High-Pitched Motor Noise

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Aaron Cruikshank said:
I got mine in March, 2019 and it was completely silent until about 3,000 km. Now I am at nearly 32,000 km and it still makes the noise and if anything, the hissing is louder now than this time last year. Dealership won't deal with it. Hyundai Canada won't deal with it. It makes me upset every time I hear the hissing noise. I'm trying really hard to consider it as a "normal" sound that the car makes but it's really not. Sounds like a bad break job.
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Pardon my one year absence from the forum - life has gotten the better of me.

As per this thread and Aaron's most recent comment - I have taken the car to my local Hyundai dealership in Burlington, Ontario on many occasions.
They have been more than accommodating each time. I have had several parts replaced and unfortunately, the hissing sound persists.
I have come to terms with this and truly do believe that this is how they've been built/engineered. My point has been solidified when my next door neighbor happened to score a canceled order 2020 Kona EV about 2 months ago. It has the identical hissing sound from day one. I now have over 50,000 KM on my car and the hissing has not subsided, and I cannot say for certain that it's gotten worse. At this point, I've also seen a hand full of other Kona EV's in the wild including watching someone take one out for a test drive at my dealership and all have made the hissing noise.

By this point, Hyundai is unable/unwilling to do anything more for me as pretty much every drivetrain related part has been replaced. I have thrown in the towel on trying. I was hoping that somehow the latest software update recall would fix the issue, but that's not the case. I took my car in for the recall last week and it still hisses like a pi**ed off cat!
 
Aaron Cruikshank said:
I got mine in March, 2019 and it was completely silent until about 3,000 km. Now I am at nearly 32,000 km and it still makes the noise and if anything, the hissing is louder now than this time last year. Dealership won't deal with it. Hyundai Canada won't deal with it. It makes me upset every time I hear the hissing noise. I'm trying really hard to consider it as a "normal" sound that the car makes but it's really not. Sounds like a bad break job.
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It's "normal" as it seems all 2019 versions of the kona seem to have the hissing sound. I met someone with a 2020 Kona and they said they don't have that hiss (I forgot to get him to drive by so that I could see if I could hear it). I've heard it in the all the kona's when they drive by but not in any other electric cars. The only people that have had this sound fixed is if you get the electric motor replaced. Those that had the lower gear drive or other parts replaced didn't fix the problem. I make it a point to get the dealership to make a complaint note on my record every time I go in for warranty service, software update, or recall service. Just keep complaining that the noise is making it uncomfortable driving with the windows down. The dealerships really don't have any desire to help with the hissing issue. Because of this I don't recommend the Kona to friends or people that ask me about the car at the charging stations.
 
Hey Brennan

I know you got lots of parts replaced but did they replace the actual electric motor? That seems to be the cause of the issue for another owner. After the motor replacement no more noise.



Brennan Raposo said:
Pardon my one year absence from the forum - life has gotten the better of me.

As per this thread and Aaron's most recent comment - I have taken the car to my local Hyundai dealership in Burlington, Ontario on many occasions.
They have been more than accommodating each time. I have had several parts replaced and unfortunately, the hissing sound persists.
I have come to terms with this and truly do believe that this is how they've been built/engineered. My point has been solidified when my next door neighbor happened to score a canceled order 2020 Kona EV about 2 months ago. It has the identical hissing sound from day one. I now have over 50,000 KM on my car and the hissing has not subsided, and I cannot say for certain that it's gotten worse. At this point, I've also seen a hand full of other Kona EV's in the wild including watching someone take one out for a test drive at my dealership and all have made the hissing noise.

By this point, Hyundai is unable/unwilling to do anything more for me as pretty much every drivetrain related part has been replaced. I have thrown in the towel on trying. I was hoping that somehow the latest software update recall would fix the issue, but that's not the case. I took my car in for the recall last week and it still hisses like a pi**ed off cat!
Click to expand...
 
