What is this high pitched cricket like noise?

[Benito1283]

The sound was so loud and persistent yesterday that I asked my SC if I could come in while it's cold. (I have appt Monday but it's supposed to be 40 degrees warmer.) I rode with a tech this afternoon and he heard the sound. He poked his head around while I was driving, thought he heard it from the dash vent, but admitted he hadn't heard it before and had no idea where it could be coming from. "Literally anywhere." He said they'd probably start taking apart the dash, HVAC, etc. until they find it. Didn't leave me feeling hopeful.

We returned to the SC and I asked to talk to someone regarding how a buy back works. It was the sales & delivery manager. I said I'm on my last thread, I don't care what the fix is, it just needs to be fixed. And that I'm tired of the over-confident diagnoses which then turn out to be a waste of my time and theirs, and that I'm owed a car that doesn't make annoying, mysterious, unfixable noises. I was respectful but adamant.

The guy was super understanding and agreed with me. It was clear that he wanted me to be happy. He said let them have one more crack at fixing it Monday, and if they can't figure it out, we can pursue a buy back. He would advocate on my behalf to the service manager who makes the final call on buy back eligibility. I'd assumed I'd be on my own with the purchase of a new car, having to wait ~9 months. But he said in these circumstances, they would basically bump me to the front of the line and I would be assigned a brand new car (same build) and would probably take delivery in 3-4 weeks. They would refund me the full purchase price of my car, including tax.

I sincerely hope they can figure out the issue and fix my car. It's perfect aside from this. I would love to be able to pass along the diagnosis to you all so you can get it resolved as well. But I'm glad, and frankly shocked, that they would be willing to buy my car back and get me a new one so quickly. Will keep you posted.

 

[fignacious]

Wow. That's honestly very surprising. I'm happy for you though.. my SC won't even let me ride with them, let alone acknowledge they hear something out of the ordinary. A buy back is a huge deal, so hopefully they can diagnose and actually see what's going on. I've pretty much accepted it at this point, especially with having to take a day off work and drive 2 hours each way to an SC. Can't fault them too much because it's one of those hard to pinpoint things, but glad yours is taking care of you.

 

[ev_go123]

I have this exact same hissing noise, brand new 2022 M3LR (200 miles or so). I recorded the sound and punched up the high frequencies to make it easier to hear:

https://soundcloud.com/user-310064309%2Ftesla-model-3-hiss

A few observations: the noise seems to start at around 40-45 mph for me, and once the sound is there, as others have observed, regen/coasting/accelerating doesn't make the sound go away. The sound does sometimes come and go on it's own, as you can hear at around 15-18s in that recording. I find that if you slow the car below 40-45, the sound doesn't stop completely as suddenly as it starts; it sort of fades out till you can't hear it anymore at around 30 mph.

Also I noticed parts of the sound's frequency makeup varies with with vehicle speed. That might not be so obvious, but if you jump around the time stamp in my recoding, when I'm going slower at 13s to when I'm going faster at 26s, you can hear the hiss is a higher frequency. That change in frequency seems to imply the noise is at least a bit vehicle/motor/wheel speed dependent. Also the sound sharply cuts out at around 52 seconds as I slow/exit. (There's also a lot of motor whine in that recoding, but that's a sperate noise, although also might be louder than it's supposed to be.)

Another observation, the noise seems to go away temporarily when taking a sharp corner exit ramp (not tested thoroughly though). If it is brake related, I was thinking maybe it's loading/unloading the pressure on brake components.

A theory I had was it maybe it's the flow of coolant in high pressure refrigerant lines? Perhaps the hard turning/braking is shifting it around enough to disrupt the noise? I don't know enough about those systems to really understand how feasible that is (time to do some learning). This might fall in line with some of the battery/outside temperature related theories if it's perhaps coolant flowing to the battery. However, if it was high pressure lines, you'd think the noise would be pretty vehicle speed independent, so maybe a not correct.

I'm glad to have found this forum; at least I'm not crazy and there are other people with the same issue, maybe we can figure out a solution.

 

[rjack1282]

I have this exact same hissing noise, brand new 2022 M3LR (200 miles or so). I recorded the sound and punched up the high frequencies to make it easier to hear:

https://soundcloud.com/user-310064309%2Ftesla-model-3-hiss

A few observations: the noise seems to start at around 40-45 mph for me, and once the sound is there, as others have observed, regen/coasting/accelerating doesn't make the sound go away. The sound does sometimes come and go on it's own, as you can hear at around 15-18s in that recording. I find that if you slow the car below 40-45, the sound doesn't stop completely as suddenly as it starts; it sort of fades out till you can't hear it anymore at around 30 mph.

