What's Normal Front Motor Sound for Model Y?

[Brown1428]

A belated update on my case (prompted by a turn for the worse today):

1. After taking delivery of my wife's Model Y at the end of August and noting the whine I drove the vehicle in to the service center to have it assessed for whether or not the problem would be characterized as fitting "within spec." I feared they'd claim this after my 7 day opportunity to return had elapsed and wanted to get a read on this documented prior. They test drove it and confirmed it was abnormal... so I decided to keep this VIN and lumped a number of other delivery time issues as well as homelink and tow hitch install into a single service appointment.
2. Unfortunately, the scheduled appointment kept getting pushed out due to delays in receiving service parts. But I finally got into the service center the 3rd week of September and was looking forward to everything getting addressed in one fell swoop. When dropping off the vehicle the service advisor used some fairly non-committal language w/ me around assessing the noise to determine (paraphrasing here... I don't recall the exact words) if it was an issue or not (e.g was within their spec). They claimed to not have any record of my prior visit, nor to have received the audio clips I'd sent in of the issue. Suffice to say I was... err... nonplussed. They did later indicate though that they'd encountered the noise and confirmed it was abnormal.
3. Alas it was another nine days before I got the vehicle back... and w/o the primary issue (the high-pitched whine) having been addressed. Despite my having discussed w/ multiple service advisors the nature of the problem, provided them audio clips, pointed them to other reports / potential resolutions they ended up where I started w/ the most likely culprit believed to be either a missing or improperly installed SEAL,PERIMETER,PENTHOUSE. It wasn't immediately available and wouldn't be for some time so I elected to get the vehicle back and schedule a subsequent appointment after the aforementioned part would arrive.
4. After having retrieved the Model Y it had (aside from the ever-present "dental implement" aura) been otherwise fine and we were awaiting our subsequent appointment slated for mid-month Sept. So that sets the stage for today's events: my wife and kids (in a rainstorm of course) were confronted with a rapid-fire series of "shutting down" and "unable to drive" messages w/ no prior warning or indication that anything was amiss. The vehicle shuddered, and then they came to stop on the side of the road. Fortunately, it was a residential street and not far from home. I quickly scheduled roadside assistance and in parallel she troubleshot (rebooted) and then followed some additional steps (to exit and re-enter the vehicle) as advised by a subsequent error message. The vehicle magically returned to operation and we were able to get the vehicle back to my driveway.
5. I contacted the service advisor and after consulting logs / remote diagnostics they advised to re-engage roadside assistance immediately and to not attempt to drive the car. After they had a look at the vehicle today it was indicated: "Upon inspection of your vehicle, our preliminary findings are that the rear drive unit will need replacement. We will need confirmation from our engineering team. Your vehicle unfortunately will not be able to be driven at the present time."
6. So now the Y is sitting back at the Service Center (the Austin Pond Springs location... completely overflowing with cars parked in fire lanes and in the empty patches of dirt at its periphery) w/ an indeterminate ETA for resolution.

A potential silver lining here is that it's quite likely I'll end up w/ another rear motor entirely. Whether the existing (now failed) motor or the seal were the culprit shouldn't matter since I ought end up w/ different parts and a new installation of the potentially offending components. In theory anyway…

Silver lining indeed! Best of luck!

 

[DanDi58]

A belated update on my case (prompted by a turn for the worse today):

