What's normal AWD Front Motor Sound?

[KenC]

The whine is subtle, but once you hear it, you can't not hear it. Mine starts at 38mph, and goes all the way up to 52mph, but it fades a little in the middle of that range and picks up again at about 48mph. It actually sounds quite alot like @options video, but perhaps not as loud.

Would be nice if someone could get a really good audio/video recording of the sound. Ideally, would be nice if someone put the car up on a dyno, or some rollers and held an audio recording device near the motors to get a clear recording of the whine.

Then, I think it might help to send some of these videos to websites like Elektrek, etc., to see if there's a group of people that are having problems. I would hope that, given enough time, Tesla may figure out whether they got a bad batch of inverters and will replace them.

Post your VINs, if you have the whine. Of course motors/inverters are not necessarily matched to car VINs, but it does give us some idea of when these motors/inverters had to have been made.

 

[john5520]

I did not hear anything on the video except at the edge of my perception. However, my hearing rolls off precipitously at around 4.5-5K now (I am 60). When I was younger, I could hear up to 18-19K. High pitched sounds could be very annoying and would sometimes drive me out of buildings. If it really bothers you, it would be worth getting a sound level reading that encompasses your hearing range to get a true idea of how loud it is. It is likely that you are hearing the inverter. They all make noise and the transistors (Telsa uses FETs) are usually embedded in a gel to suppress the noise. Toyota uses IGBTs in their inverters, and without the gel, they are loud as hell. You could be hearing the fundamental frequency or a harmonic.

The whine is subtle, but once you hear it, you can't not hear it. Mine starts at 38mph, and goes all the way up to 52mph, but it fades a little in the middle of that range and picks up again at about 48mph. It actually sounds quite alot like @options video, but perhaps not as loud.

Would be nice if someone could get a really good audio/video recording of the sound. Ideally, would be nice if someone put the car up on a dyno, or some rollers and held an audio recording device near the motors to get a clear recording of the whine.

Then, I think it might help to send some of these videos to websites like Elektrek, etc., to see if there's a group of people that are having problems. I would hope that, given enough time, Tesla may figure out whether they got a bad batch of inverters and will replace them.

Post your VINs, if you have the whine. Of course motors/inverters are not necessarily matched to car VINs, but it does give us some idea of when these motors/inverters had to have been made.

Option has a RWD which we can assume is a 980. You have a 2018 AWD, so most likely it's a 980 in the rear. Can you tell if your sound is from the rear motor? I ask because there could be 2 different issues depending on the motor in question.

 

[john5520]

Thanks, appreciate it if you could test.

I can't hear the motors at all when cruising. I tested it between 35-70 mph. Just road noise.

 

[rorrim]

I can't hear the motors at all when cruising. I tested it between 35-70 mph. Just road noise.

Thanks for the follow-up. That makes me feel better that it's not normal and I'm hoping I'm in the minority here and this can get resolved.

 

[KenC]

Option has a RWD which we can assume is a 980. You have a 2018 AWD, so most likely it's a 980 in the rear. Can you tell if your sound is from the rear motor? I ask because there could be 2 different issues depending on the motor in question.

Sorry, can't tell if it's front or rear.

 

[0ptions]

Thanks for the follow-up. That makes me feel better that it's not normal and I'm hoping I'm in the minority here and this can get resolved.

Have you heard back from the SC yet? Mine had my car for only 2.5 hours when they came back and said it was operating like normal, come pick it up.
I believe you said you dropped it off yesterday?

 

[hellocar]

Me too, I don't hear the motors at all when cruising at a steady speed. I only hear them under brisk acceleration or regen braking, and I find that noise pleasant. If you're hearing something unpleasant, then either something is different than my car, or else my hearing is not as good as yours

 

[rorrim]

Have you heard back from the SC yet? Mine had my car for only 2.5 hours when they came back and said it was operating like normal, come pick it up.
I believe you said you dropped it off yesterday?

Hi, not yet. As soon as I hear something, I promise to report back.

 

[rorrim]

Have you heard back from the SC yet? Mine had my car for only 2.5 hours when they came back and said it was operating like normal, come pick it up.
I believe you said you dropped it off yesterday?

So, I heard back today from the SC. They said the tech did test drive and also compared it to other vehicles and concluded the noises are normal and within spec. I don’t believe it and very frustrated (although not surprised). Any suggestions on what do to next? Is there any options I have to escalate this with Tesla?

 

[roblab]

Brrrrzzzzzzooooooom Breeoooooooh ahh zzzoooooooohhhh. Earh! Vroooooooommmmmmmm!

 

[KenC]

So, I heard back today from the SC. They said the tech did test drive and also compared it to other vehicles and concluded the noises are normal and within spec. I don’t believe it and very frustrated (although not surprised). Any suggestions on what do to next? Is there any options I have to escalate this with Tesla?

