^ 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.
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...
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.
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!
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.
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!
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?
If you’re neighbor is a country music fan, you can always download Waylon Jennings singing. Maybe she’ll like that!🤪😜
