High-Pitched Motor Noise

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by SeanH, Apr 29, 2019.

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  1. The tapping noise and the off center steering are new problems not yet communicated on this forum. Clicking and brake clunking were traced to caliper movement and were resolved by changing to a thicker pad and clips or by clips alone. There are always more dealers if you have doubts or need a second opinion. Keep us informed.
     
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  3. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    As someone who works in in the audio-video, I can say that cameras can often record higher frequencies than humans can hear (most people can hear about 20-16,000hz, while some people hear up to 20,000hz), but it's cheap speakers and headphones that make it seem like it's not being recorded. Often times, if you play that audio through a good quality set of speakers, you'll hear it loud and clear :).
     
  4. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    Any idea what shows up if you scan that QR code?
     
  5. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    When I am walking in a parking lot, I'm looking for reverse lights, not listening for a sound. When I cross a road, sure, I listen for an approaching car, but I look both ways to be sure. Definitely not rocket science, but I do understand the need for VESS for some people ;)
     
    Kamloops_KoNa likes this.
  6. Classic example of why the radar sensors supersede the VESS sound (which is very quite form a pedestrian point of view) :
    https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/things-i-dont-like.5690/page-2#post-62569
     
    robxb likes this.
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  8. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    I wouldn't think the weather would affect those noises in the same way.. When it's humid, you hear the airport (or in my case, trains that are far away) because the air is more dense, and sound travels further the denser things are (imagine putting your ear on a train rail and hearing a train 3km down the track when you can't hear it otherwise). For it to affect the Kona in that way would seem unusual, as the sound isn't travelling a great distance. Humidity and heat could however have other expansive effects.
     
  9. I heard a VESS yesterday while walking in town and knew immediately that it was a Kona, only the second time in 8 months that I've seen one drive by. It's certainly louder outside the car.
     
  10. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    I definitely heard it in other recordings and videos, but in this one, I find it hard to pin-point due to the wind noise and distortion...sounds like the audio is clipping in parts. Would need to have a wind-sock on a microphone and lower the level it's recording at to get a really clean recording, I would think.
     
  11. PNTABryan

    PNTABryan New Member

    Heard back from original dealer in MA, tech said he and another person heard the exact sound I complained about (during acceleration or Regen, not coasting, not vess, sounds like bad brakes/hissing) and that one car on their lot made the same sound but one did NOT. However according to them the sound is "normal" which we just proved is not.

    Where do I go from here? Has anyone had success talking to Hyundai directly? I sent a message through the my Hyundai site and they said to contact my local dealer.

    Thanks
     
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  13. I started noticing the hissing after approx 600k on my odometer. It wasn't there prior. Frustrating for sure
     
  14. victor_2019

    victor_2019 Active Member

    we did?
     
  15. I still don't have any unusual sounds with mine, and am up to almost 7000 km now.
     
  16. PNTABryan

    PNTABryan New Member

    One of the same model car on their lot doesn't make the noise. Some people in the forum report they don't hear the noise. No other car for sale in the world makes this noise lol. It is abnormal.
     
  17. XtsKonaTrooper

    XtsKonaTrooper Well-Known Member

    What was your production date RP?
     
  18. Dec 27, 2018. Apparently, the car sat in a pre-sold state for a while and was hidden away in a back lot. But when the fed subsidy effective date was announced, old inventory got used up pretty quick. So when I came prepared to buy, they asked him to s*** or get off the pot. He got off the pot, but the salesperson told me he switched his order to the lower priced Preferred trim. So not sure if he ever got his Kona EV or not. There were no other Kona EVs on their lot when I came to buy, so I actually consider myself lucky to get this one.

    Anyway, my Kona only had 6 kms on it, and apparently I was the first to test drive it, after they brought it to the dealership store. I had to wait a few days (from the date of the deal and May 1), and of course asked them not to let anyone drive it, or even sit in it during that time. They had it nicely cleaned up and shiny, though, so couldn't find anything to complain about when I inspected it prior to handing over my money.
     
  19. KonaTom

    KonaTom Well-Known Member

    I'm at 11000 km and no problems. Built in december too
     
  20. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    Not to mention the Hyundai engineer Brennan Raposo dealt with, who said it definitely shouldn't be making that sound, who wants to swap out the reduction gear box.
     
    electriceddy likes this.
  21. XtsKonaTrooper

    XtsKonaTrooper Well-Known Member

    Yeah mine was in early December.
    I got lucky too...cuz it was a demo and had to almost beg to pry it from them.

     
  22. victor_2019

    victor_2019 Active Member

    a reduction gear swap will not change a hissing that is caused by harmonic current vibrations in the motor.


    People in this thread can't even seem to all agree on the noise, and some are mixing in other mechanical noise complaints because it comes from somewhere under the hood.

    And Brennan Raposo might be describing something else entirely because he claims the sound is getting worse with the age of the car, with temperature (none of which would change if it's the harmonic hiss) and when he listened to the MP3 recording of the hiss, he said that's not the sound, his sounds worse. so he might as well have an actual mechanical problem.
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2019
  23. robxb

    robxb Active Member

    You might as well just start yelling "I'm right and you're all wrong". I understand your point about harmonics; truly, I do. However, I have read through every post in this thread, and considering some Konas are making the noise while others are not, that would make it seem like perhaps there's something in the design that is flawed. Could be something as simple as a mould that's slightly off, or a bolt that's not quite at the right lb-ft of torque that is causing the issue. If they were ALL driving off the lot with that harmonic sound, then yeah, that could be construed as "normal", but since some are only getting the sound at a later date while others are not, at various levels, that could be seen as something that should not be happening. If people aren't happy with their purchase, stop trying to silence them and tell them they are wrong. If enough people are unhappy with something, that's cause for change to happen.
     
    electriceddy, MGrognon and Esprit1st like this.

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