High-pitch Whine At Highway Speeds Options

[lucas98]

OK, here's my pet peeve with my Sonata (which I really like otherwise).......

When I'm driving at a certain speed (usually between 65-70 mph), my 06 Sonata GLS V6 develops a really soft (but really annoying) high-pitched whine that decreases when you take your foot off the gas. Not much at other speeds (sometimes it will kick in real quick at high rpm before the automatic trans shifts), but when the car hits 66-67 mph that little subtle whine kicks in. By 75 mph, it's gone (thank god I drive 75+). Sounds just like a high-pitched dog whistle.

Not a wind noise....sometimes it sounds like it comes from below me, sometimes it sounds like it's coming from the dash. Dealer don't hear anything (of course), even when I'm in the car with the tech and can hear it (maybe I'm part dog.....who knows).

Here's my guess.......I think that it's the electric fuel pump. Sometimes if I'm outside the car, I'll hear a whine back in the fuel area that is almost the same pitch as the whine I hear at 70. Since the whine varies (or disappears) with engine rpm and application of the gas pedal, my thought is that I'm hearing the fuel pump hit a certain pitch, which causes the whine.

Anyone out there have this problem with their '06 Sonata?

[RobbyZ]

Doubt you'd be able to hear the fuel pump at 75+ mph over road noise, but it's possible.

Have you checked the front grille area for debris that could be causing a "whistle?" Just a thought...

Rob

[ssonata78]

My 2000 sonata has a whine like its a remote control car or one of them supped up cars or a light truck but I only hear it when im going slow maybe 5 mph, i never had it looked at and it doesnt do it when im at high speeds that im aware of. Mine sounds like it comes from the front, i was thinking it was my driveshaft. Noises do funny things, maybe the sound is bouncing off different items and that could explain why it sounds like its from the dash when its really not.

Steve

[lucas98]

I thought that it was a wind-related noise too before I was standing outside the care one day with the engine running and could hear the same pitch whine from back near the gas tank. That (and the fact that if you lay off the gas pedal the whine will stop, even if still going 70 mph) made me turn away from wind noise and wonder if it was a fuel pump motor whine.

Wonder if it could be an air leak in the intake?

[Da Gunner]

One of the things about these cars is how quiet they are. If anything unusual is going on, the usual road / wind noise is not going to mask it. The only thing I have noticed is the sound these Michelin MXV's create on different type road surfaces. They are a good tire, but they do generate a whine on different surfaces.

If you are experiencing an intake leak, you should feel a loss of response in the throttle at the same time.

Any chance of noise from a sunroof or the air dam in front of the sunroof opening? (didn't catch whether your car came with one or not).

Does it matter if you have the air conditioner on or off? (another potential for mechanical noise or vacuum leaks)

Any chance someone else could drive the car while you "crawl around" inside the car and try to localize it? It might be helpful to let the back seats down and see if the sound increases. I suspect the noise should get louder if it is actually coming from the fuel pump.

Thanks for sharing. These types of problems are bound to crop up on a new design, and by making the community aware, everyone benefits. Close the loop for us and let us know what the source of the problem is when you do find it.

[Da Gunner]

After rereading your post, it occurs to me the problem may be vibration / heat shield related. You said that you could hear the same sound at higher rpms before the transmission shifted. You might be able to recreate the problem sitting still just by bringing the rpms up to the same range you typically have when traveling 70 mph. If you are hearing a heat shield on the engine begin to oscillate at certain rpms, you will hear it sitting still, particularly if you can do this inside your garage ( with the door open, of course ).

If it is a heat shield on the tranny, that may only be able to be recreated at speed. My .02

[drf]

My 2006 Sonata LX has the same high-pitched sound that you describe. I don't think this is wind noise. I do think it's very annoying. The car is only 3 months old, but I'm going to take it in tomorrow to have the following things diagnosed and fixed.

1. Windshield washer did not work yesterday when I tired it. Fluid is full, but no fluid is being pumped from either nozzle. Very dangerous situation encountered yesterday, when windshield got dirty from road spray (rain mist).

2. High pitched noise at higher speeds, similar to noise described on this forum. Had this problem since I purchased car. I'm affraid this is a symptom of a more serious problem waiting to materialize.

3. Low pitched rattling noise on braking at very low speeds, similar to noise describe on this forum. Have some ideas on this problem based on reading some of the forum posts.

Items 2 & 3 will likely be harder to diagnose and fix, but I'm holding Hyundai's feet to the fire until they get them fixed.

I'll let the forum know the findings and results. Any suggestions would be welcome.

This post has been edited by drf: Jan 11 2006, 08:45 PM

[lucas98]

Nice to know that I'm not crazy. :banana: My family might have a different opinion, though. :banana:

drf.......please post when you get back from the dealer and let me know what you find out. If I could get that fixed the car would be more than fine to me.

