Don't back down. The noise was too much for me to enjoy the car and I'm selling it to Carvana and waiting for a better EV to come out. Hyundai was an absolute headache to deal with, it took over a week to get in touch with the consumer affairs manager assigned to my case only to end in a 2 minute conversation "nothing we can do". Good luck
High-Pitched Motor Noise
- Thread starter SeanH
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Not the good news we were anticipating, sounded like Hyundai was on top of this.
Robbert
Active Member
Just another data point here (Kona Ultimate, ~1000 miles, mfg Jan 2019). I just did a quick drive around the block with my head hanging out the window to see if I could hear anything like the audio clips in this thread -- I heard a faint high pitched noise ONLY when hitting the brake (regen), definitely not when accelerating. It was very faint -- the crickets in the grass along the road were at least 4x as loud).
I can clearly hear the noise in the recorded audio files on here, so I would imagine my hearing isn't totally gone yet and I should be able to hear that. Windows up, and I definitely don't hear it.
On my wife's RAV4 Hybrid, when you decelerate, you can very clearly hear a high pitched noise of one of the MG (motor generators) spinning up. It's WAY louder than anything this Kona produces in my case. We got used to that, so I'm sure if my Kona starts producing the high pitch noise, I'll get used to that too.
For now, the only disappointment for me is the tire noise > 50 mph. I have to turn up the radio quite a bit to drown it out. But it does very strongly depend on the pavement. Some older asphalt in my area is super noisy. And some new they put down a few weeks ago is quiet as a mouse. One data point from a Facebook group was a guy who replaced them with Michelin CrossClimate+ and claimed 5dB less. It did give him a 10% range hit though.
I can clearly hear the noise in the recorded audio files on here, so I would imagine my hearing isn't totally gone yet and I should be able to hear that. Windows up, and I definitely don't hear it.
On my wife's RAV4 Hybrid, when you decelerate, you can very clearly hear a high pitched noise of one of the MG (motor generators) spinning up. It's WAY louder than anything this Kona produces in my case. We got used to that, so I'm sure if my Kona starts producing the high pitch noise, I'll get used to that too.
For now, the only disappointment for me is the tire noise > 50 mph. I have to turn up the radio quite a bit to drown it out. But it does very strongly depend on the pavement. Some older asphalt in my area is super noisy. And some new they put down a few weeks ago is quiet as a mouse. One data point from a Facebook group was a guy who replaced them with Michelin CrossClimate+ and claimed 5dB less. It did give him a 10% range hit though.
victor_2019
Active Member
You need to drive next to something that will reflect the sound back towards you, like a row of houses or parked cars etc.
If you're next to a field or open space you won't hear it that much.
If you're next to a field or open space you won't hear it that much.
Robbert
Active Member
Agreed, which is why I stuck my head out the window to see if I could hear anything at all. No convenient spots nearby to drive close to a long wall. Benefits of living out in the country I suppose.
Contrary to what some folks on this thread are experiencing, I definitely cannot hear anything at all with the windows closed though. Even if I try to listen for it.
Well, I won't lie ; I genuinely appreciate the update and I am also genuinely discouraged. I'm actually going in to have something else fixed next week (brakes that are "clunking" when switching from drive to reverse or upon stop & go and getting tires rotated at the same time) and I was planning to tackle this issue with them again ... Now I don't know what to do.
It's a shame cause a lot of people seem to be in LOVE with their Kona Electric here in Quebec. Everybody is giving it rave reviews and have no complaints other than minor stuff (crappy maps/navigation on the Ultimate trim, average sound system, the front collision warning being too sensitive/agressive, etc.) but honnestly, if truly this is the sound all Konas make ; I don't understand how this is not bugging more people / is not more widespread. As per above posts ; I really think there must be a batch of "lemons" or something out there, lemons in the sense that some make way more noise than others. I genuinly would expect at least one reviewer (if not most of them) to have picked up on this otherwise, I've only ever seen 1 review mentioning it for 3 seconds so far (and some home made videos that were shared before on this forum/thread).
If this really can't be fixed / is the way the car is, my goal will be to pay this thing off as much / as quickly as possible and to get rid of it in a year ot 2 when it becomes available for "used EV rebate" for the next buyer here in Quebec. I'll then replace it with whatever will be available then and that is as close to silent motor wise as possible and > 350 km range (right now that'd be a Model 3, hopefully there will be others in the market at that time, maybe new VW crossover, Model Y... We'll see). In the meantime my SO who's used to Hyundais and does hear the sound but is not as bothered as I am by it will be driving this 90% of the time and I'll stick to my ICE ... This was my first Hyundai and will be my last.
