High-pitched "Electrical Whine"

[kdryden99]

My car was built in March, and I hear it. I'm so used to hearing it working with computers and servers all day it doesn't bother me but I can see how for others it bothers them.

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[Canricco]

My car was built in March, and I hear it. I'm so used to hearing it working with computers and servers all day it doesn't bother me but I can see how for others it bothers them.

I’ve got to admit, in an otherwise silent car, it kinda stands out.

 

[David-HC]

Are you sure this isn't the pedestrian warning sound??? That is active from 0-30? the coil whine is not speed related....

Hi @Marcel

Thanks for your post - a good question.

I did wonder whether it might be the "pedestrian warning" sound, but I don't think it is!

As with @Beege it is very distinct (and annoying ?) and appears to emanate from the instrument cluster, not external to the vehicle.

Unlike the other "buzzing" sounds from the cluster mentioned in this thread, this is not really something (in my opinion!) that you have to listen out for and/or can easily ignore!

@Beege has found a good "fix" by setting the cluster to dark mode, but I much preferred the light mode ....... hopefully I might be lucky with my car (when it arrives) ?

Cheers
David

 

[Finkerton]

@Beege has found a good "fix" by setting the cluster to dark mode, but I much preferred the light mode ....... hopefully I might be lucky with my car (when it arrives) ?

Cheers
David

Light or dark mode makes no difference with my instrument cluster buzzing.

 

[David-HC]

Light or dark mode makes no difference with my instrument cluster buzzing.

Hi @Finkerton

That's really interesting!

Do you have the "constant type buzzing" from your cluster, or is it more a "whining sound" that appears to increase with the speed of the car (up to about 20mph when it stops)?

It seems that there are two types of buzzing from the screen - neither of which is good. Do you find your "symptons" bearable or is the noise difficult to ignore?

Other than that, I hope you're enjoying the car.

Thanks for your thoughts,
David

 

[Finkerton]

Hi @Finkerton

That's really interesting!

Do you have the "constant type buzzing" from your cluster, or is it more a "whining sound" that appears to increase with the speed of the car (up to about 20mph when it stops)?

It seems that there are two types of buzzing from the screen - neither of which is good. Do you find your "symptons" bearable or is the noise difficult to ignore?

Other than that, I hope you're enjoying the car.

Thanks for your thoughts,
David

Hi there David,

I have a constant buzzing from the cluster that is tied to whether the screen behind the wheel is off or on, and changes slightly (but doesn't really decrease in volume) depending on the backlight being higher or lower. I haven't noticed a change in the sound based on speed -- obviously I can hear the EV motor and the pedestrian sounds change based on speed, but that's normal/expected. This is purely whether the screen is off or on.

I find the buzzing to be pretty intolerable. I have good hearing and am pretty attuned to high pitches and I can't not notice it. The car is otherwise quiet when stopped or on accessory mode except for this buzzing. It's bad enough that I've switched more to listening to music to drown it out instead of podcasts since when there's silence in podcasts when people aren't speaking I just hear the buzzing. It's loud enough that even on the highway with road noise I can still hear it if I don't have any audio playing. I don't remember for sure if it's _worse_ in light mode, but I use dark mode all of the time so if it's this bad in dark mode and is worse in light mode, that sounds pretty awful.

Here's a brief (7 seconds) video I took after I was parked. At the end the screen turns off and so does the noise. The car is pretty good otherwise. I could put out a laundry list of items that should be fixed (most of them software so they likely will be over time), although this PWM noise and the bad cargo cover design are hardware and/or design flaw issues. I can just not use the cargo cover, but I can't not hear this buzzing

 

[David-HC]

Hi there David,

I have a constant buzzing from the cluster that is tied to whether the screen behind the wheel is off or on, and changes slightly (but doesn't really decrease in volume) depending on the backlight being higher or lower. I haven't noticed a change in the sound based on speed -- obviously I can hear the EV motor and the pedestrian sounds change based on speed, but that's normal/expected. This is purely whether the screen is off or on.

I find the buzzing to be pretty intolerable. I have good hearing and am pretty attuned to high pitches and I can't not notice it. The car is otherwise quiet when stopped or on accessory mode except for this buzzing. It's bad enough that I've switched more to listening to music to drown it out instead of podcasts since when there's silence in podcasts when people aren't speaking I just hear the buzzing. It's loud enough that even on the highway with road noise I can still hear it if I don't have any audio playing. I don't remember for sure if it's _worse_ in light mode, but I use dark mode all of the time so if it's this bad in dark mode and is worse in light mode, that sounds pretty awful.