Brennan Raposo said:
Pardon my one year absence from the forum - life has gotten the better of me.

As per this thread and Aaron's most recent comment - I have taken the car to my local Hyundai dealership in Burlington, Ontario on many occasions.
They have been more than accommodating each time. I have had several parts replaced and unfortunately, the hissing sound persists.
I have come to terms with this and truly do believe that this is how they've been built/engineered. My point has been solidified when my next door neighbor happened to score a canceled order 2020 Kona EV about 2 months ago. It has the identical hissing sound from day one. I now have over 50,000 KM on my car and the hissing has not subsided, and I cannot say for certain that it's gotten worse. At this point, I've also seen a hand full of other Kona EV's in the wild including watching someone take one out for a test drive at my dealership and all have made the hissing noise.

By this point, Hyundai is unable/unwilling to do anything more for me as pretty much every drivetrain related part has been replaced. I have thrown in the towel on trying. I was hoping that somehow the latest software update recall would fix the issue, but that's not the case. I took my car in for the recall last week and it still hisses like a pi**ed off cat!
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Welcome back... maybe you will get lucky when the weather gets cooler and acquire the "tapping noise" aka: clunking vibration type sound.
https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/clunking-vibration-type-sound.7262/
The second thing they will do (after rotating the shaft is to change the motor) at least according to the dealer tech I deal with.;)
 
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I have the hissing sound and/or high pitched noise at low speeds. It has been there since purchase. The hissing normally clears after driving for a little though the high pitched noise remains. I normally do drive with the AC on Auto and just drive so most times I do not hear it. With windows down and driving next to a fence or parked cars, it can clearly be heard. A neighbor did state that my car was loud compared to their son's Tesla. I guess it is a good thing I am heard.

I highly doubt that Hyundai can or would be willing to provide corrective action given the sheer scope/cost of replacing all of these units. I love the car and the amenities. Between this and a Tesla the Kona was a perfect fit. I just do not have faith in the dealers to handle this correctly or rectify various small issues. Glad some have had very helpful places - customer service is a lost art. Out here in NY there is no such thing since almost all Hyundai dealers are part of one group.

Hyundai has taken a big chance with electrification and lets hop they treat the early customers right.
 
Stickyman said:
I have the hissing sound and/or high pitched noise at low speeds. It has been there since purchase. The hissing normally clears after driving for a little though the high pitched noise remains. I normally do drive with the AC on Auto and just drive so most times I do not hear it. With windows down and driving next to a fence or parked cars, it can clearly be heard. A neighbor did state that my car was loud compared to their son's Tesla. I guess it is a good thing I am heard.
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Any idea where the hissing noise comes from? If you are stopped, does it still occur? What about if you are in "P"?
 
Your "hissing" is normal inverter noise. Did you ever listen to a Prius coming to
a stop, particularly the third-generation cars from 2010 on? Read some of the
prior knowledge in this very thread, and I think your questions will be answered.

_H*
 
I am new to the forum but I have a 2019 Kona EV with similar noise issues. My experience is similar to most people posting here. Prior to getting my Kona I had a Prius C and Nissan Leaf. Neither made the kind of whining noise that the Kona makes and I'm extremely disappointed.

Dealer response has been poor. I took it to the dealer for inspection (even bought the extended warranty) because the noise appears to be getting louder over time. (Currently 12K km on the vehicle). The dealer told me that they would look at it, but if they find it's not a defect and it's normal behavior then I'll be billed for the shop time it takes them to check it out.

The only way I can drive the vehicle on the highway is with noise cancelling earbuds, otherwise the sound is just overwhelmingly annoying. At this point if Hyundai doesn't acknowledge the issue and support its customers I will seriously considering selling the car and replacing it with one............ one of one
 
Update on my noise issue.

They put the Kona on a lift, ran the motor and sure enough there was a loud noise that they took a cell phone video of as a record of the inspection. It was a different sound than what I hear inside the vehicle as a whine.

