New Prius Whistling sound

I just took delivery of a Prius V with ATP and found that at highway speeds (about 55+ MPH) I'm getting a whistling sound that I think is coming from around the Driver's side "A" pillar.

I found a few people talking about a whistling sound coming from the side view mirror screw hole covers on the gen II, but there aren't any screw holes under the mirrors on the gen III.

I think I really like the car, but this whistle is going to drive me bonkers.

Anyone else experience this or have any thoughts? (I do plan on mentioning it to the dealer tomorrow)

Thanks,
Alex.

 

haha, I wish it were that simple, I tried everything up to... oh wait, I shouldn't say because I don't want evidence

Unfortunately I checked and the driver's side pretty much matches the passenger's side. I can see a couple very slight differences, but nothing that I would think would cause a whistling.

I'll see what it's like again tomorrow on the drive to work. Hopefully the traffic is clear enough that I can get up to highway speeds.

-Alex.

 

There are two things that are a little higher on the driver's side window/door than the passenger's side. One is that the weatherstripping around the door is a little higher between the door and the small triangular window. The other is the window seal is a tiny bit higher near the front "corner" of the window where it makes a turn downward.

I tried pushing on the window seal some, but it doesn't budge, and the door seal is just the foam rubber and moves with the door so there's nothing I can do about that either. So I plan on pointing out both of these spots to the dealer in the next day or two when I go back to get my inspection done and pick up my registration.

Part of the reason I keep focusing on the door/window area is because this morning on the way into work, I was able open and close the window just a tiny bit and get the whistle to change or almost go away. Of course if I opened the window enough to try to put my hand outside to push on these surfaces the real wind noise overpowers the whistle sound.

I'm also going to have my friend drive with me to ensure that it's not happening on the Passenger's side as well. (Maybe I just don't hear it from the driver's side).

I just really hope this can get figured out soon because it really sucks to trade in a non-whistling 10 year old Corolla for a brand new Prius V with ATP that whistles.

-Alex

 

So I brought it back to the dealer last night and the first thing the Service Manager suggested was to try turning off the climate system and setting it to recirculate. I didn't that an as I suspected it made no difference. So I went back and after a test drive, their tech thought it might be the window seal around the driver's door window. Of course doing that means taking the door apart. Also while he was driving the car, I sat in the Passenger's side, and didn't hear any whistling from that door, so it's definitely not a uniform sound that happens on both sides.

This morning they replaced that seal (so far I've only found a minor scuff that I don't believe was there before the work), but that didn't fix the issue. So on Monday I'm bringing it back to them when some of their more experienced Techs will be available.

I'm hoping it's one of the other door seals and not something like the windshield. My last car ended up with rust around the top of the windshield from having it replaced a few times.

In the mean time I may try the painter's tape idea that Jon and Jim suggested. I tried it in one tiny spot my self but it didn't help. I also tried pushing in some of the rubber door seal (while the door was closed by reaching out through the open window). That didn't help either.

So we'll see what happens in the next few days.

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas.

-Alex.

 

I just wanted to give everyone an update. I brought it back to the dealer on Monday so they could just take it and figure it out (they set me up with a loaner car while they have mine).

Late on Monday they told me that after taping up various parts of the car they thought it was the seal around the door that's attached to the door (rather than the weatherstripping attached to the body). Unfortunately they needed to order that part.

So that's where I stand now. I was hoping they'd get it and install it yesterday, but I didn't hear anything so I'm assuming they didn't get it. Hopefully they'll receive it and install it today.

I'll let you know what happens.

-Alex

 

So another update...

When I got my car back from the dealer last night they told me that they had replaced the rubber seal around the door but that it had not fixed the whistling sound. They told me that the service director and technician drove at least one other Prius that also made the sound. Also, they said that they contacted Toyota for help and were told that the sound was normal and expected. Lastly, they told me that they're out of ideas, can't make the noise stop, and told me to call Toyota directly.

I really couldn't believe that this sound was normal since no one here has said they're getting a whistling sound from around the driver's side door, and the vehicle I test drove before buying this one didn't make that sound. So I spoke with my sales person and test drove the original fleet vehicle I drove before buying my car, a III or IV without the sunroof (since the V doesn't have one) and an almost identical V and none made the sound. So either the service department found another defective vehicle or something else is going on.

I called Toyota and opened a case last night, but because it was so late, I'll need to wait until sometime next week (they say Monday but I'll believe it when I hear it) to hear back from someone.

Today I'm going to go back to the Dealer to talk to my sales person again about it. I'll let you know what we decide the next step is.

-Alex

 

Spiderman, thanks for the sympathy.

Cal Prius, Yeah, this noise sucks. Interesting to learn that someone else is having the issue. Seems like Toyota has an issue with a small few of their vehicles, but definitely not the majority of them, so I don't think this is a normal sound.

So here's my latest update:
I spoke with my sales person today and told him that since services has informed me that there are no other options the next logical step was to replace the vehicle. He then spoke with the sales manager and one or both of them spoke with the service department. They've decided now that there is another service related option available and they're going to contact Toyota on Monday to have a regional Toyota service technician come look at the vehicle and see what they can do about it.

Hopefully on Monday I'll get a call from them to schedule a time when I can bring the car in to test drive it with a Regional Tech.

Oh, and they offered another option before telling me about the continued repair attempts... I could trade in my current vehicle for a new one. He said that was the only way he could get me into a new vehicle. I told him that would not be acceptable, and my friend told him that wasn't true, and that that's the only way to get me into a new vehicle. The Manager didn't really respond to my friend's comment and moved onto discussing the new repair option.

So we'll see how it goes when they call and I work with the regional Toyota technician. As usual, I'll post another update when I have one.

 

I spoke with a the sales manager today and he set up an appointment for this Friday wiht a district/regional factory tech; hopefully something good will come of that.

Also a case manager at Toyota called me. She indicated that there are no recall notices or service advisories about whistling noises, and gave me the impression (although she didn't say it outright) that she didn't think this was a normal expected noise. She also confirmed that working with a district or regional factory tech was the correct next step.

So we'll see what happens and I'll post another update after Friday.