Here's a brief (7 seconds) video I took after I was parked. At the end the screen turns off and so does the noise. The car is pretty good otherwise. I could put out a laundry list of items that should be fixed (most of them software so they likely will be over time), although this PWM noise and the bad cargo cover design are hardware and/or design flaw issues. I can just not use the cargo cover, but I can't not hear this buzzing

Hi there @Finkerton

Thanks for your further post and the video - I can see what you mean.

It really is not good and, as you say, much worse as the car is quiet ?

There has to be a fault in the unit - there seems to be enough examples of this to warrant an investigation. Have you had any feedback from your dealer or Ford?

The noise I experienced on my test drive was different, but just as intrusive. It increased with the speed up to 20mph and then stopped. I don't know what the pedestrian warning sound is like, but I would not have expected the noise to have been this - and it definitely came from the area around the cluster. The same thing was on a post from a guy in Canada!

I do hope you manage to get this solved, so you can actually use the cluster as it should be.

I'll just keep my fingers crossed for when my MME arrives in the UK ?

Best wishes,
David

 

[Eosin]

Still no fix for this problem? I feel like the longer Ford waits to acknowledge the issue, the less hope I have of it ever happening.

 

[Finkerton]

I mean personally I haven't told Ford about it because I'm not sure how. FordPass support is a black box and my local dealers' service departments all want nothing to do with the EV. Especially since I didn't buy it from any of them. I figured this forum might be monitored so being more transparent on it here would be the best way...

 

[Eosin]

I figured this forum might be monitored so being more transparent on it here would be the best way...

True. I pick up my Mach e in less than a month if all goes well. I will certainly report back here if there are any problems with the screen noise.

I will also make sure I have it looked at by the service department too.

If only a handful of people report it to the service department, it can easily be overlooked by Ford. If everybody why doesn't like the screen sounds actually complains to the service department of Ford directly, a threshold will be crossed which would then prompt Ford to look into this more.

Even if Ford can't fix it, if they know a ton of people hate the sound, they can probably engineer a fix or use new screen suppliers for next year's model.

Ford doesn't know how many people care about this if we don't tell them.

I'm concerned that by not reporting the problem buyers are enabling Ford to let an obvious defect like this continue to be ignored, which affects all future buyers and current owners.

 

[ARK]

Light or dark mode makes no difference with my instrument cluster buzzing.

I have felt that light mode buzzes less, but it could simply be that usually during daytime, I am fresher and therefore have a higher tolerance for the buzzing noise.

In dark mode, try setting the brightness to 40% - that is the only setting where I feel the buzzing gets a bit reduced but still feel overall light mode is not as loud.

 

[Chudsaviet]

I feel we have to give this issue more traction by writing a collective letter to Ford and make them acknowledge the issue.

 

[Finkerton]

I feel we have to give this issue more traction by writing a collective letter to Ford and make them acknowledge the issue.

Or by getting an interested journalist to break a story, complete with videos. There's no lack of possible publications, and they often pick up stories from each other, but the trick is getting one to bite. I've mentioned it a few times to a reporter I've been in contact with about a different story, but they haven't taken the bait

 

[BMT1071]

Or by getting an interested journalist to break a story, complete with videos. There's no lack of possible publications, and they often pick up stories from each other, but the trick is getting one to bite. I've mentioned it a few times to a reporter I've been in contact with about a different story, but they haven't taken the bait

Does anyone know the scope of this "issue"? You might start by setting up a poll on the forum to see how many people find this noise (a) perceptible and (b) objectionable. It is obviously not an issue with all MMEs. My guess is you will not find this to be a widespread problem, but data is always better than guesses.

 

[Chudsaviet]

Does anyone know the scope of this "issue"? You might start by setting up a poll on the forum to see how many people find this noise (a) perceptible and (b) objectionable. It is obviously not an issue with all MMEs. My guess is you will not find this to be a widespread problem, but data is always better than guesses.

There are two threads about this issue, and many people are noticing this. Please don't try to discourage us from seeking a solution.

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