1. After taking delivery of my wife's Model Y at the end of August and noting the whine I drove the vehicle in to the service center to have it assessed for whether or not the problem would be characterized as fitting "within spec." I feared they'd claim this after my 7 day opportunity to return had elapsed and wanted to get a read on this documented prior. They test drove it and confirmed it was abnormal... so I decided to keep this VIN and lumped a number of other delivery time issues as well as homelink and tow hitch install into a single service appointment.
2. Unfortunately, the scheduled appointment kept getting pushed out due to delays in receiving service parts. But I finally got into the service center the 3rd week of September and was looking forward to everything getting addressed in one fell swoop. When dropping off the vehicle the service advisor used some fairly non-committal language w/ me around assessing the noise to determine (paraphrasing here... I don't recall the exact words) if it was an issue or not (e.g was within their spec). They claimed to not have any record of my prior visit, nor to have received the audio clips I'd sent in of the issue. Suffice to say I was... err... nonplussed. They did later indicate though that they'd encountered the noise and confirmed it was abnormal.
3. Alas it was another nine days before I got the vehicle back... and w/o the primary issue (the high-pitched whine) having been addressed. Despite my having discussed w/ multiple service advisors the nature of the problem, provided them audio clips, pointed them to other reports / potential resolutions they ended up where I started w/ the most likely culprit believed to be either a missing or improperly installed SEAL,PERIMETER,PENTHOUSE. It wasn't immediately available and wouldn't be for some time so I elected to get the vehicle back and schedule a subsequent appointment after the aforementioned part would arrive.
4. After having retrieved the Model Y it had (aside from the ever-present "dental implement" aura) been otherwise fine and we were awaiting our subsequent appointment slated for mid-month Sept. So that sets the stage for today's events: my wife and kids (in a rainstorm of course) were confronted with a rapid-fire series of "shutting down" and "unable to drive" messages w/ no prior warning or indication that anything was amiss. The vehicle shuddered, and then they came to stop on the side of the road. Fortunately, it was a residential street and not far from home. I quickly scheduled roadside assistance and in parallel she troubleshot (rebooted) and then followed some additional steps (to exit and re-enter the vehicle) as advised by a subsequent error message. The vehicle magically returned to operation and we were able to get the vehicle back to my driveway.
5. I contacted the service advisor and after consulting logs / remote diagnostics they advised to re-engage roadside assistance immediately and to not attempt to drive the car. After they had a look at the vehicle today it was indicated: "Upon inspection of your vehicle, our preliminary findings are that the rear drive unit will need replacement. We will need confirmation from our engineering team. Your vehicle unfortunately will not be able to be driven at the present time.

So you’re comfortable that the whine was indeed coming from the rear motor, not the front? Good luck!

 

[blecchus_rex]

So you’re comfortable that the whine was indeed coming from the rear motor, not the front? Good luck!

Yes, in our case it was undoubtedly the rear.

 

[KMMM]

Yes, in our case it was undoubtedly the rear.

Any update ? High pitched whine/pulse gone ? I think mine is coming from the driver front at 30mph. It’s starting to drive me a bit crazy.

 

[blecchus_rex]

Any update ? High pitched whine/pulse gone ? I think mine is coming from the driver front at 30mph. It’s starting to drive me a bit crazy.

Yes, it's finally been resolved. After somewhat of a saga we finally have the Y back. They replaced the penthouse perimeter seal (and not the rear drive unit as had been planned) and the difference is not subtle. The only whine we hear now is under heavy acceleration and it's consistent w/ what I'm accustomed to in my Model 3. The incessant "dental implement" whine we'd experienced at a constant speed is gone.

 

[Brown1428]

Unfortunately replacing the penthouse perimeter seal did not resolve the issue in my vehicle. Tesla agreed to repurchase (buyback) the vehicle to resolve my complaint, which I’m thankful for. There was simply no way I was going to live with that sound long term.

 

[KMMM]

Unfortunately replacing the penthouse perimeter seal did not resolve the issue in my vehicle. Tesla agreed to repurchase (buyback) the vehicle to resolve my complaint, which I’m thankful for. There was simply no way I was going to live with that sound long term.

I’m glad you found a resolution. Mine is getting checked out (2nd time) for the similar issue. The whine is similar to yours in the video and comes on between 20-30mph. It’s then drowned out for the most part by road noise. Unfortunately, most of the speed limits around us are 25-30...hence its driving me crazy.
Brown1428, what speeds did you experience this ? What was your VIn range ? How did you get to the point to escalate a buyback and/or who helped with the buyback ?

 

[Brown1428]

I’m glad you found a resolution. Mine is getting checked out (2nd time) for the similar issue. The whine is similar to yours in the video and comes on between 20-30mph. It’s then drowned out for the most part by road noise. Unfortunately, most of the speed limits around us are 25-30...hence its driving me crazy.
Brown1428, what speeds did you experience this ? What was your VIn range ? How did you get to the point to escalate a buyback and/or who helped with the buyback ?

The sound was most annoying from 45-65mph, with a peak around 50mph. The SC added some sound deadening material to the casting seams underneath the bench seat and replaced the pilothouse perimeter seal. This reduced the volume of the sound somewhat however it was still present and still quite annoying. Replacing the perimeter seal is becoming a popular fix, but it's also important to make sure your doors and hatch are properly sealed when shut. Any unsealed orifice is going to allow motor noise into the cabin.

