Your Tesla started to creak, rattle and you wonder whether this is normal or your car has a problem. Here you will see some common causes of the creaking sound in your electric vehicle and learn some possible fixes.
Why is Tesla Making Creaking Sound?
1. Creaking From the Brakes
When your vehicle is in Parked mode for a long period of time and you shift into Drive mode, you may hear this normal operating sound that sounds like creaking.
The creaking is because your vehicle is operating its disc brakes to hold the wheels in place while in Park.
The sound happens when the brake calipers disengage from the rotors. It can be very noisy, particularly in frosty weather or after heavy downpour.
2. Creaking From the Tires
This creaking sound can also come from the front tires when turning the steering wheel, and is not a cause for concern. It is a normal operating sound.
3. Creaking from Suspension
This creaking noise coming from the front of your car, could be something with your suspension.
and is a classic issue on vehicles with high torque specification.
The sound resembles that of walking on an old wood floor and occurs often during acceleration and sometimes deceleration and comes from the connection between the suspension and the chassis but those bolts are torqued pretty tightly.
The suspension arms generally get a little bit loose along with the common driving. It can be fixed quickly in a shop or in a service center for no charge under warranty.
You will also notice the noise if you push down on the trunk. This is because one of the two bolts that connect the suspension to the chassis could be rubbing/creaking.
The noise is not nearly as loud when someone is sitting in the back seat. The connection from the suspension to the car chassis is the problem. With more weight on the connection, it does not move around and squeak as much.
Fix 1: Loosen one of the bolts and pushed on my trunk again and the noise will stop.
Fix 2: Add some grease between it and tighten it back up and to clear the noise.
Fix 3: Have someone sit in the back seat to increase load
Fix 4: Submit a ticket with video evidence.
Fix 5: Service center will check and re-torque the bolts on the suspension. They will be tightened to spec.
4. Creaking from Control arm
Have you ever experienced a “creaking” sound, that reminds you of sitting on an old piece of furniture or walking on an old wood floor coming in the front lower center of the car?
It is a known is a known issue for upper control arms in Teslas. The Control Arm, ball joint and bushings need to be replaced when they start squeaking like this.
This noise happens mostly when accelerating, going over bumps, stopping from parking lot speeds, turning and accelerating from a stop in reverse.
Fix 1: Move the ball joint in upper or lower control arm to make sure it isn’t a lubrication issue that needs resealing.
Fix 2: Take it in to service center. It’s free if you have warranty.
The part numbers for the new part that fixes the problem are 1044321-00-J for the left control arm and 1044326-00-J for the right control arm.
5. Creaking from Axle Shafts
Is car experiencing creaking which sounds almost like a metallic snap of the fingers during acceleration or deceleration? Should you be concerned?
If it seem to affect the same rotation of the wheel each time, it could either misalignment of wheel or a loose dry axle/shaft.
Fix: Visit Tesla service center. Tesla service will relubricate and retorque the shafts, eliminating the issue.
6. Creaking from the Trunk
You may be experiencing a creaking sound that comes and goes, from the trunk area. It could be coming from your trunk latch or your hatchback door. It is an increasingly common issue.
Fix: Drop off car off at Tesla service to check it out.
7. Creaking from Amplifier Brackets
Have you noticed an intermittent creaking noise while driving your car for some time.
It could be the amplifier bracket found behind the subwoofer in the passenger side panel in the rear trunk in the frunk, dashboard, or under the rear seat. They may be loose and need to be tightened.
Fix: Remove the plastic panels and tighten the three bolts
8. Creaking from the Screen Mount
Do you often hear irritating creaking noises coming from in front of you when driving?
It could be because of the vented cover under your screen mount. It is an air intake cover with a fan attached to other side of it.
The cover produces a sound similar to someone pressing a stick against a spinning fan.
Place your finger on the vented cover under your screen mount, drive and observe to see if it goes away when your finger is pressed against it.
Fix: Take it off and try to dampen it with tape and foam. This is a temporary hack until you get service center
Fix: Make an appointment with Tesla. A Tesla technician will ride with you for several seconds to troubleshoot it. If the vented cover is the source of the creaking then Tesla will replace your cover and no more creaking.
9. Creaking from monitor
Do you get unbearable creaking noise from your monitor. The noise could be emanating from a loose temperature sensor connector behind your touch screen panel.
Fix: Temporary. If you hold/pull the screen to one side, it won’t make the noise.
Fix: Take it Tesla service center.
If you go in for the service appointment the technician will explain that it comes from the rubbing of the wires inside the screen console box.
He will put a clip to hold them together and eliminate the sound in under half an hour for free under warranty.
10. Creaking from the Seat
Is your creaking originating coming from your passenger seat/s or driver seat? It could be a lubrication issue, loose component under the seats such as bolts are loose.
If you observe closely when someone sitting in the front or passenger seat or if you have the seat down and some weight/cargo on it, the creaking goes away.
Here are some fixes for a creaking seat.
Fix 1: Put a Krytox lubrication in between seats it might not work
Fix 2: Shift seat slightly
Fix 3: Make a mobile appointment and take a Tesla service tech on a drive with you to diagnose whether it is the passenger or driver seat creaking.
Has your car developed a loud creaking noise that sounds like it’s coming from the back right corner of the chassis behind the seat and under that tiny window.?
It makes a creaking noise similar to when you walk on old wooden floors, and only creaks when there’s a change in acceleration.
Have you checked and verified not the is not the rear seat connection? Is it still creaking when the back row seats are down?
Fix 4: The rear seat bench has two latches and two connectors. Check if those latches and connectors are snapped in and the battery pack bolts are lubricated and fastened properly.
- To release the two latches that hold the rear bench in place locate them along the edge of the back bench using your fingers.
- Feel around on that edge, until you touch the latch on the driver side, pull it toward yourself and lift up the seat. Tighten if loose
- Then move to the passengers’ side, feel around the edge of the seat bench, touch the latch, push it away from yourself. Tighten if loose
- Connectors are connected at the rear end of the seat
- Carefully angling and pulling out the seat will reveal the connector
- Remove seatbelts out of the way
- Press down on the latch at the edge of passenger right and left seats and pull the connectors out one after the another.
- This disconnects the seat from the car’s wiring harness. Pull out seat
Fix 5: Make a service appointment if all fails
If you do not have the skills to do the seat tear down yourself call Tesla or make app appointment.
A technician can troubleshoot whether the latches and battery component have a problem.
There is stryofoam on the left and right that covers the High voltage connection and 12V system battery pack. The technician will remove it and check battery pack.
Are the battery pack bolts dry and loose?
This will result in a creaking sound. The technician may have to regrease and tighten some bolts.
11. Creaking from the Door Panels
You should check the door panel. The clips for the speakers that are built into the door panel.
Open it up and look around to see if the wires are clipped properly. It will only take a couple of minutes to fix.
It could also be coming from the plastic door panel rubbing on the rubber weather seals. You could try applying Sonax Rubber Protectant (view on Amazon) first, before resorting to pulling the door panel off and felt taping everywhere:
Coat the seals around the door, and the noise will go away.
The next time your Tesla makes creaking noises try some of these fixes and the noise will stop. If what you have is more of a squeaking rather than a creaking sound then read this.