High pitched sound around 30MPH?

[tls]

Hoping this is entirely normal, really just looking for some reassurance.

We just added a 2024 MME Premium to our stable, along with the 2022 Lightning and our Tesla Model Y. Just right out of the gate - the Mach-E is fantastic. In so many ways, it's the car we hoped the Model Y would be but isn't: handling, steering, ergonomics, controls - it's just a great car.

We spent a good chunk of yesterday driving it around, getting our preferred settings dialed into our profiles, and basically just enjoying our new baby. One thing we noticed after a couple of hours was the various sounds. The fake-motor acceleration sound was amusing for a while but we were happy enough to turn it off. The <20MPH warning sound is a little louder inside the cabin than on either the Lightning or the Tesla even though the cabin is definitely quieter in general than the Tesla is, which was a little surprising, but no problem really.

But then we noticed that after the <20MPH sound cut out, while accelerating through the 25-35ish MPH range there's a bit of a high pitched whine that seems to be coming generally from the front of the car, maybe the front drive unit area. It could be inverter noise (audible harmonics), but it also sounds a little like the infamous "milling sound" that prefigured drive unit failures on older Tesla cars (we had a Model S that thankfully escaped this, but we knew plenty of people who had to have drive units replaced for it) - bearing noise, basically. I've never heard anything like this from the Lightning, though I know the drive units are totally different and the Lightning cabin is a little quieter in general.

Is this normal? It's certainly quiet enough to tune out if it's nothing to worry about.

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[tbrumleve]

Completely normal noise coming from the front motor. It’s barely noticeable, but only if you don’t turn up the music

 

[leehinde]

Hoping this is entirely normal, really just looking for some reassurance.

We just added a 2024 MME Premium to our stable, along with the 2022 Lightning and our Tesla Model Y. Just right out of the gate - the Mach-E is fantastic. In so many ways, it's the car we hoped the Model Y would be but isn't: handling, steering, ergonomics, controls - it's just a great car.

We spent a good chunk of yesterday driving it around, getting our preferred settings dialed into our profiles, and basically just enjoying our new baby. One thing we noticed after a couple of hours was the various sounds. The fake-motor acceleration sound was amusing for a while but we were happy enough to turn it off. The <20MPH warning sound is a little louder inside the cabin than on either the Lightning or the Tesla even though the cabin is definitely quieter in general than the Tesla is, which was a little surprising, but no problem really.

But then we noticed that after the <20MPH sound cut out, while accelerating through the 25-35ish MPH range there's a bit of a high pitched whine that seems to be coming generally from the front of the car, maybe the front drive unit area. It could be inverter noise (audible harmonics), but it also sounds a little like the infamous "milling sound" that prefigured drive unit failures on older Tesla cars (we had a Model S that thankfully escaped this, but we knew plenty of people who had to have drive units replaced for it) - bearing noise, basically. I've never heard anything like this from the Lightning, though I know the drive units are totally different and the Lightning cabin is a little quieter in general.

Is this normal? It's certainly quiet enough to tune out if it's nothing to worry about.

Same on my 2023.1. There was a service bulletin on it, but only for earlier years. I vacillate between annoyed and not noticing.

 

[pickupMache]

it is not normal at all. you need to check the front drive motor. I have had replaced it several times already.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Yeah it's gear whine from the front motor on non-GT AWD vehicles. Mine is worst at 31 MPH. Unfortunately it's a normal characteristic of the vehicle that the NVH engineers have not been able to eliminate.

 

[UTME06]

I'm into my 24 AWD premium about 3 weeks now and noticed the same thing. Seems to be common and expected (here is a previous thread on the topic: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/high-pitch-whine.17299/).

My son can hear other harmonics at higher speeds but apparently they are at a pitch my old ears are now deaf too. I'm no electric motor expert, but am an engineer and it makes sense that some frequency of magnetic fields caused by the motors could excite the frame just right.

My approach is to go 33 or to use the sound to know I'm just the right speed in a 30 zone

 

[Mach-Lee]

I'm into my 24 AWD premium about 3 weeks now and noticed the same thing. Seems to be common and expected (here is a previous thread on the topic: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/high-pitch-whine.17299/).

