I thought it was the tired due to the cold weather. But now it is warmer the noise is still there. Bareknuckes previously mentioned wheel bearings as a potential problem. The car is driving (sound-wise) like I have some huge mud-bogger tires on or like crossing a cattle-guard continuously. so loud (in the cabin) that sometime I forget to shift because I hear the humming rather than the engine.
View 2 RepliesMy 2002 outback tape deck, which I use primarily to listen to my phone via a cassette adaptor, has recently started making a very loud buzzing/humming noise. It does this with both my old and a new adaptor, as well as a standard audio tape.
I could try using a head cleaner on the tape deck, but my impression is that this isn't what typically would happen if the head needs cleaning, and I don't particular want to waste the time and money on a solution that I'm pretty sure isn't going to work, but I'm asking you all in case you know better than me (a real possibility). I just don't know if I should try that first, or if I should just go out and purchase a new car stereo that has either blue tooth, or an audio input plug so I can directly plug the phone in that way.
Also if I do go the way of replacing the stereo, is that generally a straightforward process? And would most replacement stereos be compatible with my vehicle, or do I need to be selective?
This is a question about a Subaru Outback, but probably pertains to many other cars as well. I have a 2006 Subaru Outback with 112K miles. I bought new tires for it in May 2012, and in September 2013 I started to notice a low humming/buzzing sound while driving. I looked online and came up with 2 options - either the wheel bearings or the tires. Because the sound changed pitch depending on the road surface, I thought it must be the tires. I took it in for an oil change and had the mechanics check the bearings. They said the bearings were fine, but the tires were cupping and feathering badly because I hadn't rotated them, and that was the source of the noise.
I had them rotate the tires and do an alignment and went on my way. The sound slowly got worse - it peaks at ~65 MPH and then changes pitch above 70 MPH and is not so bothersome - and I started to lose gas mileage ( 4-5 MPG). On Dec. 30, 2013 I took it in for the next oil change and bought brand new tires - Bridgestone Turanza Serenity designed for quietness - and had them do an alignment, and drove away only to find that the noise is still there and I still have lousy gas mileage.
My next thoughts were the transmission or the catalytic converter, but since the noise doesn't change when I take my foot off the gas or put it in neutral I don't think it is either one of those. The alignment showed that the Caster on both front tires is off, but since both tires are off by roughly equal amounts I was told that this is not something to worry about. I do occasionally notice some vibration while driving or while idling, but it is intermittent and I don't think it has anything to do with the noise.
I noticed a low humming noise lately on my wife's 2007 Outback which started at around 40 MPH or so. I thought it might be something with the added roof rack attachment or tires which are Michellen Rain Force tires installed about a year ago. It sounds like an aerodynamic issue to me. Nothing has changed on the roof racks and the tires show no sings at all of unusual wear.
I looked in front of the vehicle and underneath to see if I could see something and noticed the cowling immediately under the exhaust manifold and where I removed the small door for frequent oil changes is bowed down in the rear creating a scoop which I think is the humming noise. I am trying to find the darn door in the garage so I can re-install it, but it got me thinking, is the whole cowling even necessary to have under there?
I know it can prevent rocks and things from hitting the underside of the engine, but is it really more for simply aerodynamics? It is a pain sometimes working underneath because it blocks access to everything. I was thinking of simply removing the entire contraption.
I recently (~2 weeks ago) had the air conditioner's compressor replaced in my 2003 Subaru Outback. Now, when I turn it on, it makes several loud noises like what an elephant would sound like. As well as noises that sound like a bubble popping in the "bubble blast/bubble popper" smart phone games. Every time it makes one of these noises, it also chugs the vehicle a little bit. If I turn it off, then back on again and set it to the lowest fan setting, it eventually stops.
Of course when I called the place where I had the compressor replaced, and brought it back in to them, it did not do it for them. I'm just glad that it FINALLY did it today for my husband to hear. That way I don't have to hear about it being chalked up to "pregnancy brain imagination". It originally started happening only if I had the air conditioner already on when I turned the vehicle on. Now it has progressed to every time the air is turned on in general. What could be happening?
I have a 2006 Subaru Outback. When I start it, it makes a constant rather loud rumbling noise that seems to be coming from the rear of the car. I can feel a little vibration through the steering wheel, but when I put the car in neutral the noise/vibration goes away.
