Subaru - Outback :: Loud Low Humming Sound
Jan 1, 2014
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.
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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.
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My 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?
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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.
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My 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.
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When 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.
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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?
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2011 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.
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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?
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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.
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I 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?
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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?
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I 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.
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I 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.
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I 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.
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I 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?
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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.
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My 1999 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport recently got new tires. After, I really started to notice clunking noises when accelerating, but they would stop when the brakes were pressed. It is sometimes loud, other times it may be harder to hear. My dad says the car has been doing it for a while now. When I first got the car in 2011, I remember the car would creak repeatedly when slowing down, but it had to be the right circumstances for the vehicle to be noisy when coming to a stop. Now it does the clunking noise (gets faster as the car goes faster) only when accelerating, does not creak or make noise when turning.
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I have a 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback that has been having a sporadic starting problem for almost two years. Occasionally and mostly when it's cold, but not always, the car will sound like it's going to start for a second and then go dead. I will have to turn the key over and over, sometimes many times until it "catches". And so far it's always started, eventually. I have a new alternator and battery, the belts are newer, a rebuilt engine with about 50,000 miles and have had the starter and relay system checked, which was okay. My mechanic, who's been working on Subarus for years, is stumped. He says to wait until it happens again and have it towed in so he can look at the car while it's acting up.
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I just took my 2002 Subaru into the dealer to have them fix a fuel line leak that I was hoping was on recall (it wasn't). I don't take my car to them regularly but they had to be the ones to diagnose it in case it was a recalled part. They called today and said that the fuel line was leaking onto my engine, that there was no recall, and that because they heard a ticking sound coming from my engine they were predicting my cam bearing was giving out and it would be $3000 to fix it. I asked how they diagnosed it and they said they have a guy there who knows the sound well and can hear it and predict it accurately, but they didn't actually take the engine apart or anything to check.
I'm feeling a bit confused. I will have my mechanic look at it and ask him what he thinks but he did my brakes not too long ago and did not mention any concern about the clicking. I change my oil like a responsible car owner and take care of it, but it does have 200,000 miles on it. I need to drive a long distance in a couple of weeks and am wondering if my engine is about to give out....
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2006 Subaru Outback. It has around 121000. I bought it at 113,000 last October since my previous 1998 Subaru made it to 240,000. So far I've taken it in for all new wiring and a tune up. And I was assured by the car salesman that the timing belt had been changed prior to my purchase. Anyway, since August I've had a rattly/whirring sound that I am experiencing over 15 mph. It seems to be coming from the back of my vehicle. It sounded like I had a hole in the muffler because it was reminiscent of when I lost my muffler on the highway with my 1998 subaru a few years ago, but this sound is definitely not as loud. The sound does increase in volume at high speeds on the highway but has so far not been as loud as my previous experience. (and the muffler is still there when i look under the car)
When I took my car in to get the oil changed a couple months ago, I asked the mechanic to check and see if he saw anything while under there. They told me it was my heat shield.
Recently the noise started being a little bit louder on the highway so I thought maybe it was my tires since they were very due to be replaced. I bought new tires within the last few weeks and there has been no change with the whirring sound on the highway. Yesterday, I noticed a light thunking sound that started happening between the speeds 10-40mph. It seems to be in the front of my car and occurring with the rotation of my wheels. There are no sounds when Idle.
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