Whistling / chirping noise when driving

[FredrikG]

I have a whistling or chirping kind of noise in the cabin of my week old 2023 Model S LR, see video:

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I found the same noise in a Plaid that I tested but weaker. The noise appears when driving above 10 mph and increases in intensity as the speed increases but the pitch stays the same, around 500 Hz. I find that it has it loudest spot at the center of speaker grill above the dash. I have tried many things, including switching off the climate unit, rolling downhill in neutral gear while rebooting, covering all air inlets at the front exterior with plastic wrap, ... but the sound is still there. The service center did not care much about it, they did some basic diagnostics and found no problem. If I could only isolate the source of the 500 Hz noise (or more precisely 492 Hz), I at least have a chance to try fixing it or going back to the service center with something concrete. Right now I have no idea what it can be. Because the frequency is constant, perhaps it is pump, fan or something else that is not balanced right. Any ideas?

 

[MattRademacher]

I have a whistling or chirping kind of noise in the cabin of my week old 2023 Model S LR, see video:

.

I found the same noise in a Plaid that I tested but weaker. The noise appears when driving above 10 mph and increases in intensity as the speed increases but the pitch stays the same, around 500 Hz. I find that it has it loudest spot at the center of speaker grill above the dash. I have tried many things, including switching off the climate unit, rolling downhill in neutral gear while rebooting, covering all air inlets at the front exterior with plastic wrap, ... but the sound is still there. The service center did not care much about it, they did some basic diagnostics and found no problem. If I could only isolate the source of the 500 Hz noise (or more precisely 492 Hz), I at least have a chance to try fixing it or going back to the service center with something concrete. Right now I have no idea what it can be. Because the frequency is constant, perhaps it is pump, fan or something else that is not balanced right. Any ideas?

I have this same problem. I didn't suspect it was coming from the sound system until it got super loud one day. Uncomfortably loud. Tesla service didn't detect any problems and gave it back even though I hear it about 50% of my drives.

 

[KalJoMoS]

I find that it has it loudest spot at the center of speaker grill above the dash. I have tried many things…

Just a thought, have you tried to turn off AP computer? As it’s approximately at the same place under the dash as the climate unit I would think you need to find corresponding fuse to test this off status.

 

[FredrikG]

Just a thought, have you tried to turn off AP computer? As it’s approximately at the same place under the dash as the climate unit I would think you need to find corresponding fuse to test this off status.

Could be worth a shot. I’m actually at the SC right now and I will mention this to them. Thanks.

 

[FredrikG]

The SC confirmed the noise (you basically can't miss it) and says it comes from the front driveline and claims it's a normal operating sound. This sound is however not included in the list of normal operating sounds in the manual https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/models/en_us/GUID-AA58ED67-9C93-4EE6-8B19-9FDABE018787.html. If I were Tesla, I also would not publish this sound because it is clearly an unwanted and annoying resonance type of sound that I think would scare off buyers who are looking for a quiet and relaxing cabin while driving. The noise is probably less intense in some vehicles and more intense in others, like mine. In my Model 3 from 2019, there was nothing like this. In fact, I had no quality remarks at all on that car. For twice the money, I now have quite a list.