View 10 RepliesI have a 2009 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with 42k miles. I purchased the vehicle about 2 weeks ago, and since the day I got it i noticed a vibrating noise inside. It is not too loud and so it did not bother me at first, but I have become increasingly more and more annoyed with it. It is constant, as long as the engine in running. It varies in pitch depending on the rpm of the motor, but never goes away. Does not change with the air conditioner on or off, and does not change with the radio on or off. It is not engine noise, and is not noticeable outside the vehicle, but it loud enough that it is heard by all in the car.I took it to the Subaru dealership and they could not pinpoint the noise, and said that the vehicle was sound.I then had a mechanic friend look at it, and he traced it to under the driver's side kick panel, but could not pinpoint it further.
View 1 RepliesI get a loud noise from the rear of my 2005 Subaru Outback, 67k miles.(No it's not my dog Pete)Starts as a WHOP, WHOP, WHOP that speeds up as the car speeds up 'til it's a loud drone at cruising speed. I thought it was older tires but changed those Saturday. No effect.
View 1 RepliesI bought this Subaru used with 350 000 km's on it,and I haven't added that many kilometers to it yet at all. For some reason whenever I drive on the highway and get my speed up to about 120 the front left part of the car (somewhere underneath the hood I believe) starts to make a loud gurgling type of noise. I know that the suspension on that front left tire is missing, but I don't feel the rumbling on my steering wheel and I don't think it's coming from there.
View 8 RepliesI purchased a new Outback Limited (2.5) in April of this year. I've got a service appointment coming up next week for an oil change anyway, and I noticed that the road noise from the sunroof is very loud.
I own an `09 Legacy Limited which also has a sunroof and it's not even close in terms of loudness.
When I called to make my service appointment, I was told that this is really "normal" for the sunroof, and I obviously don't think so.
My Outback has a sunroof air deflector which might be causing the problem - none of my other cars have had this option and it came with it when I purchased it. I'm considering removing it, but I want to be sure this is the cause rather than a problem with the sunroof itself.
Has driven an `11 Outback with a sunroof (with or without an air deflector), and if you have, is it noticably louder than other cars you've driven?
I am about to buy a 2003 Subaru Legacy Outback Sedan H6-3.0. When it gets up to about 40-45mph it begins a low hum or moan and gets louder as it goes faster. At freeway cruising speed the whole car is moaning with what I would describe as a mild vibration. My first inclination is to think it is a wheel bearing issue.My wife thinks it might be a tire issue. She said she remembers the friend that we might buy it from saying that she had replaced two of the tires on it. I know that on all wheel drive vehicles you have to replace all 4 tires at the same time. Could that cause a sound like this? If so how long might it take to cause damage to the drive system with different size tires?
View 5 Replies2007 GS 350. In the past 6 months i have changed my FRONT brake pads with two different pair. First was a generic pad(REMOVED), and did some research then went for Akebono(CURRENTLY) brake pads 2-months noise-free and now back to braking noise dilemma.
Issues:
-In the morning, first 3-5 pressed brakes makes loud(REALLY LOUD!) humming noise then goes away. Feels like the brakes are rusty but it continually does it everyday. I just got the car serviced so assuming all my fluids are filled.
-Randomly, on a fully stopped brake i hear a whistle noise from the front brake. NOT as loud described above.
-I noticed the noise happened the most on HOT weather, and occasionally on COLD weather.
Longo Lexus advice me to buy an OEM brake pads and should resolve this problem. I'm also thinking of just getting it done at the dealership and pay that extra cash plus warranty.
I have a 2004 outback with just over 100k miles on it. It has been making a loud vibrating sound lately. It makes the sound when idling and even louder when I step on the gas, but at highway speeds the sound disappears. I do not actually FEEL a vibration, it just sounds as though something is vibrating/rattling. We had a mechanic check it out and they thought it was an exhaust issue. Apparently not, because the sound is still there.
View 4 RepliesMy 2004 Outback Wagon started making a loud whining sound the other day - but only in reverse. I've been told that it's the brakes.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2011 Subaru Outback with 40000 miles. For the third time since I've had it (6 months), the engine suddenly gets very loud at highway speeds while I am on cruise control. The RPMs go up about 500 and this lasts for a few minutes before going away. What is going on?
View 9 RepliesWhen I start my Subaru 2001 Outback, it makes an awful sound. Not as much as a screech, but more like a loud grinding, and then it wanes and goes away after about a minute. Then when the car is warm, the sound is all about gone. It's been going on for a few weeks now and wasn't there before.
Listen to the audio file below.