It's a shame cause a lot of people seem to be in LOVE with their Kona Electric here in Quebec. Everybody is giving it rave reviews and have no complaints other than minor stuff (crappy maps/navigation on the Ultimate trim, average sound system, the front collision warning being too sensitive/agressive, etc.) but honnestly, if truly this is the sound all Konas make ; I don't understand how this is not bugging more people / is not more widespread. As per above posts ; I really think there must be a batch of "lemons" or something out there, lemons in the sense that some make way more noise than others. I genuinly would expect at least one reviewer (if not most of them) to have picked up on this otherwise, I've only ever seen 1 review mentioning it for 3 seconds so far (and some home made videos that were shared before on this forum/thread).
If this really can't be fixed / is the way the car is, my goal will be to pay this thing off as much / as quickly as possible and to get rid of it in a year ot 2 when it becomes available for "used EV rebate" for the next buyer here in Quebec. I'll then replace it with whatever will be available then and that is as close to silent motor wise as possible and > 350 km range (right now that'd be a Model 3, hopefully there will be others in the market at that time, maybe new VW crossover, Model Y... We'll see). In the meantime my SO who's used to Hyundais and does hear the sound but is not as bothered as I am by it will be driving this 90% of the time and I'll stick to my ICE ... This was my first Hyundai and will be my last.
Sorry to hear that news. It seems when a new model is manufactured there is always some hiccups. From my experience so far I have had excellent service from the local dealer pertaining to warranty issues , I hope you have the same fortune when you bring it in for the new pads/clips.
robxb
Active Member
Hey Victor, have you noticed if it happens when on Regen 0?
No answer from him it would seem but I can answer from my end ; no, it does not happen on regen level 0 or neutral. Only in Drive when accelerating or regen (any level really, but not 0). If you brake while on neutral ; no noise either (for me at least).
victor_2019
Active Member
No it only makes noise when the VFD is actively making torque, so during acceleration or regen
Hi, I have the same issue with the noise. I have the dealer's certified tech sit in my car and he heard the sound. He does not know the problem due to lack of experience. I had him communicate with Hyundai Engineers and they said they are not aware of this noise.
Please feel free to send them my recordings earlier in this thread.
So it looks like the first 2020 models are being delivered here in Quebec (Canada).
If anyone has any feedback on whether this is fixed or not on the 2020s ; would be much appreciated!
From the first few videos and pictures it looks like the 2020 is completely identical to the 2019 minus bigger infotainment screen for the ultimate and infinity audio on the preferred trim (at least in Canada) so I have some doubts on whether this will be fixed or not, but you never know...
If anyone has any feedback on whether this is fixed or not on the 2020s ; would be much appreciated!
From the first few videos and pictures it looks like the 2020 is completely identical to the 2019 minus bigger infotainment screen for the ultimate and infinity audio on the preferred trim (at least in Canada) so I have some doubts on whether this will be fixed or not, but you never know...
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apu
Well-Known Member
Well not completely identical. The Canadian 2020 preferred is $1000 more expensive. In all seriousness my experience with past Hyundai purchases has suggested avoiding the first 2 models years after they start selling a new vehicle. Not unlike other manufacturers in a push to market they seem to leave some of their beta testing to the end consumer. I broke my rule hoping they had their sheet together with seemingly reliable ioniq, but I suspect I should have waited. I guess time will tell.
apu
Well-Known Member
I don't think that is correct. Kona first appeared at the Geneva show April 2018, and serial production did not start until that summer. Hyundai UK started to takes orders August 1, 2018 with anticipated first deliveries in 2019. Pretty much the same as Canada's timeline. https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/news/162...letter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
Esprit1st
Well-Known Member
So, I guess I was wrong, it's not a whole year between the UK versus the US. However it was September 2018 when Nigel from the EV Puzzle YouTube channel got his Kona. So it's about half a year earlier than the US. The Wikipedia page for the Kona states first half of 2018 in Korea.
Not sure if they did any changes from that 2018 model to our US 2019 model. Probably not. [emoji848]
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