2019 Kona EV Motor Noise Issue

R P said:
Wow, that is really bad, never heard anything like that before. There is no way the dealer could call that normal. Not sure how good/competent your dealer is, but you want to know that the replacement was done properly (torques, etc). If unsure, call around to see which one has done motor/gearbox replacements before.
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Because my battery replacement has been shunted to a second, larger dealer, I have access to two of them now. I will ask if either has experience with drive train recalls.
Thanks for your assistance! Good to know that I'm not imagining things, a bit unsettling to hear you're so amazed by my noises!!
 
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Wildeyed said:
https://recorder.google.com/share/f4b588c6-715c-4f37-93e7-56793dc73d31
Driving
Certainly doesn't capture the intensity and volume of the "buzzing" but it's the best I can do.

https://recorder.google.com/share/30474f52-9afd-4695-af2f-069c8f57e2f1
Driving, decelerating with regen

https://recorder.google.com/share/226fef34-4f0c-4983-ad38-5b83653e0bbb
Foot one and off accelerator in bursts.

All of these sounds in real life are so loud that they're not drowned out by the radio.
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OMG, memories of mopeds buzzing around farmers fields circa 1972
 
Wildeyed said:
... Where would the bad bearing be? ....
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That's anyone's guess, there are four to choose from plus the spline running at motor speed ... the area that seems to relate best frequency-wise to the noise in your recording. Once the gearbox is pulled it may be easier to diagnose. A gear oil change might reveal something if there is substantially more metal in it than the 14+ changes we've seen so far.
Just to reduce the risk of the car breaking down, I think a good first step would be to visit the dealer, have them drive it and send a recording off to S.K. for analysis.
 
KiwiME said:
That's anyone's guess, there are four to choose from plus the spline running at motor speed ... the area that seems to relate best frequency-wise to the noise in your recording. Once the gearbox is pulled it may be easier to diagnose. A gear oil change might reveal something if there is substantially more metal in it than the 14+ changes we've seen so far.
Just to reduce the risk of the car breaking down, I think a good first step would be to visit the dealer, have them drive it and send a recording off to S.K. for analysis.
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Thanks very much!
 
Wildeyed said:
https://recorder.google.com/share/f4b588c6-715c-4f37-93e7-56793dc73d31
Driving
Certainly doesn't capture the intensity and volume of the "buzzing" but it's the best I can do.

https://recorder.google.com/share/30474f52-9afd-4695-af2f-069c8f57e2f1
Driving, decelerating with regen

https://recorder.google.com/share/226fef34-4f0c-4983-ad38-5b83653e0bbb
Foot one and off accelerator in bursts.

All of these sounds in real life are so loud that they're not drowned out by the radio.
Click to expand...
That last one sounds like someone getting a "Buzz cut" at the barbershop. No way the techs can miss that...
 
Further to my previous posts about noises, I happened to be driving today so I experimented a bit. I completely turned off regen, which makes a heck of a noise lately, so that I could "coast" with no power inputs and no engagement of motor or regen. There was a very subtle, but still apparent, metallic rubbing sound when I took my foot off the pedal.
 
When no acceleration or regen load, then no pressure on your bearings and splines. So that makes sense.
 
Mdsweb said:
Thanks to all who have contributed their experiences with this issue!
Here is an update on my vehicle:

By chance my recall battery arrived last week and I had the replacement appointment yesterday. (took about a full day and they gave me an ICE loaner)
While that was being done they attempted to rotate the traction motor by 180 degrees (as recommended by Hyundai) and after a quick test drive, the noise was still there. So next step is to replace the motor - ELECTRIC MOTOR, DRIVE GEAR & MOTOR ASSEMBLY. The part is on order (I would suspect they will ship the 702 version) and will probably take a couple of months - so I will update you once everything is done and hopefully resolved.

Nice to see the shiny new battery installed @ 66,000 km so gives me a fresh start... and Dealer has been great so far, but I have a feeling hearing the motor noise on the iPhone recording may have expedited the whole process. So if any of you have the similar issue, I would recommend doing the same thing to save some time during the diagnosing stage.
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Hi There,
I've been having noise issues of my own. I read your entries from last year but after scrolling the forum I didn't see any conclusion. You said they ordered you a new drive train but I didn't read whether you received it and whether it solved your problem. I'd love to know. And also, could you provide your dealer name? It might be useful to have should mine need a referral.

Thanks.
 
Wildeyed said:
Hi There,
I've been having noise issues of my own. I read your entries from last year but after scrolling the forum I didn't see any conclusion. You said they ordered you a new drive train but I didn't read whether you received it and whether it solved your problem. I'd love to know. And also, could you provide your dealer name? It might be useful to have should mine need a referral.

Thanks.
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Hi Wildeyed, funny I was just thinking to post an update... I've been meaning to because this forum has proven to be a very valuable tool and a great source to forward to the dealer when trying to explain a problem that they have not heard of - LIKE THIS ONE.

