Anyone else experiencing wind noise from the side windows at freeway speeds? At 65 mph this seems a bit rediculous to get this kind of noise especially from a Toyota vehicle.

 

I have not noticed any in mine.

 

I have not noticed any inordinate wind noise with mine.

 

Well I expect there to be no wind noise at 65 mph. This is my first Toyota vehicle and so far with some of the issues I have with my Prius, I am not impressed with Toyota.

 

Sorry to hear your having trouble Resist. What has the dealer told you? If
there is a seal problem that should definitely be covered under warranty.

 

I have had such bad experiences with dealership service departments that I would rather not let them touch my car, unless it is a major issue. I always would end up with scratches on my car or missing bolts and screws.

Do you hear any amount of wind noise at freeway speeds? I'm wondering if what I hear is actually normal. I have owned less expensive vehicles that don't have this issue.

 

We have a 2001 Echo and our 2003 Prius is quieter and smoother at highway speeds. Yes, I'd like it quieter and some Prius owners have lined their engine compartment with sound deadening material.

For window air noise, I've started using outside air and the fan with the thermostat turned all the way down. It is quieter and the stream of air is enough for cabin comfort.

Bob Wilson

 

I am not talking about air through the vents. I am specially talking about wind noise from the driver and passenger windows when they are closed all the way. I only get this annoying noise when at freeway speeds, as if they are open a crack. It seems as if the windows not properly seated and thus the seal is not airtight. Yet they don't leak during the rain.

 

If you can do it safely, take a stick of incense and see if you can isolate any outflow or inflow of air. This doesn't mean you can easily fix it but the first step is to isolate the source. It might work better if you have another driver and can use the incense to survey all the doors and windows.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

Well, sounds like it's time to make a choice. Fixate on Toyota or fix the problem? I can tell you from experience that it's tough to do both at once.

I haven't experienced any significant wind noise from my own example. In fact I love the quiet of the cabin relative to the Accord that I traded in. Which brings up possibility #1: maybe the vehicle you had before was just really, really quiet and your sensitivity is higher than mine? That's not meant to belittle the problem but it's worth asking. It would be nice if you could get a hold of another Prius for a quick run up to 65 to see if your vehicle has a unique problem. Maybe if you impress upon the dealer that this is really, really important to you they'll let you go for a spin?

After that it's time to troubleshoot. What you are looking for is a source of turbulence at or up-stream of the point on the vehicle from which you think the noise originates. It doesn't take much to produce turbulence! Very small details will do it, like an out of place weatherstrip or a bit of plastic. Adding to the challenge is the fact that a turbulence-inducing feature may not even pop up until the air stream forces it out of its resting position. So after the first once-over for abnormalities you need to get creative and think about what might change when air is rushing over the surface of the car. Do a little poking and prodding to find stuff that might be loose. If you find something, tape it down and go for a test drive.

This **could** become a rather rewarding exercise of man vs. machine if you choose to look at it as such. Having the dealer hunt for it is an option but it might be tough to get them to even acknowledge a problem. They tend not to want to invest time in low-rent stuff, and especially problems like wind noise that can be very tricky and time consuming to pin down.