The more I listen to it, the more I'm beginning to wonder if the whine might be transaxle related. If I had to bet on it, though, I'd say fuel pump. Maybe I should put on true dual exhausts and a couple of Flowmasters to drown out the whine. Wonder what that would do to the torque curve......heh heh. :beer:

[johnnyo]

I also have noticed that high pitched whine. It is definitely RPM related and originates under the hood. If you have a passenger or the radio is on, you can't hear it over the conversation, but if all is quiet, you hear it. Wonder if it is an alternator whine?
John Feel free to respond to oj_101@hotmail.com also.

[wolfcub]

Has anyone gotten a resolution to this problem?? My 2006 Sonata has just recently begun making this noise btw 60-65 MPH. I have sat in the driveway and revved the engine to the RPM's that would be turning when I was going 60-65 MPH and the noise does not appear. As soon as I hit 70 MPH the noise goes away.

Has anyone consulted with thier dealer about this and gotten an answer or has anyone spoken with Hyundai Global about this matter???

[ElonCooper]

I wonder what happens if you are going at a steady 60-65 with the whine, and then shift into Neutral. If the sound goes away immediately, it may point to the transmission or other drive line items. If it slowly goes away, it could point to something else like tires or wind noise.

If the noise is not evident just sitting in park keeping a constant RPM in the cruising range, I woudn't suspect fuel pump or alternator. Just a thought.

[wolfcub]

I wonder what happens if you are going at a steady 60-65 with the whine, and then shift into Neutral.  If the sound goes away immediately, it may point to the transmission or other drive line items.  If it slowly goes away, it could point to something else like tires or wind noise.

If the noise is not evident just sitting in park keeping a constant RPM in the cruising range, I woudn't suspect fuel pump or alternator.  Just a thought.
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Okay so I tried the whole driving down the road and putting it in neutral. I got to exactly 60 MPH where my whine is worst and dropped the transmission into neutral. The Whine IMMEDIATELY ceased. As soon as I put it back into gear and got back to 60 it came back. Also, I tried switching to the 5 speed option and it still did it at 60 MPH. One other thing I noticed is that at 60 it is the most noticable but as I accelerate to 70 the pitch of the whine changes with the increase in speed.

[stodge]

Record the noise when you're driving and talk through what's happening when you drop it into neutral. Make sure the noise was recorded along with you saying when you slip into and out of neutral and play it to your dealer. Ask to speak to the foreman or the service manager.

[lucas98]

I don't know if the whine is loud enough to actually record it............it's not very loud, but it's annoying.

It does seem to be loudest when you give it a little bit (not a lot) of gas pedal at about 65-70 mph. When you lay off the pedal, the whine drops a lot (or disappears altogether). Even with the car in D, if you lay off the pedal the whine really drops. If you give it a LOT of pedal, the whine drops too. crazy.

[Propflux01]

possibly be the power steering pump. Mine makes a whine type noise, similar to an old ford thats low on PS fluid. Maybe yours whines higher?

[Anubis]

Hey everyone! I have had my 2006 Sonata LX since July 05. I think I may also be experiencing this same problem or one similar. This problem is sporadic for me. Let me explain.

My problem usually occurs from a stopping position or while moving very slow. When I start to accelerate I can hear this vibration/whine come from what sounds like behind my steering wheel/dash or in the engine. It will get loader and become more persistant as I accelerate until I shift to the next gear. Then it is gone. I have been able to reproduce the sound twice while sitting in park in my drive way and revving the engine. I don't usually get the chance to drive at higher speeds so I can't verify if it happens around the speed everyone else is talking about. I don't know what it is and the dealership can't find a single thing wrong. The only thing I haven't done is have the service tech sit with me while I drive, but even then I can't get it to happen every single time.

I am getting extremely frustrated and would like this fixed. Does anyone have a suggestion? Does anyone think this is related? Please help!

[wolfcub]

I have an appointment on next Wednesday to go for a drive with a Tech at my dealership. I will keep you posted on what happens.

This post has been edited by wolfcub: Feb 6 2006, 09:05 AM

[wolfcub]

I am bumping this because I am trying to get as much info. on this as possible before I go to the dealer for my test drive with a technician.

Has anyone gotten any further with this matter and has anyone spoken to Hyundai Corporation about this. In addition, anyone spoke with NHTSA??

I have done a lot of Internet Searching about this issue and it appears all over the Internet but I cannot find any information about resolutions or complaints filed.

This post has been edited by wolfcub: Feb 6 2006, 09:09 AM

[lucas98]

I'm setting up an appointment with my dealer to address this again.......this time with the service manager instead of the technician. Let's see what they have to say this time.........

[wolfcub]

I am going tomorrow, will keep you posted. Please do the same.