What's the buzzing??

Hi group,

I'm trying to get an answer to help me from going crazy. I have a new '23 Off-Road Premium with less than 1k miles that's developed a rattle/buzz out of the front passenger door and/or passenger dash area--I just can't pin point where. It happens whether the radio is on or off, and same thing with the AC/Heat. It's not constant, but happens at most when idling while braking (not in park), and going at low RPM speeds under 15-20mph.

I've done two very minor mods to the vehicle so far--window tints and new tires. I've talked my self into thinking something could have happened inside the door panel during the window-tint installation that's causing the rattle? Appreciate any insights!

 

Before we go down the rabbit hole of trying to fix a major problem, lets look at the basics. Did you check in your glovebox to see if you have anything loose in there? Maybe the wheel lock key or other items are rolling around, or they're vibrating against the plastic. Check the passenger door too for loose items.

 

You happen to have a usb/ carplay wire resting against your transfer case shifter?

 

Borracho--very fair recommendation. Yes, I've gone through all of those steps--emptied glove box completely, removed any items in door, took out the floormats (plastic lockers), and the buzz remains the same. My KO2's have been catching rocks and at times shooting them out into the wheel wells, so it's probably worth seeing if anything's lodged in that area/faps/etc..

HuskyMike--yes, I have the usb/carplay, but I've tested this theory with and without it plugged in.

 

Watching, my 2021 does this also and I haven’t tracked it down. Haven’t looked very hard yet either, but I have the same noise.

 

I have several videos on my iPhone of the buzzing in action, but it’s not letting me extend the file to include on this thread.

 

Upload to youtube, post link.

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mb03SjRh6KY

 

Sounds like ac blower motor.

 

Thanks for the quick feedback, Rocko. Would that make a difference or not if the AC is still blowing cold/normally? I'm no expert on the internal components.

 

No difference. Although the blower noise should happen while parked. Try all the speeds and put your head under there and listen. It's right under the glove box.

 

It seems the noise varies with engine rpm based and load and speed. So suspecting the hvac blower fan or motor doesn’t make sense, unless you can get the sound to change by changing fan speed.

I’ve never heard such a low frequency vibration in mine, with the exception of something touching the 4wd lever. Did the tint guys need to remove/reinstall anything that could give you a clue? Did they leave a tool under the seat or somewhere else?

Have you tried a “push” test on anything around where the sound might be coming from? If it’s doing it in drive while stopped or slow speeds, you might need to have someone drive you around while you push on different area

Also, change the position of the front passenger seat to a few different places to see if there is a difference.

 

Does sound like something stuck in the blower motor.

 

I would also check cabin filter, maybe something stuck here. Another thing I would check is wiring under glovebox, could be some plastic clip broke. And of course I would try to hold 4x4 lever to see if maybe something touches it.

 

I had some junk fall into the squirrel cage fan when I replaced that filter. That will definitely make it noisy. But it would be noisy the entire time the fan is on, not just at idle and slow speeds.

 

Ahhhh It was very hard for me to hear that, but I held my laptop up to my ear like a boomer, and heard it.

That would annoy the hell out of me!

I would be removing the cabin air filter, turning the video & flashlight on my iPhone on, and sticking it into the blower fan cavity to see what is contacting the fan to make that noise.

FWIW, my 23 does not make any blower motor noise; its silent, except for the usual operational sound.

 

I'm going to start with the air filter today and see where that gets me. If no changes, I'll attempt to look at the AC Blower Motor. It's definitely happening near the lower glovebox/passenger door speaker area--just can't pinpoint where. I've moved the passenger seat and have poked around quiet a bit for push tests, but no changes.

 

While you are over in the passenger seat area, I would put hands on every piece of plastic in the area with the truck running and see what changes. To me, it sounds like a vibration of a panel on the door or the dashboard that just happens to be at the harmonic frequency of the engine at idle.

Edit: Put light pressure with your hands on various places on the dash, under the dash and on the door panels and see if anything changes.

 

I did this when I owned my 21' Tacoma. I had a small vibration coming from the drivers side. I thought it was from engine or wheel/wheel well area. Turns out, it was the door handle. Not the one you use to open the door, but the grab handle.

I put my hand on it and squeezed it. The sound went away. When I let it go, the sound started. Turns out something inside the door was rubbing. I never took the door card off to investigate further. The issue happened in the same manner as the OP; when I was going at low speeds.

The way I resolved it: I turned the volume up on the stereo so it would drown out the sound.

 

Does it stop if the AC fan is off?
If yes, then there is debris in your blower motor. Sounds like as if a playing card is stuck on a bicycle wheel spoke.
Takes 5 minutes to remove it. 3 screws below the glove compartment. Remove it, clean it and you should be set.

 

This. Have someone drive while you pinpoint it. It being that loud should not take long to find it.

 

I get leaves in my blower motor every year. Just cleaned it out the other day. Open glove box - pull out cabin air filter - reach below the air filter and clean out the debris.

 

Wow came here for a buzz but that is way way worse than mine, I agree sounds like a blower motor has a lead in it. If you said goes up with rpm’s then something in the engine bay next to a fan ?