Today when I brought it back for further inspection they found that the transmission is shot. The service agent said when the mechanic opened it up to inspect it, the fluid inside was completely black.

So now I'm in a Hyundai Tuscon loaner while they order a new transmission from Korea, which they said could take up to 3 weeks.
 
Ted Riecken said:
Update on my noise issue.

They put the Kona on a lift, ran the motor and sure enough there was a loud noise that they took a cell phone video of as a record of the inspection. It was a different sound than what I hear inside the vehicle as a whine.

Today when I brought it back for further inspection they found that the transmission is shot. The service agent said when the mechanic opened it up to inspect it, the fluid inside was completely black.

So now I'm in a Hyundai Tuscon loaner while they order a new transmission from Korea, which they said could take up to 3 weeks.
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Good to hear dealer support is now working for you, in all fairness they may have had to wait for an OK from Hyundai to proceed. Hopefully the new gearbox solves the issue when it arrives. What is your location?
 
I was in yesterday for my tire rotation and inspection. I mentioned some noise from my mirror (in another thread) and they began to tell me it was the VESS and I gave up. They are already replacing a cracked tail light and will be close to being the annoying as the service person working with me was helpful.

the hiss hasn’t gotten worse (yet) and I have a fix for the mirror so I will deal for now pending others’ results. Let us know how the new transmission works. I am assuming it is the reducer year?
 
doggyworld said:
I just noticed this high pitched noise when going about 70mph and over. I can't seem to hear it or at least notice it inside the cabin until around 70mph. I think even if I have the Regen set to 0 and let off the accelerator, it still exists so I'm not sure it's tied to the power or regen. I'm not sure if this is the same sound as everyone else is complaining about, but it's definitely a high pitched noise that I don't think I noticed it before.

Does anyone else experience this? Anyone know what it could be?

As a side note, I do notice the high pitch engine sound with my windows down going slowly that is tied to the engine, but that doesn't seem to bother me because I don't hear it inside the cabin. I'm not sure if this is the same noise since this noise doesn't seem to turn off when I let off the acceleration.
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For this one check your mirror. If a slightly larger gap is present the two parts act like a reed in a wind instrument. Mine happens at higher speeds and I “fixed” it using thin pieces of rubber.
 
electriceddy said:
Good to hear dealer support is now working for you, in all fairness they may have had to wait for an OK from Hyundai to proceed. Hopefully the new gearbox solves the issue when it arrives. What is your location?
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I am in Victoria BC. I asked the service manager if they had seen other Kona EVs with this problem and she said they had another one, same problem. So it's a known issue....
 
Ted Riecken said:
Update on my noise issue.

They put the Kona on a lift, ran the motor and sure enough there was a loud noise that they took a cell phone video of as a record of the inspection. It was a different sound than what I hear inside the vehicle as a whine.

Today when I brought it back for further inspection they found that the transmission is shot. The service agent said when the mechanic opened it up to inspect it, the fluid inside was completely black.

So now I'm in a Hyundai Tuscon loaner while they order a new transmission from Korea, which they said could take up to 3 weeks.
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What would cause the gear reduction assembly; aka "gearbox" fluid to become black? Is there no way to check the status of the fluid such as a drain plug/refill to prevent this from happening with regular checks at X miles/kms (without having to remove the entire assembly) ?
I hate to mention it:eek:, but something resembling an oil change at regular intervals:(
 
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Well, if it's engineered right, you don't have to check it for 130k miles or so? (Check mtx manual)

I guess they didn't engineer it to last only 5k miles ... [emoji1787][emoji22]
 
KiwiME said:
Very fine wear particles which I'm thinking are aluminium since steel particles don't discolour the oil in my experience. This should not happen in a normal gearbox.
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Yeah, but what is there that is aluminum that is wearing? The bearings, shafts and gears should be steel.
 
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