Today I noticed a sound as I was driving almost like I forgot to shut a door. I believe it is coming from the vent which is located on the right side of the back seat. I'm not sure if I ever heard this before. It's been in the 90's this week.
View 3 RepliesA few weeks ago I started to notice that the battery vent fan was turning on way more than usual. I've had the car now for five years (34K miles) and I've only heard the fan go on a handful of times, even in the hot Las Vegas summers. Once I really started to pay attention to it I noticed the noise only started once I hit about 30-35 mph and got louder as I went faster. As I slowed down, the noise would get quieter and eventually stop as the car came to a stop.
This week I caved and brought the car in to the dealer to get checked out and they did an inspection of the vent, fan and did a complete diagnostic on the hybrid system and batteries. I was worried about damage to the traction battery if the vent fan was malfunctioning or clogged. I'm out of warranty with no extended coverage so I was pretty shocked that the dealer didn't charge me a dime to do the tests. All the tests came back clean and they said all the systems tested above average and that the fan was operating normally so I shouldn't worry about it.
But the noise still persists and it's starting to drive me a little batty. It has never made this much noise before. Is there something else that could be going on that the dealer missed? Maybe the noise I'm hearing is something else and it only sounds like it's coming from that area?
So my 2012 GTI (2DR/6spd/Nav) has a crackling/static sound coming out of the passenger vent.
I took off the vent and the side panel of the dash and took a look around, and can't find anything that causes the sound. It's sounds like static, and it pops and crackles.
It happens particularly on rough roads, and it's driving me insane! I wouldn't mind it so much if I knew what was causing it.
When I turn the fan on, the sound I get from the vent is *tick* *tick* *tick* *tick* as the fan turns. Does the whole dashboard has to come out fix it? I am hesitant to bring it to the dealer & have him rip the whole thing apart just for the fan ticking, but it sure is annoying too. It started about 6 months ago here.
View 13 RepliesI have been noticing a rattle noise coming from the a/c vent with the setting on the lowest. What this may be?
View 4 RepliesMy 2010 450h emits a fluttering sound on windy days. The noise sounds like a hvac flap could be vibrating when the wind hits. The noise is not loud by any means, however can get very annoying hearing it everything the wind gusts hit when you are at a stop. The other afternoon I was doing some basic winter prep under the hood and I could hear it under the hood as well.
I got my 2010 as a Lexus CPO early in 2013 and the noise has been there since day one, it's not something that developed recently. The last time I took it in I got a fail to replicate response from the dealership.
My 2010 Prius was hit while parked. The left side was wiped out and the whole car was pushed sideways about 2-3 inches, with the parking brake on. Toyota checked out the car and said everything looked fine. But there is this odd sounding humm coming from the rear of the car. Toyota says that is normal. Is this true?
View 1 RepliesI heard a fan sound coming from the back seat after driving in traffic for 45 minutes. It was coming from the vent in the back seat. I didn't know that that vent had an electric fan. I assume it was the battery being cooled. I have never heard this sound before.
View 5 RepliesI have a 2011 Prius, only owned it a couple of months. Today while it was idling I noticed a sucking sound coming from the gas tank. Not constant, sort of a second of suction then a second stopped, and repeat. Thought maybe the gas cap wasn't on right, opened it and closed it again, then finished driving where I was going to monitor it. The sound continued until I turned the car off. Went to try it later in the day and there was no sound, but I don't exactly trust that it's a non-problem yet.
View 11 RepliesMy 2010 prius is making a strange sound, and has been since day one.
It makes a "Clicking" sound sometimes that can be heard inside the cabin and sounds like it is coming from the center dash. It is definitely NOT a squeaky dash or door panel or anything like that. It is definitely electrical in nature. It almost sounds like a very fast clicking relay or maybe another electrical component. It is fairly high pitched (not like the inverter whine, though) and definitely clicking (maybe buzzing), not constant. It sort of sounds like a cricket. I am working on adding some audio/video to this post, should have some up today.
Here are some things I have noticed about the noise:
1. Only happens when gas pedal is depressed, not when braking or coasting.
2. When the display is in "Eco" it happens loudest and consistently when the bar is 3/4 of the way full, but it can happen (although the clicking is slower and less consistent) at 1/2 or just before the power section of the bar.
3. The car must be "warmed up" i.e. doesn't happen right away, car must be driven for 10-15 min if engine is cool.
4. Seems to be happening more/more quickly after starting the car in the hotter weather (I purchased my car in Feb.)
I test drove a new 2012 Prius Three today and heard an odd whining sound coming from the car. Seemed to be from the front area, but I'm not sure. The salesman said it was "sonar," which was added to the latest models so that pedestrians, particularly those who are hard of hearing will know you are coming.
