Tapping or Creaking Noise when coasting at low speed

Got about 1000 miles on the car so far and started noticing a rapid tapping, creaking, or rattling noise coming from the drivetrain. I only hear it at very slow speeds (around 10 mph) such as navigating around a parking lot. After doing some experiments, I have come up with the best steps to reproduce it:

1) Turn off regen by pulling the right paddle until you see regen at level 0. This allows the vehicle to coast without any automatic regen braking applied so that it will stay at constant speed when you let go of the accelerator.
2) If your version has the option to turn off VESS, please turn it off so the artificial engine sounds don't interfere with the test.
3) Accelerate to about 15 mph and then let go off the accelerator and brake pedals, allowing the car to coast.
4) As the car slows down to about 5-10 mph, I begin to hear this noise.
5) If I turn the gear selector dial to Neutral, the noise instantly disappears. This confirms it's not coming from the wheels or brakes. My best guess is that it's coming from motor or reduction gear.

I have attached a recording of the noise. You can hear me accelerating to about 15 mph several times and then letting go off the pedals to let it coast. The tapping noise begins at a certain speed and then slows down in frequency as the car decelerates down to 5 mph.

Can some other owners try this test so that I can confirm if this is normal on this model or some kind of defect? Please don't vote unless you've done the testing using the procedure I outlined or have already heard the noise during your regular driving. Thanks.

 

@TandM
Thanks for confirming. Setting regen to zero was just a method to make the noise most obvious. It can definitely be heard at other times once you know what to listen for. Seems to me like it starts any time the drivetrain is not under any load - either from acceleration or from regen breaking and is just free coasting down below a certain speed. I hear it many times when just parking the car but usually not when driving around.

This is my third EV and I've not heard this noise before so just wanted to confirm that it's typical for this Hyundai/Kia drivetrain.

Have you tried if your noise also disappears if you turn the gear selector to neutral while it's emitting the noise?

 

You think it's still using regen even when set to level-0? I do wonder if the noise isn't caused by the way Niro/Kona operate their "creep" mode. When you let go of both pedals as I described, the car will eventually enter this automatic coasting "creep" mode where it continues moving at a constant slow speed. That speed is right around the time where the noise begins. Maybe the creep is done with some sort of short pulses of power that cause this ticking sound - especially if there is any kind of slack in the gears that relaxes between the pulses.

So has anyone with the Kona or Niro brought this up with their dealer? My dealer has been very dismissive of any software bugs and issues that I have brought up thus far so I'm doubtful they will do anything. They also don't seem very knowledgeable about EVs and I'm afraid of them messing around in there and making things worse.

 

Sounds like reduction gear as I suspected since it stops when going into Neutral gear.

Over those 10K, was the noise consistent or did it get worse over time before your next repair? I can live with my current level of noise if it stays this way forever. But these type of noises sometimes come from something making uneven contact or friction which will eventually cause increased wear on some component and keep getting worse.

 

Based on my research, the odds of a successful repair are 50% at best. The other 50% could end up with worse noise than before the repair or an eventual return of the problem. It's just a poorly designed EV drivetrain (possibly because it has to fit inside 3 different EVs (Niro, Soul, and Kona) and connect with other parts originally designed for a traditional engine) that is difficult to keep properly aligned over the long term. You either have the noise already or your're going to get the noise eventually. This is why I've been reluctant to get it repaired until it gets really bad. Beyond the tapping/drumming noise, you also have the high-pitched "brake pad like" noise that seems to affect some Konas and Niros. Luckily I don't have that noise yet.

 

Good example of the noise captured by another owner. It's extremely loud in this video because he captured it from under the hood. The file I attached in the first post was captured from inside the cabin. I'm taking my car in for service tomorrow.