My car suffered from high pitch whine issue, a handful of panel/door alignment problems, and pretty serious paint issues (uneven, mismatched). The SC had my car ~22 days and failed to satisfactorily resolve any of these concerns, so I asked the service manager to repurchase my vehicle. He indicated that was unlikely, but that I could put in a formal request via the business resolutions email that's in the order agreement.

That's what I did, and about 10 days later a more senior Tesla employee called to inform me that Tesla would buy the car back. My case was helped, I think, by the fact that my car has so many issues and that it had spent so many days in service. Tesla did not provide any detail as to what the criteria is to qualify for a buyback, so this is just my speculation. Perhaps Tesla assumed I would eventually qualify for my state's Lemon Law protections and decided to deescalate? I honestly don't know. The process moved quickly once I received that first call and I'm 100% satisfied with the result.

My car was in the 15xxx vin range

 

[KMMM]

The sound was most annoying from 45-65mph, with a peak around 50mph. The SC added some sound deadening material to the casting seams underneath the bench seat and replaced the pilothouse perimeter seal. This reduced the volume of the sound somewhat however it was still present and still quite annoying. Replacing the perimeter seal is becoming a popular fix, but it's also important to make sure your doors and hatch are properly sealed when shut. Any unsealed orifice is going to allow motor noise into the cabin.

My car suffered from high pitch whine issue, a handful of panel/door alignment problems, and pretty serious paint issues (uneven, mismatched). The SC had my car ~22 days and failed to satisfactorily resolve any of these concerns, so I asked the service manager to repurchase my vehicle. He indicated that was unlikely, but that I could put in a formal request via the business resolutions email that's in the order agreement.

That's what I did, and about 10 days later a more senior Tesla employee called to inform me that Tesla would buy the car back. My case was helped, I think, by the fact that my car has so many issues and that it had spent so many days in service. Tesla did not provide any detail as to what the criteria is to qualify for a buyback, so this is just my speculation. Perhaps Tesla assumed I would eventually qualify for my state's Lemon Law protections and decided to deescalate? I honestly don't know. The process moved quickly once I received that first call and I'm 100% satisfied with the result.

My car was in the 15xxx vin range

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Very helpful!

 

[Deluxe]

Thanks to everyone who participated in this thread. My new M-Y was making a very loud electronic whining sound, exactly as described. The road noise was also so loud that I had to raise my voice to speak with any of my passengers. I took it to the SC in Columbus, and they told me that "it's normal," "they all make that noise," and "maybe someday Tesla will release some insulation to help keep it down." I told them that if the noise is normal, I want to return the car--I was still within my return period. They agreed to look at it again--which was my first confirmation that the noise is not "normal," because why would anyone spend time trying to fix something "normal"--and found the penthouse seal missing. They installed one the next day and it completely, COMPLETELY, fixed the issue.

Very disappointed that the tech at the service center told me it was normal when he knew perfectly well that wasn't true. But very pleased with the repair, and happy that I got to keep my car instead of getting back in line.

 

[john5520]

^^^Just think about the number of owners they've probably told the same thing to, who went on their merry way thinking it's normal. I would have confronted the manager and tech after the repair and ask them if a missing seal was 'normal'.

 

[GrizzlyDog]

I took delivery of my Model Y Performance in August 26, 2020. The vin #42,xxx and was manufactured in August 21, 2020. Driving a constant 70-80 km/hr (40-45 mph) I hear a constant high-pitched sound coming from the rear motor. It sounds like a dog whistle/dentist drill but louder and more high pitched sometime causing headaches on long drives on the highway. I have a service appointment booked for next week along the other 30+ problems wrong with my Model Y since delivery. I recently saw a service bulletin on this forum for the Model Y to replace the rear drivetrain unit. Honestly I'm not happy with the car even though the driving dynamics are great. It just has too many issues as a daily driver.

The high pitch noise is becoming unbearable. Is there any advice you would give?

 

[pdxrunr]

Just picked up a brand new Y vin ending in 63058. Same exact issue you are all describing. Dental tool high pitch from the rear motor from 2-60 and at constant highway speed. NOT normal and nothing like my 3. Appointment scheduled, hope it's just that missing seal.

