Noises in new Jeep

[Scoobiedude]

We just picked up our new 2023 Sahara 4xe this weekend, and while test driving, it was fine... smooth roads. However, when we got close to home and started down our dirt/gravel road, the noise from the rear was disturbing. My wife kept asking why her ears were feeling like they were about to pop... like a rear window was rolled down a little when traveling fast... that loud whooping noise you hear. I noticed it too. So we took it out yesterday for a ride and on every dirt/gravel road we hit it was atrociously loud. It's obviously some sort of vibration noise, perhaps a wobbling of the top, but it all seems tight.

We had a 2-door Wrangler that we took on the same roads all the time and never noticed anything like this before. I would think being a Jeep it would be set up to handle off-road without this kind of noise. It is painful to even drive it down our dirt/gravel road to get to our house. It only happens at slower speeds, as we don't go fast down dirt/gravel roads like we do a paved road.

I have not mentioned it to the dealer yet. I wanted to see if this is common among other owners. We are thinking because of the larger enclosed area with a hard top vs. a soft top that this might be something others are experiencing, but it certainly surprises me since Wranglers are supposedly designed for off-road.

EDIT: I should add that it does not matter what driving mode we are in, and this is nothing to do with any electronic sounding noises like the pedestrian warning noise, or A/C compressor noise, etc. Imagine that noise you hear when driving down the road at 60mph and you roll down a rear window.

Thanks for any feedback.

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[Electrified]

Do you have a factory subwoofer?

 

[Opus]

Do you have a factory subwoofer?

That was my thought also, a bad connection that hits when you are bouncing a little more on the dirt road could cause feedback through the sub?

Other than that, check seals around windows and doors and anything else that could cause large vibration (spare tire, etc.) and make sure everything is buttoned up tight.

 

[Electrified]

That was my thought also, a bad connection that hits when you are bouncing a little more on the dirt road could cause feedback through the sub?

Other than that, check seals around windows and doors and anything else that could cause large vibration (spare tire, etc.) and make sure everything is buttoned up tight.

Seems like I've heard of people having all kinds of strange sounds with the active noise cancelling system. Wasn't sure if that was only with people with the subwoofer system or not.

 

[Scoobiedude]

I did check that everything in the back was tight... top, tires... pounded on various areas to see if anything was loose.

We do have the sub, so I suppose it could be the ANC doing it. I may have to track down the ANC connection to the sub and disconnect it, but then that probably cancels out some exhaust noise too. At least I can disconnect the sub to find out if that is indeed the noise.

If this was common, I would suspect anyone with a 4-door hard top would absolutely notice it going down a dirt/gravel road. I even noticed it a little bit when going slower on rough paved roads. It's not as bad, but it's there.

 

[Reinen]

That's going to be hard to pin down with only a description of the sound.
Can you record the noise?

 

[Paluss]

Sorry I dont recall the thread, but someone had posted a similar complaint of the whooping sound you are describing with a hardtop. Their solution was stuff a pool noodle between the sport-bar and hardtop. dont recall much more.

here it is:
As a hard top 4 door JLUR owner, I, and assume most of you, experience a “buffeting” effect in the interior at speeds between 35 and 45MPH (and sometimes at higher speeds as well). I solved my issues with that today based upon reading a few posts here. The issue is the roof flexes (similar to a drum beating) and thus pressure and sound are introduced into the cabin.

For $12, I have reduced the buffeting sound to near zero. I no longer notice the noise or the pressure at any speed. I used a 3” diameter x 36” long foam roller and covered one-half of the roller (except the last 4” inches on each end) with 1” pipe insulation. This is because (at least on my JLUR), there is a cavity in the center of the roof that required a bit more packing to close the gap.

 

[Scoobiedude]

That is a much better description than what I described... and it sounds exactly like what we are experiencing. Noodle time it is... I think we have a few of those hanging around the house somewhere.

 

[Scoobiedude]

I checked out that thread and tried the foam across the back, some on the sides and some in the front... might have helped a little bit, but it's still what we consider bad.

Maybe a soft top for gravel road riding and a hard top for long trips that are mostly highway.

Jeep really needs to fix this.

 

[GRAK]

Record it let’s hear

 

[Scoobiedude]

I recorded it last night, but I don't think my phone is picking up that low rumble. The mic in the phone probably only extends to about 100-150hz, and this noise is probably in the 60-80Hz range. I may see about connecting my RTA with its mic later today and see where the noise frequency range changes from a smooth road to a gravel road. Might be interesting to see.

 

[Scoobiedude]

The noise is not coming from my top... it's coming from underneath the vehicle. We can roll the windows down and it actually gets louder. Tried to contact the dealer today (2 hours away)... will try again tomorrow.

 

[Scoobiedude]

Finally got it to the dealer... and this is common noise in these vehicles. The service manager and lead technician, and I, all drove ours and a new one from the lot on the same gravel... both equally as loud at 10-15 mph. I guess it is more sensitive to some than others, but there is nothing they can do about it. About the only option is to spray the wheel liners, dampen the rear walls and bed, and maybe get the headliner kit. Fox Shocks said their shocks would probably help some, but it would not be tremendous as lower speeds like we drive on gravel/dirt roads.

 

[Buster1]

My hardtop does this, every time. Only around 20 mph, and over a certain part of a road that seems to feed a harmonic vibration. It’s just enough to get the top bouncing at just the right frequency.

Edit: I have the Mopar hardtop headliner.

 

[Montanabound]

All I hear is Godzilla

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