^ 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!

 

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.

 

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

 

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!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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...1081&keywords=silicone+chair+leg+floor+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.

 

I just put it on the front, and the noise was reduced quite a bit.

 

6 layers of gorilla tape worked for me. I made a sheet 6 layers thick about an inch bigger than the size of the speaker, cut diagonals an inch long at the corners and wrapped the excess tape around the sides.

 

Stupid of me to have test driven an SEL hybrid the other week and completely forgot to put it in reverse to hear this sound! Then, of course, they sold the vehicle the same day so I'm out of luck till they get another one in. Hate to buy this thing before I see just how loud that is.

 

I have to say, after you read the posts here I am surprised that sound would stop you from buying a car otherwise you want.

 

As the commercial says, that isn't how it works, that isn't how any of this works... You don't even have the right sound being discussed.

 

Was thinking about the legal and moral side of this whole issue. For years, many cars have run so quietly that in any urban environment with ambient noise levels, nobody can hear a car from even 6 feet away from the tailpipe. So what's the difference between an ICE car that CAN'T BE HEARD and an electric that makes no sound?

Truth is if you back into a pedestrian, and it's proven that your beeper was working normally, do they judge you as being innocent? I don't think so. What excuse is there for running over somebody?

 

Apparently the excuse will be, “my car makes an annoying beeping noise when backing up and I WAS THE GOOD person that didn’t disconnect it SOOOOO it’s the pedestrians fault 100% their fault that I was on my phone texting while backing up and ran them over……hell your honor, I even pulled forward to see why the store put a speed bump behind my car when I was shopping.”

 

Ok. Thanks for your insight.

Meanwhile another thing a lawyer representing an injured person by a car with the safety warning disabled can point to. So important that they may actually require those sold before the regulation to have it or have something in it's place.
This would supersede any State Law not requiring it btw. Still probably not against the law to disable it, but good luck in Court if it ever came to that.

NHTSA May Require Pre-2021 EVs, Hybrids to Retrofit Noise Makers for Safety (caranddriver.com)

 

So, now that we've covered all the bases here, I guess we'd agree that if you choose to quiet down that back up warning, you'd be wise not to back up into anybody.
Here's a good one, if you disable your back up warning device, and back up into a tree, are you still going to be in hot (legal) water?

 

I don't see quieting as a real issue. Disabling is where I do.

 

Hi all. New here as I just got the 2023 Limited Hybrid and appreciate this discussion! The thing is loaded with sensors, so I am curious why Hyundai (and other makers) can't update the software logic to limit the backup sound to occur ONLY when something is detected close behind you? Or is that too logical?

 

Because for the pedestrian, it's too late by then. It's no different than trucks backing up. You want the pedestrian to be aware before they aer behind the vehicle. For those arguing that other manufacturers' sounds are not as loud, in an accident, all that would do is shift the liability. Of an accident occurs and the argument is that the sound was not audible enough, having a vehicle with a soft stock sound shifts the liability to the manufacturer, whereas if you tampered with the car, you are liable.

 

I think it was poor engineering to have the speaker in the front of the car. For one thing, a backup horn coming from the front of the car makes no sense. if it was mounted in the rear, it wouldn't have to be as loud. Second,this speaker is the same one used for artificial engine noise. Why not mount it in the rear, away from the ears of the driver?

 

Since it is in front behind openings in the grill, perhaps our prayers will be answered one day when the speaker openings get clogged with enough dirt and bugs to dampen the sound level

 

We don't have any access to the type of sound do we? I would enjoy it a lot more if it were the noise of duckling babies following their mom. Give the car an entirely new character. Ah well. Perhaps not the best on a dirt road during duck season....

 

Ha, I was just remembering something. My neighbor had a beeping Nissan hybrid. Every morning it went off. Was never so glad to see a new Ford Ranger in the driveway. No more beeping

 

Picture it: after waking up the neighbors too many times, one of them sneaks over late one night with a can of spray foam. Everybody's happy again...

 

TEMPTING!