 

[dreamer1213]

Yes, it's finally been resolved. After somewhat of a saga we finally have the Y back. They replaced the penthouse perimeter seal (and not the rear drive unit as had been planned) and the difference is not subtle. The only whine we hear now is under heavy acceleration and it's consistent w/ what I'm accustomed to in my Model 3. The incessant "dental implement" whine we'd experienced at a constant speed is gone.

Thank you again for pulling me in to this thread, really appreciate it. Hoping that the recommendation on what they need to look for will do the same on this side. When I received the estimate for my appointment on 11/13, they had a penthouse perimeter seal listed as the part on that concern, so we'll see.

I do think it's slightly crazy that we, the customers/consumers have to provide direction on fixes. I'm incredibly happy/grateful a place like this exists where we can collectively come together and discuss issues/fixes, however, the fact that we have to is sad.

The sound was most annoying from 45-65mph, with a peak around 50mph. The SC added some sound deadening material to the casting seams underneath the bench seat and replaced the pilothouse perimeter seal. This reduced the volume of the sound somewhat however it was still present and still quite annoying. Replacing the perimeter seal is becoming a popular fix, but it's also important to make sure your doors and hatch are properly sealed when shut. Any unsealed orifice is going to allow motor noise into the cabin.

My car suffered from high pitch whine issue, a handful of panel/door alignment problems, and pretty serious paint issues (uneven, mismatched). The SC had my car ~22 days and failed to satisfactorily resolve any of these concerns, so I asked the service manager to repurchase my vehicle. He indicated that was unlikely, but that I could put in a formal request via the business resolutions email that's in the order agreement.

That's what I did, and about 10 days later a more senior Tesla employee called to inform me that Tesla would buy the car back. My case was helped, I think, by the fact that my car has so many issues and that it had spent so many days in service. Tesla did not provide any detail as to what the criteria is to qualify for a buyback, so this is just my speculation. Perhaps Tesla assumed I would eventually qualify for my state's Lemon Law protections and decided to deescalate? I honestly don't know. The process moved quickly once I received that first call and I'm 100% satisfied with the result.

My car was in the 15xxx vin range

It's like our cars are twins, 2000ish VIN's apart. Mine is 17xxx. Your description and videos is exactly the same thing I'm experiencing.

I had to pass someone the other day when merging on the highway and and when I give it a burst of power, it was insanely loud. Then it just keeps whining incessantly while cruising. 30+ MPH, I describe mine as a jet engine/turbine, however, the dental drill description suits it quite well.

This is my last effort to get this rectified as well. Collectively, with all the post delivery issues, it's been in the shop for 30+ days. If the issues are not resolved this time, especially that infernal whine, I may go the buy back route also.

What did you do car wise after the buy back?

Thanks to everyone who participated in this thread. My new M-Y was making a very loud electronic whining sound, exactly as described. The road noise was also so loud that I had to raise my voice to speak with any of my passengers. I took it to the SC in Columbus, and they told me that "it's normal," "they all make that noise," and "maybe someday Tesla will release some insulation to help keep it down." I told them that if the noise is normal, I want to return the car--I was still within my return period. They agreed to look at it again--which was my first confirmation that the noise is not "normal," because why would anyone spend time trying to fix something "normal"--and found the penthouse seal missing. They installed one the next day and it completely, COMPLETELY, fixed the issue.

Very disappointed that the tech at the service center told me it was normal when he knew perfectly well that wasn't true. But very pleased with the repair, and happy that I got to keep my car instead of getting back in line.

THIS. Same. Exact. Thing. I hate that "it's within spec/normal" statement to try and get a customer to just go away.

Luckily, I don't accept nonsense answers like that and have no problem challenging their knowledge base. Honestly, most techs nowadays have no idea how to truly troubleshoot and find an issue - if there's no message or light on the dash, it's normal.

^^^Just think about the number of owners they've probably told the same thing to, who went on their merry way thinking it's normal. I would have confronted the manager and tech after the repair and ask them if a missing seal was 'normal'.

Don't even want to think about that. I know most people's ears work the same. I cannot stand their dismissive attitudes when concerns are brought to the table. I did confront the service manager about my issues, and she stated: "Perhaps the noise will just go away". Uhh, ok - how about it won't. If it's there from day 1, what makes you think it will vanish on day 120?

