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2021 Prius prime cabin noise above 30+mph

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by seeforyourself, Mar 2, 2021.

  1. seeforyourself

    seeforyourself Junior Member

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    Hey guys. I am hearing an annoying noise which sounds exactly like that uncomfortable bass noise of when a rear window is open. its like a buffeting/throbbing sound. All the windows are closed and so is the trunk. Do any of you guys exhibit this issue?
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    at what speed does it start?

    try lowering each window, one at a time to see if the sound changes
     
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  3. Prius7Prime

    Prius7Prime Junior Member

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    you say this only happens over 30? AND all the windows are closed? i agree with bisco - experiment with windows just slightly down, see what happens then. otherwise i dont really have a clue sorry...
     
  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Did you look for a loose panel under the car? Depending on what's loose and where, it could be a low frequency sound.
     
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  5. SciRunner

    SciRunner Junior Member

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    Is the issue new from day one or after # of miles? Does you car run on Bridgestone Ecopias 422Plus 91S made in Japan tires? Built on or after October 2020?

    If so, I would check the tires. Could be flat spotting that driving over them for hundreds of miles won't make them round again. I had a similar issue. Dealer moved rear tires to the front and it was worse. Also it felt like the car was about to fall apart. Toyota/Dealer worked and replaced three tires after noticing road forcing the original tires did not work. Quieter now on mostly new set of the same model tires.
     
    #5 SciRunner, Mar 4, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2021
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  6. seeforyourself

    seeforyourself Junior Member

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    I have those exact same tire. Odd since I heard Bridgestone is a REALLY good tire brand. I don’t think I hear it as much anymore.

    can a tire balancing confirm flat spots, or can you see it by a visual inspection?
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all tire mfgs are subject to defects
     
  8. 100 free watt hours

    100 free watt hours Junior Member

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    Make sure the rear hatch is closed. If a blanket or some other object gets wedged in between the hatch and the door opening it will still lock and not show the hatch is open on the dash light. Same goes for the doors. Just takes a small crack to make noise. I had this happen on my 2019 Prime.
     
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  9. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Experiment with Prime windows? What, like crack both fronts, one side in the rear for flow around venting to the opposite side of the cracked rear window?

    A Rumba ling with both rears down, hummm

    sheet - I got notifications
     
  10. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Tires make a lot of noise BTW on certain roads! Dunlap's on the new 2021 from the factory.
    Mine are very noisy at certain speeds and road surfaces. It is not your car! :)

    This is a well known issue with these tires as well as sidewall blow outs!

    Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S | P195/65R15 (tirerack.com)

    I would be surprised if these had significant noise!

    Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus (S- or T-Speed Rated) | P195/65R15 (tirerack.com)
     
    #10 ETP, Apr 4, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2021
  11. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

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    I hear the same thing on my 2021 with 200 miles on it. It's not the tires. It does sound like an open window "thumping," but a bit more quiet. It is kind of irritating.
     
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  12. ImaRogers

    ImaRogers New Member

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    We just bought a '21 PP, within a week or 2 my husband was complaining about road nose/air he thought was coming from front passenger door area. We took to dealer they checked seals etc and test drove but couldn't hear it. I don't hear it but my husband still does. Do I'll continue to follow this.
     
  13. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    I find it hard to trust Bridgestone or Firestone since the Ford Explorer tire scandal
     
  14. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Which of the 3 models of prime has the insulation in the doors
     
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  15. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    I notice it as well in my 2021 Limited, right from the start. Exactly like if you have one window slightly open and the air pressure is 'thumping' in the cabin, but very subtle.
    Haven't noted the speed range precisely but definitely somewhere between 35-60. I don't recall noticing it on the highway above 65.
     
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  16. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

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    My 2012 has a whistling noise that happens right around 40-45 mph. A lot of cars have quirks like that.
     
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  17. Gcoletta

    Gcoletta New Member

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  18. Gcoletta

    Gcoletta New Member

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    Did it ever go away? Did you have the dealer investigate? How long have you had the car? i just picked up a 2022 Prius prime. It feels a very subtle pulsating pressure feeling in the cabin at higher speeds.

    Thanks
    Guy
     
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  19. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    Paid a bit more attention the past couple of days and have narrowed it down to around 54-57mph. Unfortunately it's also most noticeable on the same stretch of road each time so I'm not 100% sure of the source - cabin pressure or road surface. But it sure feels like cabin pressure oscillation. Will have to find some other smooth road to test on.
     
  20. Gcoletta

    Gcoletta New Member

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    Found this in a facebook Prius Prime forum. I’m going to try.
    Quote from Facebook
    “Mine had the EXACT issue too. It sounds like a back window is open, right? It turned out to be the Bridestone Ecopia tires it came with. When the car gets shipped to the USA from Japan, the tires get a flat spot apparently.

    So to fix this, pump the tires to like 40 PSI and it will go away after a few hundred miles”
     
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