Did you play the recording for him/them? Escalation? Do you know Elon? Maybe contact that one person in the other motor whine thread who got his motor replaced. I think he was a Brit. Ask him for his experience. What repair codes appear on his receipt?

 

[rorrim]

Did you play the recording for him/them? Escalation? Do you know Elon? Maybe contact that one person in the other motor whine thread who got his motor replaced. I think he was a Brit. Ask him for his experience. What repair codes appear on his receipt?

Yup, played the video clip...too bad with COVID can't go on test drive with the tech. I wish I knew Elon. Okay, thanks, I will look for the other thread.

 

[john5520]

So, I heard back today from the SC. They said the tech did test drive and also compared it to other vehicles and concluded the noises are normal and within spec. I don’t believe it and very frustrated (although not surprised). Any suggestions on what do to next? Is there any options I have to escalate this with Tesla?

Yes, I'd escalate, or if you're lucky to have another SC close by, try taking it there. You car is too new to be making that sound.

 

[rorrim]

Yes, I'd escalate, or if you're lucky to have another SC close by, try taking it there. You car is too new to be making that sound.

There are other SCs nearby, but won't they see the same service notes and just give me the same message that it's normal? My concern is how to escalate, it's hard enough to get anyone from the SC to answer the phone...

 

[Gasaraki]

That was me. The video is linked below. The SC told me to pound sand. They don't care about the pitch/frequency of the noise. As long as the vehicle sounds remain within a certain decibel range that Tesla Engineering intentionally made a wide range, then there is nothing they will do. Folks like us who either A) have super sensitive ears or B) have slightly noisier/whinier motors/inverters will just have to suffer. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Spend $56k on a vehicle to be bothered by the piercing sounds it makes. From an annoyance level, I equate it to the sound of nails on chalkboard.

VID_20200605_064939~2.mp4

It is a little annoying that it's so high pitched. It pierces the ears. However the issue is that it's so high pitched, only younger or people with good hearing will hear or be annoyed by it. You need to get a tech that's young to hear it.

 

[0ptions]

There are other SCs nearby, but won't they see the same service notes and just give me the same message that it's normal? My concern is how to escalate, it's hard enough to get anyone from the SC to answer the phone...

Not sure about them reading the previous services but I have taken mine to Toledo, OH and Clarkston, MI and both wouldn't do diddly squat for me. I've resorted to cracking my front two windows to create more wind noise and drown out the high pitch whine. It's sad I have to do this. Can't wait until winter!

 

[rorrim]

Not sure about them reading the previous services but I have taken mine to Toledo, OH and Clarkston, MI and both wouldn't do diddly squat for me. I've resorted to cracking my front two windows to create more wind noise and drown out the high pitch whine. It's sad I have to do this. Can't wait until winter!

Uggh! Is there a way to reach out to someone at Tesla corporate to post a complaint? Seems like we are at the mercy of the Service Center.

 

[0ptions]

Uggh! Is there a way to reach out to someone at Tesla corporate to post a complaint? Seems like we are at the mercy of the Service Center.

Not sure. I'll be scheduling another appointment once we can ride with the tech and I am going to demand a ride in their comparison vehicle and new vehicle.

 

[smartypnz]

I thought the front motor sound was dependent by how many slow pedestrians there were.

 

[camalaio]

So, to me, that sound is totally normal if a bit more pronounced than ours (which could be down to the [your] microphone and [my] headphone combination, who knows). I'm noted for being aware of every little sound my cars make. Noticed that phasing sound (I guess what others call "beeping") since day one and chalked it up to a funny quirk.

One of my motors (I think the front) is quite a lot louder after a recent ~5000km trip though. I only notice it in reverse. It's a very low droning sound in comparison, but sounds a lot more concerning. Hopefully it's nothing, but it's growing louder :S

I really wish you luck with the SC, but I doubt you'll get anywhere with it. I hope you find solace in knowing it could be worse.

That was me. The video is linked below. The SC told me to pound sand. They don't care about the pitch/frequency of the noise. As long as the vehicle sounds remain within a certain decibel range that Tesla Engineering intentionally made a wide range, then there is nothing they will do. Folks like us who either A) have super sensitive ears or B) have slightly noisier/whinier motors/inverters will just have to suffer. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Spend $56k on a vehicle to be bothered by the piercing sounds it makes. From an annoyance level, I equate it to the sound of nails on chalkboard.

VID_20200605_064939~2.mp4

This sound is totally not normal to me. Oh my goodness. That's terrible. Condolences.

I can sorta hear something like this if I have the back seats flipped down while driving, but it's not anywhere near that magnitude. Yikes. Even if it's not detrimental to the car, that's clearly not right (and detrimental to your sanity I imagine).