brakes just by virtue of the tight tolerances between the back of the brake pad and the pistons. The way i understand it, when you drive, it sets up a high frequency vibration that sounds like a type of squealing.

If this is what's causing the noise - you will never hear the noise when applying the brakes. Are you SURE you also hear the noise when actually braking?

No I have to check that. I can't really remember the last time I used the brake pedal while moving.

 

[rjack1282]

I have two new 2022 MYP that both have the exact same issue. It was the only thing bugging me about the two new cars, but was just thinking that it might go away on its own. Finally started doing some searches and found your thread.

I always thought it was a brake issue, since it does some similar to where if you are spinning a bike tire, but the brake pad is just slightly not aligned, or the disk is warped, it makes that friction noise. It also kind of sounded like a loose electrical connection type sound, but I was still leaning towards a brake issue.

Definitely intermittent, and I'm sensitive to noises so it bugged me (wife never noticed it, but my son finally did the other day, or...maybe it gradually started getting louder).

On my phone, I could hear the sound from the video better than computer, but on either I had to turn it way up, and ....probably hard to hear if you already didn't know what sound you were looking for.

I did the bedding procedure described on this post, on both of my cars last night ->

PSA: Bed in your brakes

And yes, I did 30 braking events on each, 1/2 mile apart, braking to 10mph from 60mph, then drove a few miles without braking.

This morning on my first drive, the noise was MUCH improved, almost to the point where it was a "did I just imagine it doing the sound again?" level.

I'm hoping....it doesn't come back but I could try the bedding again.

I'm wondering, if it really is a different problem where newer model ys just got a bad batch of pads, or rotors...or something, and we are looking at a recall.

OR....since this didn't happen with my 2020 MYLR, if its only affecting MYP since they have different brake calipers, and requires the bedding process.

Are both of your MYs, MYPs?

2022 MYLR here.

 

[hatch]

No I have to check that. I can't really remember the last time I used the brake pedal while moving.

I know! I don't have my car yet. But i had a 24 hour demo last year. I used the brakes a couple of times while getting used to regen, and that was it.

 

[Pianewman]

Wow, this thread has just exploded...

ALL my driving is now done using the one-pedal method, relying on regen for all braking except the final few feet of rolling to a stop. Therefore, I will need to periodically do the "brake rotor cleaning" activity every few hundred miles. The rotors just aren't getting any use on a daily basis.

I still think most of y'all have enough crud on your rotors/pads that you're never really getting a clean pad/rotor contact. The result is noise, and also, in an extreme braking event, might not even have enough grip from the brakes. My opinion, of course.

 

[Benito1283]

Wow, this thread has just exploded...

ALL my driving is now done using the one-pedal method, relying on regen for all braking except the final few feet of rolling to a stop. Therefore, I will need to periodically do the "brake rotor cleaning" activity every few hundred miles. The rotors just aren't getting any use on a daily basis.

I still think most of y'all have enough crud on your rotors/pads that you're never really getting a clean pad/rotor contact. The result is noise, and also, in an extreme braking event, might not even have enough grip from the brakes. My opinion, of course.

I agree. The SC tech also said they expect to see more brake issues now that that option to reduce regen has been removed.

Tesla has thought of this: "To ensure brakes remain responsive in cold and wet weather, Model Y is equipped with brake disc wiping. When cold and wet weather is detected, this feature repeatedly applies an imperceptible amount of brake force to remove water from the surface of the brake discs." Hard to determine how effective this is.

But I think the few of us here are experiencing something beyond normal rust/debris. Otherwise a huge portion of Teslas would be experiencing this same screeching.

 

[Madsen203]

I agree. The SC tech also said they expect to see more brake issues now that that option to reduce regen has been removed.

Tesla has thought of this: "To ensure brakes remain responsive in cold and wet weather, Model Y is equipped with brake disc wiping. When cold and wet weather is detected, this feature repeatedly applies an imperceptible amount of brake force to remove water from the surface of the brake discs." Hard to determine how effective this is.

But I think the few of us here are experiencing something beyond normal rust/debris. Otherwise a huge portion of Teslas would be experiencing this same screeching.

This is the kind of thinking and engineering that keeps me with Tesla. Other Mfg are not doing this or making these adjustments.

 

[mackgriggs]

Well....I wonder if the noise we are hearing, since its intermittent and....in winter (cold weather), is when the tesla is doing the brake wiping.

 

[fignacious]

I agree. The SC tech also said they expect to see more brake issues now that that option to reduce regen has been removed.

Tesla has thought of this: "To ensure brakes remain responsive in cold and wet weather, Model Y is equipped with brake disc wiping. When cold and wet weather is detected, this feature repeatedly applies an imperceptible amount of brake force to remove water from the surface of the brake discs." Hard to determine how effective this is.

But I think the few of us here are experiencing something beyond normal rust/debris. Otherwise a huge portion of Teslas would be experiencing this same screeching.

Ah man super bummed to see your issue came back after the SC tech seemed so confident he knew what it was and had it fixed. My SC told me the same for everyone wondering.. just normal brake sounds.

To whoever asked, mine is a 2022 MYLR with just over 2k miles and for me the noise seems to be between 35-65 mph.

 

[Benito1283]

Well... I went out for a drive this morning. I purposely took it old ice cold so I could use the friction brakes. Both to try some extra disc wiping, and also to see if the sound went away when friction braking. It was 10F and the regen dots were all the way to the middle.

Whaddya know, I didn't hear the sound once. Drove in and out of the sound's speed range for 25 minutes. I fully expected to hear it since it's typically been worse in the cold.

So right now I'm going on the theory that my car is haunted.