I took delivery of my Model Y Performance in August 26, 2020. The vin #42,xxx and was manufactured in August 21, 2020. Driving a constant 70-80 km/hr (40-45 mph) I hear a constant high-pitched sound coming from the rear motor. It sounds like a dog whistle/dentist drill but louder and more high pitched sometime causing headaches on long drives on the highway. I have a service appointment booked for next week along the other 30+ problems wrong with my Model Y since delivery. I recently saw a service bulletin on this forum for the Model Y to replace the rear drivetrain unit. Honestly I'm not happy with the car even though the driving dynamics are great. It just has too many issues as a daily driver.

The high pitch noise is becoming unbearable. Is there any advice you would give?

Complain about it and tell them it's not acceptable, and keep complaining If you allow them to dismiss the issue and not address your concern on your NEW $60K car, nothing will be done about it. Just stay on top of them and insist it's fixed.

Just picked up a brand new Y vin ending in 63058. Same exact issue you are all describing. Dental tool high pitch from the rear motor from 2-60 and at constant highway speed. NOT normal and nothing like my 3. Appointment scheduled, hope it's just that missing seal.

Fingers crossed - I'll also report back on mine when and/or if I get it back.

 

[Brown1428]

@dreamer1213 I ordered a replacement Model Y (VIN 64,7xx) but refused it at delivery since it exhibited several workmanship issues (see my other post).

I canceled my order and ended up with a 2021 Lexus RX350L, which I’m pleased with.

 

[pdxrunr]

Just picked up a brand new Y vin ending in 63058. Same exact issue you are all describing. Dental tool high pitch from the rear motor from 2-60 and at constant highway speed. NOT normal and nothing like my 3. Appointment scheduled, hope it's just that missing seal.

Update: Same as others, replaced the penthouse seal and car sounds like it should! Unbelievable issue on a brand new car, but shout out to the Portland OR service team. Acknowledged the issue, knew exactly what to do, and fixed it in 48 hours. If you hear an unusually loud whining sound coming from the rear motor, tell your service advisor to look up issues with the penthouse seal. I'm sure it's well documented in their system now.

 

[jmatero]

I have a 57xxx build and here the whine under acceleration but not that chirping. I was concerned with the whine but realized I’m coming from a RWD M3 so assumed the whine was normal.

 

[dreamer1213]

@dreamer1213 I ordered a replacement Model Y (VIN 64,7xx) but refused it at delivery since it exhibited several workmanship issues (see my other post).

I canceled my order and ended up with a 2021 Lexus RX350L, which I’m pleased with.

Understood, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

I'll check our your other thread as well.

Update: Same as others, replaced the penthouse seal and car sounds like it should! Unbelievable issue on a brand new car, but shout out to the Portland OR service team. Acknowledged the issue, knew exactly what to do, and fixed it in 48 hours. If you hear an unusually loud whining sound coming from the rear motor, tell your service advisor to look up issues with the penthouse seal. I'm sure it's well documented in their system now.

Thank you for confirming. Glad it fixed it for you.

One would hope, however the SC in my area seems extremely unaware and continues to claim the car is within spec, normal, and it's characteristics of the car. I'm about to lose it.

I'm meeting with the service manager in person tomorrow since it wasnt able to confirmed over the phone today if if was even checked.

Your seal was completely missing, correct?

 

[pdxrunr]

I'm not 100% sure. My invoice says "Verified customer concern of high pitch whining noise. Found noise coming from battery penthouse. Replaced seal and performed coolant purge. Updated firmware and found noise no longer present. Verified proper operation". Hope that helps. Sounds like the seal was bad, not missing. In any case, they got right to it and fixed it. Keep on top of them as it should be documented in their system. Shoot, tell them to call the Portland service center and ask them about it

 

[blecchus_rex]

Understood, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

I'll check our your other thread as well.



Thank you for confirming. Glad it fixed it for you.

One would hope, however the SC in my area seems extremely unaware and continues to claim the car is within spec, normal, and it's characteristics of the car. I'm about to lose it.

I'm meeting with the service manager in person tomorrow since it wasnt able to confirmed over the phone today if if was even checked.

Your seal was completely missing, correct?

My seal was completely missing, but I've also heard of other instances of it either being faulty or installed incorrectly.