Subtle "clunk" from rear when accelerating from a stop

I had a creak happen when accelerating from stop. Open the windows to se if you hear it. It ended up being the drive axle to wheel hub connection making the noise and just required taking apart, cleaning and re-torqueing. It was coming from both sides at the rear.

That clunk-from-stop (not the big pack-disabling one) has been reported a few times in various threads. It generally merits a drivetrain swap. Tesla has a new motor mount that is supposed to fix this but there has been speculation it doesn't work all that well and it's still being worked on.

Efusco....do you notice this slight clunk between acel and decel? If so I'd stop by service sooner rather than later...not to alar you but I had the very same light clunk and I went to a sounders game..(soccer) left my car parked at service (free parking a block away from the game and off handed ly said I heard what your describing thought they'd tell me oh no biggie no worries and hand my key back to me...came back to my rear end in pieces and was handed a loaner...good news is that my car was given back the next day with a new drive train....

I don't get anything noticeable between acel and re-gen, but do "sense" something new when starting from a stop. Very subtle, but definitely new. I don't believe it's enough for me to concern Tesla Service with at this time, but good to know I'm not alone.

efusco said:

Here's a video/audio of the sound:

Click to expand...

Nope. That's not what I'm getting. With me, there is no sound (but will now pay more attention) and it's like there's something momentarily holding the car back for a split second that quickly releases. Not like the frozen brakes after parking when wet, but something different.

I have also noticed a new sound (just got warm enough to drive with the windows down recently).

In my case, it is a number of small clicks (from one to three) that reproducibly occur when the polarity of the inverter changes (when I let go of the accelerator into regen or start accelerating again).

I cannot hear anything when the windows are up, and can hear them best at low speed. I have noted no such noises when cruising.

I already have a service appointment on june 9th for a few minor issues (water ingress in the trunk hatch, side mirrors that will not fold manually), and have advised the SC of this. They said to "keep an ear on it", but that it should not prevent normal use of the vehicle.

I will post follow-up of what was found after I get the vehicle back.

efusco said:

Here's a video/audio of the sound:
New when accelerating from a stop in my Tesla Model S - YouTube

Contacted service. They're coming for the car on Tuesday, but initial impression was that the metallic sound was more suggestive of the parking caliper rather than the drive unit.

Click to expand...

Evan, that definitely sounds unusual. What I can say is that I don't think it's gear slop. I wonder if a rock got caught somewhere next to the brake pads and is scraping each time the brakes move?

Do you hear it if the car's in drive, no brakes are applied (so creep off), and you just accelerate? Or does it only happen when brakes are releasing?

Jeeps17 said:

I have also noticed a new sound (just got warm enough to drive with the windows down recently).

In my case, it is a number of small clicks (from one to three) that reproducibly occur when the polarity of the inverter changes (when I let go of the accelerator into regen or start accelerating again).

I cannot hear anything when the windows are up, and can hear them best at low speed. I have noted no such noises when cruising.

I already have a service appointment on june 9th for a few minor issues (water ingress in the trunk hatch, side mirrors that will not fold manually), and have advised the SC of this. They said to "keep an ear on it", but that it should not prevent normal use of the vehicle.

I will post follow-up of what was found after I get the vehicle back.

Click to expand...

This is what I had. It got worse until it was what I call a creak but clicks describes it as well. Good thing is it is easily fixed.

Duckjybe said:

This is what I had. It got worse until it was what I call a creak but clicks describes it as well. Good thing is it is easily fixed.

Click to expand...

Thank you, and fingers crossed!

mknox said:

I don't get anything noticeable between acel and re-gen, but do "sense" something new when starting from a stop. Very subtle, but definitely new. I don't believe it's enough for me to concern Tesla Service with at this time, but good to know I'm not alone.

Click to expand...

Exactly the same as me. Hmm, both Signature Canadians. How many KM you have? I'm at 38k-ish.

well I just drove (actually my wife drove)1000 miles to Vegas and my wife was asking what that noise was. and my car was at Vegas service to get a new style frunk latch after my frunk wasn't opening all the way. Service didn't notice it but there is a sound like caliper release on accel and decel. leaving on Sunday for palm Springs for the night then back to Humboldt. lots of driving to do...
hmmm

I have had this for a while. Started around, maybe, Feb, barely noticeable. When I had it in the service center for the Dual Charger Retrofit, they said they tightened something on the rear end, and the sound did go away, for about 3 or 4 days. It is now May, and it is getting progressively worse. I will be calling the service center and making a appointment for that, and my Tank Mode retrofit, and to whine about the software's current limiting, as that is getting progressively worse, and happening at more and more places, even when it has not happened in the past.

But anyways, I get a audible cluck and you can feel it when accelerating and decelerating, and can reproduce even louder when going from F to R while still rolling.

I had a rough idea that it might be Gear Slack. As the gears in the differential can never be perfectly tight against each other, their is some minor slack between them. My thought was (as it progressively gets worse) that some excessive gear slack is getting worse and worse. Also, and finally, when I took the motor shield off last Friday when Installing my Eco Hitch, I noticed some minor oil residue around the differential. Not road grime (well, a bit, sand was stuck to it) but oily oil. So I am going to have them check that out anyways.

ElectricFarmBoy said:

Exactly the same as me. Hmm, both Signature Canadians. How many KM you have? I'm at 38k-ish.

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Mine's not a Sig, but is an early Production model. I have about 42,000 km. As mentioned earlier, noise is gone after I checked and torqued my lug nuts. Still "sense" something when starting from a stop, but very subtle.

Jeeps17 said:

I have also noticed a new sound (just got warm enough to drive with the windows down recently).

In my case, it is a number of small clicks (from one to three) that reproducibly occur when the polarity of the inverter changes (when I let go of the accelerator into regen or start accelerating again).

I cannot hear anything when the windows are up, and can hear them best at low speed. I have noted no such noises when cruising.

I already have a service appointment on june 9th for a few minor issues (water ingress in the trunk hatch, side mirrors that will not fold manually), and have advised the SC of this. They said to "keep an ear on it", but that it should not prevent normal use of the vehicle.

I will post follow-up of what was found after I get the vehicle back.

Click to expand...

Exact same thing for me. CAN Sig 2009.

Duckjybe said:

I had a creak happen when accelerating from stop. Open the windows to se if you hear it. It ended up being the drive axle to wheel hub connection making the noise and just required taking apart, cleaning and re-torqueing. It was coming from both sides at the rear.

Click to expand...

Was this fix done by Tesla Service?

patp said:

Was this fix done by Tesla Service?

Click to expand...

Yes. They fixed it the same day I called because I was going to a public display of my car. It was an awful sound and could be heard by all pedestrians in the immediate vicinity. Fantastic service!