Two different Subaru dealership repair shops told me that i have loose rear wheel bearings on my 2003 Outback. My car does sound like a VERY loud airplane all the time now, but the noise is the only symptom i have noticed. My shop has told me that they will fix it for a discounted price, but they are not pushing me to get it fixed, and have told me that it shouldn't cause any actual problems besides the loud noise being very annoying. All internet research to the contrary, though. I have to drive about 1000 miles round trip next month -- is it just going to be a noisy trip, or is something horrible going to happen if i don't get the bearings taken care of?
View 12 Replies2011 Subaru Outback; in January of 2015 the airbag warning icon shows on the dashboard and a loud alarm sound is played. If I turn the car off and on and I make it go away. Not easy when driving 75 mph on mountain highways. Dealer where I purchased the car has been useless; three visits there and a dozen unreturned phone calls.
View 3 Replies2006 Subaru Outback
I am driving along and my radio go silent. the AC & the blower go out at the same time. I drop off the car in to the Subaru dealer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. they call me back in a couple of hours and tell me I have bad radio that might work for a while longer but they recommend replacing it. $350 plus tax & labor.
I get the car back and the scan button no longer works & the buttons stick. does this seem right?
I have a 2006 Outback XT, which recently started shuddering (like it wants to stall) at idle... At least that's how it started. I noticed it for a few weeks but with no check-engine light, and no error codes cropping up, I kind of ignored it. It then started to stall at idle. Took it to my local guy, who checked all the simple stuff: vacuum hoses, mass air flow sensor, he even removed and cleaned up the throttle body. But the problem persists.
I guess the part that really has me puzzled is the lack of a check-engine light or an error code. With how computer-regulated cars are nowadays, I'm baffled as to how this isn't causing some alarm to go off.
Took my 06 Outback (106K miles) in to have the right front inner & outer CV boots/axle assembly replaced (one of the boots had torn open and was slinging grease everywhere, so no surprise there). When I was driving home after picking the car up, I noticed what felt like a wobble or shudder that seemed to come from the center or right side of the car (I couldn't tell which). It would only happen while accelerating, kicking in at about 20mph and then seeming to go away at about 30mph. It didn't happen at all while coasting, braking, or decelerating. The more of a load there was on the engine, the worse the wobble/shudder was, and if I accelerated very very slowly it wouldn't happen at all or would be just barely perceptable. I didn't feel it in the steering wheel; it was more like something felt through the seat and the car itself, if that makes sense.
So I took the car back to the shop the next day, and although the owner of the shop said he drove the car and didn't notice anything, he decided to go ahead and do the job over under warranty just in case they had installed a bad axle or had otherwise "botched" (my word, not his) the job. He also rotated and rebalanced the tires on the off chance that's where the issue was. Within about 15-20 minutes of picking up the car the 2nd time, I started noticing the wobble/shudder again, always under the same conditions as I've already noted--only while accelerating, always kicking in at about 20mph and going away at about 30mph, and always worse the more of a load there was on the engine/the faster the acceleration. The only additional info I've been able to glean is that it doesn't ever seem to happen when I drive the car first thing in the morning, but starts to happen as the car warms up.
At a complete loss, I crawled under the car and starting looking and poking around for something that might be loose or knocking around. I was particularly interested in determining if there was any play in the U-joints or some kind of damage to the drive shaft. I didn't notice anything except for this--at different points on the drive shaft there are what I assume are balancing weights welded to the shaft. Well, I found a bare spot toward the rear end of the shaft that seems as if a weight used to be there (although I can't say with 100% certainty). The drive shaft is painted entirely black, as are the weights, except for this one shiny, bare-metal, square-shaped spot. "AHA" I thought to myself...balancing weight broke off (although how that would happen beats the heck out of me since it's fairly well-shielded from road debris...maybe it was just a cr@ppy weld), now the shaft is out of balance, hence the wobble/shudder. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered...if the shaft was out of balance, why would it only wobble while accelerating? I understand why it might only do it at certain speeds, but if a shaft is out of balance, shouldn't it wobble/shudder at those particular speeds regardless of whether I'm accelerating, decelerating, or coasting? And why would it not seem to happen until after the car had been driven for 15 minutes or so and had warmed up? Again, it seems like an out-of-balance drive shaft is going to be apparent regardless of the operating temperature of the car.
So, could I be on the right track? And if so, is the fix as simple as welding a new weight on there? Can this be done with the shaft still on the car? I think Subaru considers the shaft a non-serviceable part, but I don't want to trash and replace an otherwise perfectly good shaft for what seems like a pretty easy fix (albeit one that is probably beyond my own abilities).