My son can hear other harmonics at higher speeds but apparently they are at a pitch my old ears are now deaf too. I'm no electric motor expert, but am an engineer and it makes sense that some frequency of magnetic fields caused by the motors could excite the frame just right.

My approach is to go 33 or to use the sound to know I'm just the right speed in a 30 zone

FYI if you shift into neutral (which disables the motors) you will still hear the whine, that proves it's a gear whine not a motor noise or inverter harmonic.

 

[otay5000]

3 weeks into our 2024 MME AWD ER ownership and I hear the same thing at the same speed. Glad to know it's not just me. I shall go faster.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Hoping this is entirely normal, really just looking for some reassurance.

We just added a 2024 MME Premium to our stable, along with the 2022 Lightning and our Tesla Model Y. Just right out of the gate - the Mach-E is fantastic. In so many ways, it's the car we hoped the Model Y would be but isn't: handling, steering, ergonomics, controls - it's just a great car.

We spent a good chunk of yesterday driving it around, getting our preferred settings dialed into our profiles, and basically just enjoying our new baby. One thing we noticed after a couple of hours was the various sounds. The fake-motor acceleration sound was amusing for a while but we were happy enough to turn it off. The <20MPH warning sound is a little louder inside the cabin than on either the Lightning or the Tesla even though the cabin is definitely quieter in general than the Tesla is, which was a little surprising, but no problem really.

But then we noticed that after the <20MPH sound cut out, while accelerating through the 25-35ish MPH range there's a bit of a high pitched whine that seems to be coming generally from the front of the car, maybe the front drive unit area. It could be inverter noise (audible harmonics), but it also sounds a little like the infamous "milling sound" that prefigured drive unit failures on older Tesla cars (we had a Model S that thankfully escaped this, but we knew plenty of people who had to have drive units replaced for it) - bearing noise, basically. I've never heard anything like this from the Lightning, though I know the drive units are totally different and the Lightning cabin is a little quieter in general.

Is this normal? It's certainly quiet enough to tune out if it's nothing to worry about.

Hi there! I can look into your Mach-E's noise concern on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your Mach-E's VIN?

 

[UTME06]

FYI if you shift into neutral (which disables the motors) you will still hear the whine, that proves it's a gear whine not a motor noise or inverter harmonic.

Interesting, so what does that mean in terms of motor longevity, etc.? Most info I can find for gear whine is related to design solutions/analysis to minimize it. But not much in the impact of the whine... is it likely just an annoyance or do these tiny vibrations wear down the gears and lead to failure?

(btw, thanks for all of your input across this board. I've been lurking for over a month as I was considering and then buying then car; you are clearly the mach E shaman.)

 

[Mach-Lee]

Interesting, so what does that mean in terms of motor longevity, etc.? Most info I can find for gear whine is related to design solutions/analysis to minimize it. But not much in the impact of the whine... is it likely just an annoyance or do these tiny vibrations wear down the gears and lead to failure?

(btw, thanks for all of your input across this board. I've been lurking for over a month as I was considering and then buying then car; you are clearly the mach E shaman.)

The noise isn't a wear concern. It's similar to how race transmissions have a lot of whine noise because they use straight cut gears, that doesn't affect the durability. It's just a NVH issue. Basically harmonics and resonance can be created at a specific speed due to the gear tolerances and bearing/support design. At that speed the front motor is mostly idle and is just being turned from the wheels, so there's almost no load on the gears.

And thanks.

 

[MCred]

I have a great 23 CA rt1 awd that does the same thing from 29MPH to 32MPH. Dealer said this is normal. Does bother me some times

 

[HuntingPudel]

I have a GT, so I haven’t heard the noise. If it is gear whine, it’s caused by the helix angle of the gears. A straighter gear will cause more noise. It’s why the M-22 Muncie transmission was known as the “Rock Crusher” because it sounded like it was crushing rocks at idle, where the very similar Muncie M-20 and M-21 with more helix angle were much quieter. The down side to more helix angle is less all-out strength in the gear teeth and more thrust load on the bearings. I once had an engine with straight-cut gear drive. Boy, that thing was louder through the timing cover than through the tailpipes. ??

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