View 16 RepliesWe took a trip from L.A. to Sedona AZ two weeks ago during the top of the heat wave. 120 degrees in Needles and 108 in Sedona for three days we were there. The car sat in the sun at the motel all three days except for one short hiking trip. Everything was fine, car ran great, and I didn't baby it, pretty much 75mph all the way there average. On the day we were leaving I went out to get prepared to leave and there was a distinct HUM coming from the rear, most probably the battery area. After a drive to the gas station and on our way out it resided, but I was concerned. Never heard this sound before.
Second thing is (twice I've noticed this), very hot days, I'm getting a lull in acceleration from stop. Whether in Normal or Power mode it's the same. (I regularly drive in Power mode). When hitting the pedal it *pauses* before it accelerates away, like when you start running out of gas in a gas vehicle.
Mine is 2010 gen 3 Prius. I bought it brand new and about 6,500 miles. From the beginning, I sometimes hear a grinding and rattling sound coming from the right passenger side. It is not from plastics. It is mechanical sound. But the problem is it does not happen all the time. So we were hesitant to go to dealer because they will never find it. But it got more frequent with cold weather.
Now, it does make rasping buzzing sound like a loose fan usually after I start a car in the morning and the heater is kicked in. I don't think it has something to do with fan because if I just run it itself in high speed, you cannot hear it. It is just some bad combination that makes this sound that makes you go crazy.
We are afraid that something big will happen after the warranty is over but as we expected the dealer said they do not hear the sound. The sound comes out in low accelerating and disappears in high accelerating. Now I really regret having bought Hybrid. It looks like the dealershop has no clue where to look at. I think the sound gets worse with the cold weather.
I have noticed an odd sound when coming to a stop. It sounds like a metal ball or two rolling forward when I brake then roll back and hit something when i come to a complete stop. At first i thought it was just something rolling around in the center console but I haven't found anything. What is under the center console/drivers seat that may have something that could roll like that?
View 1 RepliesMy wife has a 13 Prius persona. There is a rattling/banging sound coming from the front end on drivers side only. Car has not been in any accident. Toyota dealer has looked at it twice. First time could not hear noise. Second, he heard it. They looked at everything and then stated that it was the ABS Brakes testing. It sounds like something is loose- that is the best way to describe the noise. It happens fairly often, too. Never happened with my 2012 Prius model two when we had it.
View 3 RepliesOn the December day my 2013 Prius Five model (hatchback with all the safety add ons, bigger wheels) turned 18 months old, i was on the way to have one of the freebie services. I heard a metallic rattle, seemingly coming from the back of the interior. It continues and I cannot find a source for it. I just read a thread about rattles in the 2011s. Not particularly comforting given what I spent on the car.
Is this something I could have the dealer chase under the warranty? (this is the first new car i ever bought in my 50 years of driving, so my familiarity with new car warranties is a little thin.)
My dealer has been pretty responsive -- swapping out an interior door panel as a freebie when the armrest portion separated from the lower portion and collapsed into the door.
In my 2010, when I use the A/C, the air comes out cool and dry. When I turn the A/C off, and just run the vent, I notice a few things.
1) The air warms up (duh!)
2) The air is more humid (duh!)
3) The air has a mustier, stale smell to it.
When I just run the vent (and don't run A/C prior) I don't notice the odor, but if I then run the A/C for a bit and then run the vent, the musty/stale smell returns.
I've noticed it and tend to ignore it. My wife noticed it and pointed it out to me, and it prevents me from cycling the A/C off as the odor fills the cabin.
I did read the most recent thread on this, and while those lessons would be good if I was out of warranty, I'm about to go in for the 5k service after 2 months on the road.
View 19 RepliesI like to have heat coming out of the vent. However, in the winter, when I click for it to come out of the vent (as opposed to the floor), it turns on the A/C full blast. I then turn off the A/C and turn down the fan speed. About a minute or less, it automatically turns itself back to floor heat.
View 11 RepliesHow the rear seat vent works? When you started your car and car was moving, did you notice that vent is always blowing? OK, I just notice that my rear seat vent just keeps blowing when my car is moving. Especially, it is loud as I hear when I turn off my radio.
View 5 RepliesMy toddler spilled an open bottle of water from her rear facing car seat on the passenger side of my brand new Prius III. From what I can make out, her car seat and the sides of the passenger seat took most of the damage. But there were a few drops of water on the spokes of the battery vent. I cleaned it up and tried peering inside the vent to see if water got in but I couldn't tell much as it was dark out. We had to drive it back home as we were 20 miles away. What should my next steps be? Should I take it to the dealer in the morning to have the battery checked out? Can I remove the vent cover and wet vac it?? What signs should I look for? Am I looking at having to replace the battery!
View 15 Replies