 

[fignacious]

Well... I went out for a drive this morning. I purposely took it old ice cold so I could use the friction brakes. Both to try some extra disc wiping, and also to see if the sound went away when friction braking. It was 10F and the regen dots were all the way to the middle.

Whaddya know, I didn't hear the sound once. Drove in and out of the sound's speed range for 25 minutes. I fully expected to hear it since it's typically been worse in the cold.

So right now I'm going on the theory that my car is haunted.

So the other theory that we haven't really explored based on this info is the sound is actually coming from the motor.. perhaps you didn't hear it because your motor was cold and couldn't use much regen. Could be a long shot, but at this point, I feel like anything is possible! I'm glad your SC is so adamant about looking at it and trying to isolate though!

 

[mackgriggs]

So the other theory that we haven't really explored based on this info is the sound is actually coming from the motor.. perhaps you didn't hear it because your motor was cold and couldn't use much regen. Could be a long shot, but at this point, I feel like anything is possible! I'm glad your SC is so adamant about looking at it and trying to isolate though!

I would say it has to be with the brakes....I had a big difference after doing the bedding procedure. If it was something with the engine, doing the bedding wouldn't have affected the sound at all....

 

[fignacious]

I would say it has to be with the brakes....I had a big difference after doing the bedding procedure. If it was something with the engine, doing the bedding wouldn't have affected the sound at all....

Very true. I didn't notice any change after bedding, but it's also very possible I didn't do it hard enough. The mystery continues...

 

[Benito1283]

Well after my cold morning drive with no sound, I charged the car for about an hour and went out to run some errands. Regen dots were about halfway to the middle, and only a few dots by the end of my drive. Sound was back the entire time (~45-65 mph). Who knows, maybe it is motor related. Or a temperature-sensitive brake issue. Applying the friction brakes did NOT make it go away.

To add even more confusion, I turned slip start on and off a few times while hearing the sound. A few times when I toggled it, the sound went away for a second. It was there with it on or off though. I think it may have just been the little jolt of acceleration when turning it off.

 

[ArtK]

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.

Wonderfully detailed explanation— and your SC seems extremely willing to work with you. I hope you can arrive at a solution.

 

[hatch]

Applying the friction brakes did NOT make it go away.

Good info. In my mind, this pretty puts to rest the notion of anti-squeal shim issues, aside from some bizzarre scenario where one brake is never working.

Another question - when applying brakes - did the sound change at all? If not, i'd be questioning again if it's a brake issue. Surely hitting the brakes should alter the sound in some way, no?

 

[Benito1283]

Another question - when applying brakes - did the sound change at all? If not, i'd be questioning again if it's a brake issue. Surely hitting the brakes should alter the sound in some way, no?

I don't think braking changes the sound, but not 100% sure. I'll listen for it again today. If not brakes, could still be a wheel or tire issue, I suppose. I did get new tires just before this all started. There aren't that many moving parts, right?

The thing that leaves me hopeful it's not a motor issue is that I can switch back and forth between accel/regen repeatedly and the sound stays the same. Though admittedly I have no clue how these motors work.

Short of the sound just disappearing, or a software updating miraculously fixing it, I'm starting to lose hope that this will ever get identified. I dread the thought of going down the lemon route or a buyback. I do have a SC appt Wednesday morning so fingers crossed.

 

[hatch]

I don't think braking changes the sound, but not 100% sure. I'll listen for it again today. If not brakes, could still be a wheel or tire issue, I suppose. I did get new tires just before this all started. There aren't that many moving parts, right?

The thing that leaves me hopeful it's not a motor issue is that I can switch back and forth between accel/regen repeatedly and the sound stays the same. Though admittedly I have no clue how these motors work.

Short of the sound just disappearing, or a software updating miraculously fixing it, I'm starting to lose hope that this will ever get identified. I dread the thought of going down the lemon route or a buyback. I do have a SC appt Wednesday morning (3rd attempt) so fingers crossed.

Ugh.. mystery car noises are the WORST. Wishing for all the best luck for you. Keep us posted if you can. Don't forget the 3rd party mechanic option. I know, you shouldn't have to even consider that. Tough to swallow. I already have one lined up for when i get my car. It can't hurt to get a fresh set of eyes and ears on a problem, if just for a second opinion.

 

[rjack1282]

Well of course when I'm trying to diagnose an intermittent issue the issue doesn't present itself...which will be what happens during by service appointment no doubt.

I drove around yesterday to see if the sound is present during braking, etc. but I only heard a brief chirp here and there only for a few seconds during about 30 miles of driving. It was the warmest day for a few weeks at 85F (don't hate lol) but maybe that had something to do with it. Discs, calipers, etc. expanding/contracting with temperature changes, who knows.

It should be back down to a chilly 60F here over the weekend so I'll check again. I did do some hard braking on the empty upper level of the expressway for good measure though. Definitely didn't here the sound while using the friction brakes at any point.

 

[Benito1283]

Well of course when I'm trying to diagnose an intermittent issue the issue doesn't present itself...which will be what happens during by service appointment no doubt.

I drove around yesterday to see if the sound is present during braking, etc. but I only heard a brief chirp here and there only for a few seconds during about 30 miles of driving. It was the warmest day for a few weeks at 85F (don't hate lol) but maybe that had something to do with it. Discs, calipers, etc. expanding/contracting with temperature changes, who knows.

It should be back down to a chilly 60F here over the weekend so I'll check again. I did do some hard braking on the empty upper level of the expressway for good measure though. Definitely didn't here the sound while using the friction brakes at any point.

Thanks for the update! The sound does seem temperature sensitive. My condolences for your frigid 60F lol. Our nights are finally back above 0 here.

Just curious, what software are you and @fignacious and @mackgriggs on? I'm on 2021.44.30.7. Doubt it's related but it does seem like our sounds all appeared around the same time.