Also I noticed parts of the sound's frequency makeup varies with with vehicle speed. That might not be so obvious, but if you jump around the time stamp in my recoding, when I'm going slower at 13s to when I'm going faster at 26s, you can hear the hiss is a higher frequency. That change in frequency seems to imply the noise is at least a bit vehicle/motor/wheel speed dependent. Also the sound sharply cuts out at around 52 seconds as I slow/exit. (There's also a lot of motor whine in that recoding, but that's a sperate noise, although also might be louder than it's supposed to be.)

Another observation, the noise seems to go away temporarily when taking a sharp corner exit ramp (not tested thoroughly though). If it is brake related, I was thinking maybe it's loading/unloading the pressure on brake components.

A theory I had was it maybe it's the flow of coolant in high pressure refrigerant lines? Perhaps the hard turning/braking is shifting it around enough to disrupt the noise? I don't know enough about those systems to really understand how feasible that is (time to do some learning). This might fall in line with some of the battery/outside temperature related theories if it's perhaps coolant flowing to the battery. However, if it was high pressure lines, you'd think the noise would be pretty vehicle speed independent, so maybe a not correct.

I'm glad to have found this forum; at least I'm not crazy and there are other people with the same issue, maybe we can figure out a solution.

Can you do me a favor while you’re recording and see if it stops when you apply pressure to the brakes?

 

[ev_go123]

I tried braking very briefly this morning, but it was hard with traffic around and regen on max. I thought I could still hear the noise while using physical brakes but it was hard to tell, Also the noise seems to go away below 30-40 mph, so you don't have much time to listen while braking before you're below that cutoff. I wonder if I can simply ride the brakes while on the accelerator--some people said that the car gets mad but lets you do that. That would keep the speed consistent but also apply brakes. I'll experiment more tonight/this weekend.

I've also wondered if the issue could be wind noise related, maybe some trim under the car hanging out that buffets around? It doesn't completely sound like that, but maybe another theory. I might try temporarily taping up a bunch of gaps/trim under the car and seeing if that changes anything.

 

[rjack1282]

I tried braking very briefly this morning, but it was hard with traffic around and regen on max. I thought I could still hear the noise while using physical brakes but it was hard to tell, Also the noise seems to go away below 30-40 mph, so you don't have much time to listen while braking before you're below that cutoff. I wonder if I can simply ride the brakes while on the accelerator--some people said that the car gets mad but lets you do that. That would keep the speed consistent but also apply brakes. I'll experiment more tonight/this weekend.

I've also wondered if the issue could be wind noise related, maybe some trim under the car hanging out that buffets around? It doesn't completely sound like that, but maybe another theory. I might try temporarily taping up a bunch of gaps/trim under the car and seeing if that changes anything.

I've never tried but I'm pretty sure you can put the car in neutral while moving. So maybe get up to 60ish, pop car in neutral and use the brakes through the noise zone.

I tried to ride the brakes and accelerator but a message popped up on screen saying power was disabled or something to that effect and it didn't work. I would try all these things but it's my wife's daily and I don't get much time with it.

 

[Benito1283]

I tried braking very briefly this morning, but it was hard with traffic around and regen on max. I thought I could still hear the noise while using physical brakes but it was hard to tell, Also the noise seems to go away below 30-40 mph, so you don't have much time to listen while braking before you're below that cutoff. I wonder if I can simply ride the brakes while on the accelerator--some people said that the car gets mad but lets you do that. That would keep the speed consistent but also apply brakes. I'll experiment more tonight/this weekend.

I've also wondered if the issue could be wind noise related, maybe some trim under the car hanging out that buffets around? It doesn't completely sound like that, but maybe another theory. I might try temporarily taping up a bunch of gaps/trim under the car and seeing if that changes anything.

All of your observations match mine to the T.

 

[mackgriggs]

I've never tried but I'm pretty sure you can put the car in neutral while moving. So maybe get up to 60ish, pop car in neutral and use the brakes through the noise zone.

I tried to ride the brakes and accelerator but a message popped up on screen saying power was disabled or something to that effect and it didn't work. I would try all these things but it's my wife's daily and I don't get much time with it.

You are able to go into neutral while driving. My local SC said that was a trick you can use while trying to bed in your brakes so no regen is applied. But, to go into it, while driving, simply hold up on the right gear stalk for like, 2 seconds in the first up position (the 'light touch" position). Tesla even has a message saying how to go into neural if you happen to push up too hard on the right gear stalk while driving. Just push back down on the gear stalk to re-engage drive.