So the motor arrived late December and they replaced it just before Christmas. It was the 702 motor assembly (ELECTRIC MOTOR, DRIVE GEAR & MOTOR ASSEMBLY) and so far so good - NO MORE NOISE. Repair took 1 1/2 days to complete. It basically sounds and feels like the first day I drove it off the lot (now @ 72K) so I'm very happy - Let's hope it lasts. It's been about almost 3 months and 6000km.

My experience with the dealer was all good. They kept telling me that they never had to conduct this procedure before so I was worried - but what choice did I have - this is the chance we take to be Kona EV pioneers lol. Actually, my Kona was the first battery replacement they had to do as well.

If you have anything that sounds similar to mine then I would suspect it is the same problem - as I believe you purchased yours around the same time I did... Early 2019. If your dealer has any issues identifying the problem tell them to call Jonathan @ Newmarket Hyundai - he is the service manager and was very helpful every step of the way in resolving this whole issue with the motor and the battery replacement. Although it really did help when I brought in the audio recording - before then I was just wasting my time with technicians trying to explain what I was hearing - because they couldn't hear anything (ICE ears) ... but as soon as they heard it on a speaker it was easy to identify in real life.

Hope this helps and you can get yours resolved as well.
 
Mdsweb said:
Hi Wildeyed, funny I was just thinking to post an update... I've been meaning to because this forum has proven to be a very valuable tool and a great source to forward to the dealer when trying to explain a problem that they have not heard of - LIKE THIS ONE.

So the motor arrived late December and they replaced it just before Christmas. It was the 702 motor assembly (ELECTRIC MOTOR, DRIVE GEAR & MOTOR ASSEMBLY) and so far so good - NO MORE NOISE. Repair took 1 1/2 days to complete. It basically sounds and feels like the first day I drove it off the lot (now @ 72K) so I'm very happy - Let's hope it lasts. It's been about almost 3 months and 6000km.

My experience with the dealer was all good. They kept telling me that they never had to conduct this procedure before so I was worried - but what choice did I have - this is the chance we take to be Kona EV pioneers lol. Actually, my Kona was the first battery replacement they had to do as well.

If you have anything that sounds similar to mine then I would suspect it is the same problem - as I believe you purchased yours around the same time I did... Early 2019. If your dealer has any issues identifying the problem tell them to call Jonathan @ Newmarket Hyundai - he is the service manager and was very helpful every step of the way in resolving this whole issue with the motor and the battery replacement. Although it really did help when I brought in the audio recording - before then I was just wasting my time with technicians trying to explain what I was hearing - because they couldn't hear anything (ICE ears) ... but as soon as they heard it on a speaker it was easy to identify in real life.

Hope this helps and you can get yours resolved as well.
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Thanks for your detailed response. Very helpful... and hopeful! Best of luck that everything keeps quiet.
 
With those noises I don't think you will have any trouble convincing a dealer that you have a real problem. Once its fixed you will not believe you managed to put up with it for so long.
 
zoominbc said:
With those noises I don't think you will have any trouble convincing a dealer that you have a real problem. Once its fixed you will not believe you managed to put up with it for so long.
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I hope it's the case that I can convince them. Yes, it's very easy to become ear-blind when you have constant exposure to noise. And when it increases over time it's even easier to miss.
 
I have the same buzzing sound when accelerating and "wheel of fortune when regenerating.
The problem is my car is 2021 and yours 2019…
I dont know what to belive. If they fixed the cause or not.
I’m now waiting for motor to come
 
Bogdans19 said:
I have the same buzzing sound when accelerating and "wheel of fortune when regenerating.
The problem is my car is 2021 and yours 2019…
I dont know what to belive. If they fixed the cause or not.
I’m now waiting for motor to come
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What was the process like for you when diagnosing the problem at a dealership and getting as far as having the new parts ordered? Was it painful?
 
I took the car to dealership at 15.000km and took them for a test drive and they Said that the buzzing sound its a normal electric motor sound.
They didnt had an explination for “ wheel of fortune” and they said “IT didn sound like a problem” lol.
Then i mailed Hyundai Koreea and Hyundai Europe on contact form and attached videos with the sound and in about one week the dealer called me to come back for another check. I let the car 2 days, they said that they took down the motor but i doubdt they really did.
Anyway they said that a motor order was placed and now i’m waiting.
But i’m still worried and I hope not to have the same problem after couple months
 
Cross posted this in the Canadian battery thread.

The dealership handling my battery replacement is aware of the drivetrain issue, having done a replacement previously, and is going to look at it at the same time I get my battery replacement. And they're charging the oil too.
 
Well I'm a happy dude.

My garage replaced my battery today and test drove it re: the noisy drive train.

They are going to replace everything. Motor, reduction gear, everything. Painless, fast, no dithering. Couldn't have gone better.

Parts are on back order (of course) but are ordered and it will be done. I am free to drive my car in the meantime.

My one suggestion, if I can pass anything along to others experiencing noise issues: go to a garage with a history of having dealt with it before and having actually replaced the motor etc.. It smoothed things out so much to not have been the first. I've had more grief and arguments over oil changes and tire rotation than I had over replacing an entire drive train! Crazy world. But I'm not complaining... for once. ;)
 
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