Dashboard Squirrel Sound?

navguy12 said:
Random peanut gallery comment: any chance the noise is coming from the scroll fan for the HVAC?

Even with the HVAC "off", IMO the HVAC fan is still pushing a small volume of air into the passenger compartment .
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My first thought was a dodgy vent damper, which at motor operated to direct the air to windshield/forward/footwell. If there's a loose linkage or the motor is twitching for some reason then it could make a noise. The fan running is also entirely possible, but I don't think the fan is anywhere near where the noise is described.

One way to check is to turn the fan on at various speeds and see if that affects anything. Might be hard to tell if the issue is intermittent though. You can also get a cheap borescope and peek through the vents in the console to investigate, assuming you think the noise is coming from the ductwork.
 
Konan the Explorer said:
In the last six months we have had this sound show up sporadically and now its a several times a day occurrence. It sounds like a squirrel or rodent scratching behind the dash , loudest just to the left of the volume knob. The first time we heard it we were freaked as we live on an acreage and that usually means mouse eating wiring harness!!

I have listened closely and its not an electrical shorting or buzzing sound, and not a rattle as in a loose bolt. It sounds more like some sort of vacuum solenoid thats hit its end of travel and is chattering away.

Other clues: No change with entertainment system on or off, no change when we turn the Heater AC off. It seemed to be when we first started the car but today it just came on randomly while driving.

I cant find an EV shop manual , but would love to know whats behind there in the dash!

The main problem is it just won't do it with enough regularity to get the dealer to hear it. Classic!

Any ideas fellow engineering types?
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Video tape it with your phone if possible.
 
Robrian7 said:
I too have had this problem for a while now. It does sound like something "scratching" in the area of dashboard, but so far there has been no issue with the car's performance.

I am wondering if you or anybody has experienced the "strange glowing light" that illuminates from the front Hyundai badge. When this little light illuminates, the charging port and dashboard also illuminates. It shuts off automatically or when I open the driver's door is opened. I have noticed that this happens more and more frequently at all hours of the night (I keep my car in my garage). I'm wondering if it's a software update or if some other form of communication is occurring between my car and perhaps BlueLink. Have you ever experienced this yourself? I'm not sure if it's related to the "scratching" sound, but then again it might.
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I read it illuminates because it’s letting u know that the motor battery is charging your battery under the hood.
 
Konan the Explorer said:
In the last six months we have had this sound show up sporadically and now its a several times a day occurrence. It sounds like a squirrel or rodent scratching behind the dash , loudest just to the left of the volume knob. The first time we heard it we were freaked as we live on an acreage and that usually means mouse eating wiring harness!!

I have listened closely and its not an electrical shorting or buzzing sound, and not a rattle as in a loose bolt. It sounds more like some sort of vacuum solenoid thats hit its end of travel and is chattering away.

Other clues: No change with entertainment system on or off, no change when we turn the Heater AC off. It seemed to be when we first started the car but today it just came on randomly while driving.

I cant find an EV shop manual , but would love to know whats behind there in the dash!

The main problem is it just won't do it with enough regularity to get the dealer to hear it. Classic!

Any ideas fellow engineering types?
Click to expand...
I once had this noise in my Subaru, only to find out that a dead dried up tree leave somehow inserted itself close to the ventilation system, and was rattling on and off, depending on the wing, car ventilation, etc.. I found the leave partially inserted behind the dashboard's vent
 
Konan the Explorer said:
In the last six months we have had this sound show up sporadically and now its a several times a day occurrence. It sounds like a squirrel or rodent scratching behind the dash , loudest just to the left of the volume knob. The first time we heard it we were freaked as we live on an acreage and that usually means mouse eating wiring harness!!

I have listened closely and its not an electrical shorting or buzzing sound, and not a rattle as in a loose bolt. It sounds more like some sort of vacuum solenoid thats hit its end of travel and is chattering away.

Other clues: No change with entertainment system on or off, no change when we turn the Heater AC off. It seemed to be when we first started the car but today it just came on randomly while driving.

I cant find an EV shop manual , but would love to know whats behind there in the dash!

The main problem is it just won't do it with enough regularity to get the dealer to hear it. Classic!

Any ideas fellow engineering types?
Click to expand...
Suggestion:
Next time you hear it, set the infotainment system to display your power usage and check if Battery Care is active. If so, it could still be the HVAC system.
 
I hear a similar sound on my 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV from time to time. When I first got it, not knowing what the sound was nearly drove me crazy, but now I hardly notice it. I'm pretty sure it's the car's telematics unit, sending data small chunk by small chunk. Hope this helps!
 
Just an update, I had a dealer appointment for FOUR of the recalls and let the service manager hear the noise. He concurs that it is possibly some sort of vacuum actuator but it wouldn't repeat after that so no solution. He said he had never heard that before. A new clue is that now that the weather is warmer it has not done it as much? Hmmm....

If I ever find it I'll give you the answer here
 
Konan the Explorer said:
Just an update, I had a dealer appointment for FOUR of the recalls and let the service manager hear the noise. He concurs that it is possibly some sort of vacuum actuator but it wouldn't repeat after that so no solution. He said he had never heard that before. A new clue is that now that the weather is warmer it has not done it as much? Hmmm....

If I ever find it I'll give you the answer here
Click to expand...

Hi. Did you ever get this issue resolved? Does it sound anything like this recording I made?


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
No, that sounds more like the fan is out of balance or has a bad bearing this was much more intermittent. Then it went away and has not returned this winter, last winter it was more frequent.
 
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