Its too warm here (like 45°) so I have a hard time reproducing, because it would be good info if you are in Neutral if it still makes the sound, and then of course, if it still makes the sound while applying brakes. It needs to be more like around freezing (32° or lower) for the sound to happen on mine. My guess...is that the sound goes away while manual braking, but might still happen while in Neutral. I'm still thinking it has something to do with 'brake disk wiping'

 

[Benito1283]

You are able to go into neutral while driving. My local SC said that was a trick you can use while trying to bed in your brakes so no regen is applied. But, to go into it, while driving, simply hold up on the right gear stalk for like, 2 seconds in the first up position (the 'light touch" position). Tesla even has a message saying how to go into neural if you happen to push up too hard on the right gear stalk while driving. Just push back down on the gear stalk to re-engage drive.

Its too warm here (like 45°) so I have a hard time reproducing, because it would be good info if you are in Neutral if it still makes the sound, and then of course, if it still makes the sound while applying brakes. It needs to be more like around freezing (32° or lower) for the sound to happen on mine. My guess...is that the sound goes away while manual braking, but might still happen while in Neutral. I'm still thinking it has something to do with 'brake disk wiping'

My sound does not change or go away when applying friction brakes. I’ve tested this by braking at highway speeds in freezing temps with almost no regen.

 

[ev_go123]

So on my regular commute today, I tried out neutral. It actually works quite predicable--sort of just coasts like you're in a manual not in gear. While hearing the noise, I took an exit and was braking relatively hard and the noise persisted, not real noticeable change.

Also I tried putting my phone in the the footwell and it definitely seems louder down there. Maybe it's under the car?

I plotted out the sound on a spectrogram using Audacity (thank you jacie6056 for the idea) and you can clearly see the sound at a 9-11.5kHz range. The way this chart works is time is on the x axis in seconds, frequency is on the y axis, and the intensity of the sound is the color (gray nothing, blue quieter, pink loudest) You can see the sound in the frequency band between 9-11.5 khz quite clearly. Note that sound seems to cutoff a bit artificially at 7khz, I think this might be an artifact of compression. Here's a link to the sound for the below graph.

And here's the same sound isolated at 9-11.5kHz.

I also plotted fignacious's recording he posted a while back. You can see it's in the same 9-11.5k frequency band.

Also something to consider these frequencies might be somewhat out of the range of hearing for some people (hearing loss/age/etc) which might explain why some people notice it and some don't.

 

[Benito1283]

@ev_go123 thanks for doing these tests! Very interesting. Are you able to deduce anything from the spectrogram though? I don’t really know what to make of it. Kind of confirms the sound we’re all hearing.

I do agree it that the drivers footwell seems to be the source. The last tech I drove with thought he heard it from the dash vent, and I fear they’ll go hunting there fruitlessly and end up leaving me with rattles.

 

[ev_go123]

Honestly I wasn't able to deduce much other than visual confirmation that there is definitely a noise and we're not crazy haah. But also it's interesting just how high pitch it is--it might be out of the hearing range of some individuals. That might explain why there are few complaints about it.

My top theory is it's some sort of high pressure coolant line related to the heat pump and motor/battery cooling/heating. It would might explain why it's temperature dependent and why it seems like it comes from the dash/floor area. That being said it could also be brakes, electronic interference, wind noise, or something else.

I'm taking it into the SC Thursday and that is one of the items on my list, so I'll report back on what they say, if they can hear it at all.

 

[Benito1283]

Haha yeah, we’re not crazy. That frequency is well within range for most adults. Everyone who’s heard it in the car or on my phone hears it instantly. None of the techs have heard it in any other car. I don’t believe my SC will figure it out but I hope I’m wrong. I’m tired of spending so much time on it. It’s their turn. I hope you have some luck. Keep us posted!

 

[fignacious]

@Benito1283 did your SC confirm they heard it on the lift? Mine said they didn't and it's possibly because of no load being on the car.

@ev_go123 the tech at my SC also mentioned it could be the coolant system since that's a very high pressure system.

On a brighter note, glad we all got our cars when we did.. these price increases lately are nuts. Over 60k for base model LR!!

 

[ev_go123]

Something else that I definitely should've pointed out sooner, I have a 2022 M3LR, not a MY. I'm on the wrong forum! Just kidding, but it's interesting that the noise is the same across models. I think if I'm keeping track correctly that's 4x MYLR, a MYP, and a M3LR. A lot of the internals of a MY and M3 are the same, but there are still some differences, so theoretically, those differences shouldn't be the source of the common issue. For example, doesn't the MYP have different brakes than the MYLR? Unless they're still have common components, I'd think that would mean it's less likely to be brake related.

