[Crow]

The Reverse sound emanating from the front of the Tucson Hybrid sound is loud, odd, and frankly embarrassing. A neighbor has complained that it wakes her up in the morning. The dealer's hands are tied because it's a feature of the vehicle. If anyone comes up with a solution for how to mitigate this issue, please post.

 

[rbreeze]

The Reverse sound emanating from the front of the Tucson Hybrid sound is loud, odd, and frankly embarrassing. A neighbor has complained that it wakes her up in the morning. The dealer's hands are tied because it's a feature of the vehicle. If anyone comes up with a solution for how to mitigate this issue, please post.

^ Seems to be an issue confined to Tucson Hybrid vehicles built for the U.S. market only - vehicles built for the Canadian market (for example) have a much softer, much more agreeable Reverse sound.
The sound apparently comes out of a speaker mounted somewhere in the front of the vehicle. I wonder if you can solve the problem by installing the Canadian version of the latest software update? It might be worth a try. Or try finding the noise maker and put a sock in it!

 

[rvacs]

The Reverse sound emanating from the front of the Tucson Hybrid sound is loud, odd, and frankly embarrassing. A neighbor has complained that it wakes her up in the morning. The dealer's hands are tied because it's a feature of the vehicle. If anyone comes up with a solution for how to mitigate this issue, please post.

I agree - I have to do something - we have a long driveway and my wife leaves early in the morning...we have to figure something out. Neighbors will not be happy !! I will investigate a bit more...

Thanks,
rvacs

 

[TucsonHybrid]

I agree - I have to do something - we have a long driveway and my wife leaves early in the morning...we have to figure something out. Neighbors will not be happy !! I will investigate a bit more...

Thanks,
rvacs

Apparently this a requirement in the US for vehicles that sometimes operate in EV only mode. It’s required to be that loud. The simple, if inelegant solution, is to put some tape over the speaker. That will quite the sound without eliminating it entirely. You could also unplug the speaker but that seems like not a great idea given that it is an important safety feature (the same speaker provides the virtual engine noise. Aka the angel song). The speaker can be seen on the drivers side through the grill.

 

[jwslam]

Well as a good neighbour, you could back your car in, so that when you leave in the morning you drive forwards?

 

[CJN2ND]

The Reverse sound emanating from the front of the Tucson Hybrid sound is loud, odd, and frankly embarrassing. A neighbor has complained that it wakes her up in the morning. The dealer's hands are tied because it's a feature of the vehicle. If anyone comes up with a solution for how to mitigate this issue, please post.

I found a solution that will mitigate the sound, but not entirely. Basically you need a 5"x5" piece of neoprene rubber with adhesive backing. On Amazon, XCEL makes a 6"x6"x1/2' that does the job. You'll need to cut the piece down to 5"x5", but it's easy to cut with scissors or a general purpose blade. Before you slide it into the grill slot, loosen the backing about 1/2 way, but DO NOT remove it! Slide the part with the backing that's not loosened in first and guide the piece in front of the VESS speaker. It's a little tricky to remove the backing, but when you do, align the neoprene as best you can to cover the entire VESS speaker and press down over the entire face to ensure complete adhesion. It will be noticeably quieter (over 50%). This will still provide good safety, without waking the neighbors!

 

[mungo544]

Mine actually seems to be getting louder. I didn't notice it at first while sitting in the car but now, especially with the radio off, I can hear it and it is very annoying. If it wasn't a lease that sucker would be disconnected by now.

 

[Jim]

Regarding the PHEV REVERSE artificial sound, we followed the suggestion to cover that reverse speaker located in the front grill drivers side with a piece of
"Foam Sheets Self Adhesive Closed Cell Foam Neoprene Rubber Sheets Insulation Anti Vibration Foam Rubber Pads with Adhesive, Black (6" x 6" x 1/2", 8Pcs)" from Amazon. We used 2 of the pieces and it dropped the noise maybe 50% which is still loud enough to be safe for EV mode or PHEV. Thanks for the suggestion. P.S. Duct tape had no effect, so don't bother.

 

[Cranjs]

Does covering the speaker diminish the sound made when the vehicle is in EV mode and moving forward in Drive? That sound is not so loud and useful to let pedestrians know you're approaching.

 

[Jim]

Does covering the speaker diminish the sound made when the vehicle is in EV mode and moving forward in Drive? That sound is not so loud and useful to let pedestrians know you're approaching.

Yes I would say it diminishes that sound, but it is still very noticeable. We installed 2 pads, but you can just use 1 pad. No harm in trying it. If you don;t like the reduction in noise level, you can remove the pads in a few seconds. The cost was $14.99 for 8 of them. We figure they won't last that long and we will have replacements.