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Tucson Hybrid Artificial Noise produced in Reverse

22698 Views 33 Replies 23 Participants Last post by  Tampa8
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.
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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!
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
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.
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Well as a good neighbour, you could back your car in, so that when you leave in the morning you drive forwards?
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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!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Registered as a new user on this forum just to give my feedback on this comment, it's awesome! My fiance hated the reverse sound so much that she wanted to get rid of the car! My initial intention was to unplug the box but that seemed a little too risky so I bought these on Amazon. Cut one of the pads to 5" x 5" and stuck it on the box and noticed a crazy difference! Only difference I did: Remove the entire backing instead of only halfway since the adhesive is sticky but not so much that you can't pull it off if it gets stuck while you are trying to align. Other than that, it went on easy and now I have 7 spares in case I need to replace or want to further silence the box. Highly suggest this to anyone buying this car until Hyundai does something about the volume!
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Registered as a new user on this forum just to give my feedback on this comment, it's awesome! My fiance hated the reverse sound so much that she wanted to get rid of the car! My initial intention was to unplug the box but that seemed a little too risky so I bought these on Amazon. Cut one of the pads to 5" x 5" and stuck it on the box and noticed a crazy difference! Only difference I did: Remove the entire backing instead of only halfway since the adhesive is sticky but not so much that you can't pull it off if it gets stuck while you are trying to align. Other than that, it went on easy and now I have 7 spares in case I need to replace or want to further silence the box. Highly suggest this to anyone buying this car until Hyundai does something about the volume!
I did the same
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So question here… am I correct that it also reduced the sound made when running in all electric mode? The one that is supposed to alert pedestrians to your presence. If so, are you liable for hitting someone if you do this mod and they don’t hear you?

Any attorneys in the room want to comment? Thanks
So question here… am I correct that it also reduced the sound made when running in all electric mode? The one that is supposed to alert pedestrians to your presence. If so, are you liable for hitting someone if you do this mod and they don’t hear you?

Any attorneys in the room want to comment? Thanks
As long as the dB level stays within legal limits (~56 dB at 6') you should be fine. Hyundai performed overkill (>90 dB) to make up for the lack of a rear speaker. Remember, ALL electric/hybrid vehicles prior to approximately 2019 don't have ANY warning whatsoever, and I've yet to hear of a single person being liable for this lack of sound. You aren't disabling the speaker, just suppressing the sound level to be within legal limits.
As long as the dB level stays within legal limits (~56 dB at 6') you should be fine. Hyundai performed overkill (>90 dB) to make up for the lack of a rear speaker. Remember, ALL electric/hybrid vehicles prior to approximately 2019 don't have ANY warning whatsoever, and I've yet to hear of a single person being liable for this lack of sound. You aren't disabling the speaker, just suppressing the sound level to be within legal limits.
There is so much we just do not know for sure. The sound having to be (~56 dB at 6') while true - is standing in the rear of the vehicle at 6'. Does anyone know what that loud sound of >90 dB in front is at 6' standing in the rear?

It is very murky what laws applies and how they apply. Vehicles must be equipped with these sounds, if States have not passed laws for it you may be fine modifying them just as States have different seat belt laws.
This has been addressed in different interviews with lawyers and I did Read two or three Law journals on this. Prevailing opinion is if you disable or tamper with the sounds with no accident involving pedestrian injury involved, no harm no foul.
However if a pedestrian is injured investigators will check for the sounds that were equipped with the vehicle. You can be liable and good likelihood you will be even without a State law on it not so much in criminal court (still possible) but in civil court.
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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.
If you’re neighbor is a country music fan, you can always download Waylon Jennings singing. Maybe she’ll like that!🤪😜
There is a much easier fix here folks... Remove the sound altogether by disconnecting the wire. It's relatively easy. I used a pair of medium sized channel locks to squeeze the tab on the connector and pull / slide it off. Channel locks work well since they have an angled head allowing for easier access through the front grill. There is a video on YouTube of a guy doing this with a wire hook, but that is much more difficult in my opinion. Here's the video if you are interested...

After I removed the connector, I covered the connector with a silicone cover to protect it from water damage... (something like this... https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Sil...loor+protectors+-&qid=1657675019&sr=8-10&th=1)
That is, if I decide to ever plug it in again. I hated this sound and had to eliminate it. I was waking my family up in the morning. It's ridiculous and quite embarrassing to be so loud. Unplugging this connector doesn't affect anything else.
I've been driving without it for months now and love my Hybrid Tucson now!
I posted my solution here on the forum. I hope it helps someone.
I went the neoprene route and it cut the noise by about half. That seems to be enough of a difference for me (and my neighbors). I've had it in for service once since then, and the dealer didn't mantion anything about the reduced noise.
Regarding the Neoprene option - does this only cover the front face of the speaker? Or are folks covering the whole square box? Today I ordered 6" x 6" x 1/4" XCEL Neoprene foam to try this out and wasn't sure if this group is just putting it on the face or trying to cover the whole thing.
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