Although the MY and newer M3 have the same heat pump system, so that doesn't help to rule that out.

 

[fignacious]

I do agree with the parts being similar, and have also noticed that all of us have fairly new vehicles.. either 2022 or suuuuuper late 2021.

I feel like it's safe to rule out brakes because not only are they different between LR and P, but a few of us have proven that braking doesn't make the sound go away until getting below "the speed" (40mph-ish)

My SC tech mentioned the high pressure coolant system too, so maybe it's that.

On another note, @Benito1283 I know we talked about tightening the rear ground strap, but did you ask your SC to snug up the front strap to the body? Would be nuts if that was it...

 

[Benito1283]

My car is at my SC today and they drove it over 80 miles, spread over ten drives, trying to isolate the sound. (I’ve been spying on them through my TezLab app.) In between each trip I saw that it went back into the service garage, then back out for a drive. About an hour ago I got a message from my service advisor saying they’ve isolated the the sound and are working to fix it.

“It is a wind noise coming from the driver
side front right below the mirror
assembly. There is a pretty significant
gap difference on that side where it is
creating an air pocket while driving.” He emailed me pics of the gap. 5mm on the left side vs 2.5mm on the right side. Said they’re making adjustments to the door and front panel. He said they made several trips with four techs in the car to pinpoint. I love picturing that lol.

I told him I have my doubts but I will let them go through their process and hope that’s it. It does make sense in some ways. I agree it’s likely not the brakes, and not the front motor either apparently.

It is warmer here today (70F), although it’s been making the sound in warmer temps lately too. I just hope it’s not that the car’s not making the sound they’re chasing. But one of the techs working on it definitely heard the actual sound before. And he did send my videos of the sound to the techs.

He understood about the temp/car being warmed up and said they’re going to drive it tomorrow morning when it’s cool and verify it’s gone. And then I can come drive it with a tech and verify it myself.

@fignacious - the other SC didn’t specifically say they heard the sound on the lift. But they drove it, put it on the lift, and diagnosed it as the front motor. They only drove it for 6 minutes so who knows, maybe they were hearing something else.

I told them to be prepared to hear a totally different sound tomorrow morning and go back to square one. They said they’re prepared to do whatever it takes if this doesn’t fix it. They’re eager to fix it. I’m holding out hope. Will report back tomorrow.

 

[ev_go123]

Wow I'm impressed they're that committed to finding the issue, that's good at least.

That being said, I'd be surprised if wind noise ended up being it. The weird way it cuts in and out very very suddenly doesn't sound like wind. Also I wouldn't think wind would be sensitive to temperature. The way the frequency of the noise changes with speed is endemic of wind but you'd think wind gusts and the like would effect it (frequency would increase/decrease) but it doesn't seem to.

I wonder if it might be a grounding related issue. The noise honestly sounds pretty similar to a noise the passenger footwell speaker was making in model 3's back in 2018-2019 (this post).

Their noise they was coming out of a speaker in the passenger foot well (that I think has since been removed), but it would make that noise at all times, including when the car was stopped. My guess is root issues was one of the many pieces of electronics in the car was producing electromagnetic interference (EMI) that was getting picked up by the speaker's amplifier, which was played back on the speaker. Apparently some software update in 2020 or 2021 mysteriously fixed this issue.

I don't think our sound is coming out the speakers, but we might be hearing the electronics directly (in the PC world this is called coil whine). That being said, considering high frequencies don't transmit very well though materials like electronics boxes, plastic panels, etc, it would be surprising if we could hear it as well as we do.

 

[Benito1283]

My car had a couple more drives at the SC this morning and quite a bit of "drive time" on the lift. Just got an update from the service advisor: "They heard the sound this morning and are diving deeper to try and figure out what is going on. I'll keep you updated. Thanks for your patience with us."

So, not the wind noise as we kind of suspected. I'm just relieved they heard/acknowledged something else is going on and are trying to figure it out. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[Benito1283]

See attached messages with my service advisor. I decided to stop pushing back against them because if I didn't approve the repair, they could argue they made a diagnosis but I didn't approve it. So I will let them replace it and go from there. I think it's unlikely, but not entirely impossible they're right. The diagnosis makes sense to me. It would just mean I got very unlucky with the replacement motor. If it doesn't fix it, it will make them look that much more ridiculous. They acknowledged this would be their last chance at a repair before buyback.