High-Pitched Motor Noise

A good question! I hope everything will turn out well because the Kona electric has been a fantastic car for me so far.

 

This is very concerning. The optimist in me wants to give Hyundai the benefit of the doubt and assume they are doing their due diligence to identify and resolve the issue. The pessimist in me doesn't trust car manufacturers at all and worries about a cover-up. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I'll be due soon for my first 5000 mile service (basically, tire rotation), and I'm torn over whether or not to report the issue and start jumping through hoops with my local dealer if the problem doesn't have an officially approved resolution yet. Given that there are so few Kona Electrics on the road in the US, I worry that the dealer's inexperience with the car will only make matters worse.

 

Do you have a recording of the noise? If it's a knocking/tapping sound at low speeds then you're dealer is probably right and it needs a new motor because that's what causes that problem on the eNiro. If it's some other constant high-pitch ringing or grinding type sound then I have no idea.

Same reason any legacy car maker produces unprofitable compliance EVs. They have to make them or face large fines for not meeting emissions regulations - especially in Europe.

 

Hyundai brought Konas to NZ in mid 2018 and continues to keep up with local demand. We have no zero-emission requirements, Hyundai can pollute all they want.

 

I don't have a sound file from the noise in my Kona but I can confirm that it is exactly the same noise which you have postet (linked two YouTube Videos) in the Kia Niro thread "Tapping or Creaking Noise when coasting at low speed"
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/tapping-or-creaking-noise-when-coasting-at-low-speed.5915/page-3#post-92055

 

That's why I said "unprofitable compliance EVs". In regions where they are selling them at a profit, they have financial reasons to keep selling them. In most parts of the world they sell them at a loss in order to meet the sales targets required to satisfy regulations. This is also why in those regions they would rather buy back a defective car (as we've seen in examples posted on this forum) than waste a new motor that could be installed in a new car. New cars add to their mandated sales totals while repairing old cars does nothing since those cars have already been counted. They seem constrained on motor supply judging by the many months people are waiting for new motors in Europe. I waited over 6 weeks in USA.

Then it's definitely the same motor defect that plagues many Niros and Konas after they have put enough usage on the motor. Some cars fail early while others can go up to 18000 miles before developing the defect. I would like to see more reports of cars with high usage above 20000 miles (32000 km) that are still working correctly in order to determine the maximum possible lifespan of this motor design.

 

Interesting that this motor/gear issue/defect isn’t showing up in other than various EV forums. Is this an issue that’s only affecting a relatively small percentage so far? Hyundai/Kia, are you listening? Is it a good business model to ignore it? ARE YOU FIXING THE DEFECT, going forward?? Or do I bring my business elsewhere?


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Still holding off buying the Kona EV, despite the prices now becoming a bit less insane due to dealer markups. This noise issue is troubling to me, and I'm wondering if perhaps bearing fluting is involved (I hadn't seen this mentioned)?
https://www.motioncontroltips.com/electric-motor-fluting-what-is-it-and-what-causes-it/

 

I hadn't heard of this phenomenon before, but it is possible. Hyundai by now has probably torn down many failed motor/gearbox combinations, so they undoubtedly know a lot more than we do.

 

I found a Youtube video where someone completely disassembled the motor from a Bolt EV along with the reduction gear assembly. He noticed that most of the bearings were grey, one was shiny - he didn't know why this was the case, but in the comments someone said that the grey coating is insulation - presumably to prevent exactly this type of thing from happening.

 

Yeah, it's an issue understood by manufacturers and in any case I very much doubt an arc-damaged bearing would click, rather it would rumble. But more significantly notice that the primary gearset pinion is mounted on the motor shaft, not so in the Kona/eNiro which uses a spline to the reduction gearbox with unknown details. In my searches only the Leaf also has a spline. It's generally not good design practice to couple two fully constrained shafts with a splined connection unless precise alignment and adequate lubrication is assured. If the spline is not well lubricated fretting can occur but it's unclear so far if that is the problem in this case.
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/clunking-vibration-type-sound.7262/page-4#post-88220

 

Hmm. I was hoping there'd be some progress on the hissing noise. I'm at about 4,300 miles and have had it since around 1,500 miles. Some days it doesn't bother me but other days I feel like when I drive by people on the sidewalk they must think something is wrong with my car. I don't hear it with the windows up or when I'm driving fast or not next to a wall on the side of the road.

 

I don't know if this is similar to the clicking/loud motor noise I'm experiencing, but found folks on a Tesla forum complaining about what sounds like something similar. Although, theirs is seemingly happening at a much higher mileage.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/rear-axle-clicking.141781/

 

My 2020 Kona-EV ( purchased 12/17/19, mfg. 10/26/19, trim SRX, now 1,100 mi.) has recently developed a mid-tone motor noise that is quite loud when parked in my garage with the power on. I hear the same noise when in drives D, R, and N, but the car is silent in drive P.
I plan to take it to my dealer, Reeves Hyundai, Cerritos CA, and appreciate any help from members here to add to my description of the noise.

 

Whatever the problem is, it sure doesn't sound like the traction motor or the reduction gear. I assume you know what VESS sounds like - that's one noise that gets turned off when you go into "P".

There aren't *that* many other motors under the hood - perhaps the coolant pump? I assume you have turned the climate completely off when you do these tests.

 

Thx for the ideas.
I don't know what the VESS sounds like but I'm parked, not moving, it's a steady motor noise. Per google ; "VESS mimicks the sound of an idling internal combustion engine". Climate is turned off and you may be referring to batt. coolant pump ?

 

Yeah, that's sort of the general idea - VESS mimicks that sound, but it honestly doesn't sound like an idling motor. It is just a noise to alert pedestrians that you are there. To me it sounds sort of like an electronic chord. It really bugs some people so they disconnect or disable it, and there are youtube videos where people hack the thing:



Normally the pitch of the noise from VESS rises as the speed of the vehicle increases, and then it fades out above 20mph. If you are parked the pitch would be fixed, but if you put the vehicle in park, the noise should abruptly stop. Put it back in gear again, and it will abruptly begin again. In reverse, there is also a soft 'dinging' chime mixed in with this - to alert people that someone is backing up.

Yes, I was referring to a battery coolant pump. Normally that never makes any noise that I have ever noticed. I really can't think of any other motors that would be beneath the hood.