Prius Disappoinment - Road/Wind noise

Great avatar!

 

Thanks, that was 3 weeks ago when I was only getting 40mpg UK (34mpg US). I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but the suspension was sitting around 2" lower with the weight of the snow.

 

There is a thread about insulating the cabin on a gen II, but I think the same principle applies for the gen III. You have to remove the seats, carpets and door panels to do it right, but it can be done. Not sure what to recommend about the wind noise though. Since it's so aerodynamic, not sure much can be done to meet your standards. Short of anything mechanically wrong, the only alternative is the Lexus CT 200h.

 

Curious, why do you think it is not the tires? Mine does the same thing when I go to a smooth road surface. Others on here have said that their road noise decreased dramatically after replacing the OEM tires with better quality tires.

I have been hoping the road noise would decrease when the time came to change tires

 

We don't noticed much about the wind and road noise at all. But the interior noise is getting louder in the colder temperature. The center console squeaks like crazy

 

Please indicate the make and model of tires before and after. Some tires are much noisier or quieter than others. Perhaps the choice you made afterward wasn't an optimal one for noise.

 

Yes, you might need to see a doctor & get that hearing checked.

 

My Prius III bought in April was the quietest car I've ever owned, whisper quiet and the entire family commented on the new art of conversation in the car compared to previous cars! Then I rotated the tires at 5,000 miles. The noise was unbearable, sounded like a wheel bearing was going bad, and the road noise was incredible. The problem: a badly mis-aligned rear wheel, and when the beat-up tire was puti n the front, the problem came to light. Toyota agreed that there was a problem, did a free 4 wheel alignment, gave me two new tires, and it was QUIET again.

Check it out for your car.

 

OK - I don't often post, but could not resisit responding to this post...

Without any doubt, my 2010 Prius is the LOUDEST car I have owned... My last cars in order were as follows: 2009 Hyundai Azera, 2007 Hyundai Sonata, 2005 Honda Accord Coupe, 2003 Honda Accord Sedan, 2002 Honda Accord Sedan, 1999 Ford Taurus...

We also have a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 4-matic, and my partner just got a 2011 Ford Fusion for his new company car... While my Hyundai Azera was the quietest car weve had, My prius is now the LOUDEST... Road Noise in beyond belief... Never mind the squueks and rattles which are too many to count...

Now, Granted, I live in NJ and our roads are the second worst only to road in NY, but I travel all the same routes I did in the Azera, and have just gotten used to the fact that I drive a car that is about as quiet as a 1970 Toyota, and has the built quality of a late 60's american car....

Would I sell it - Never - Not with gas now at $3.15 in NJ, and projected to go into the $4.00+ range in the next few months...

Any Yes - I did test drive the car, and it was on a recently paved highway, and slowly on side roads, so the road noise did not present itself during the test drive... The squeeks and rattles on came after the first 1000 miles... I now have 5020 miles as of tonight and am getting my first oil change and tire rotation tomorrow...

Just wanted to post this so that the people who think this car is noisy are not alone...

Dan

 

Greetings and welcome.

Answer: Yes and No.

The Prius isn't exactly a luxury car, and yes...it's a little noisy. I've got 4,000 miles on mine, and it's not really all that bad. Not bad enough to obscure the rattles, anyway. The Prius is a good car, but it does have some shortcomings.
I haven't had the pleasure of sitting in the rear seat, but I imagine that I could hear a conversation (even with my subdued hearing) so it's possible that you're either exaggerating just a little (no offense!), or your car is not up to scratch.
Either way, a drive in a another G3 will quickly determine if it's a G3 thing, YOUR G3 thing, or the trouble is between your earlobes.
Your car is almost certainly still under warranty---so I'd say that it it is...a trip to the dealer might just be in order!!!

Edit: You bought your car used with 20K miles on the clock. I don't wanna scare you or anything, buuut.....if your car has a salvage title, then the whole warranty thing no longer applies.

 

The build quality, or perhaps more accurately, the de-contenting of sound insulating product alongside the lightweight cheap plastics means this car is a rattle trap.

Dan, be sure to ask your service guys to do this tsb when you bring your car in for service:

T-SB-0141-10
Upper/Lower Windshield + Rear Glass Tick Noise

 

what?

 

funny how most people don't have too many issues or at least not major ones. and yet, there seem to be enough problems that it makes you think they built the 2010's in the u.s.

 

Yesterday I purchased small round tubular insulation for home doors. After cutting a 6” strip I pealed the backing off and stuck it on top of the rubber door insulation or wind noise rubber.

After the commute this morning I actually felt the wind noise had decreased a substantial amount. I think this weekend I am going to add the insulation to the top back of the other window doors. It also seems there is a small lag or indention in the rubber that circles the top corner of the door. After peeling the backing off the rubber home insulation. I stuck it around the corner and a few inches each direction. It so small I can pull it off before taking it to the dealer for wind noise and a few other things I need to have them work on.

I tend to agree with you it seems it’s a bit noisy yet so much less noise than the Mini Cooper and run flat tires. As one of the other members stated I can not compare to the superior ride of the Lexus.

Good Luck
Michael

 

wow, it's sad to see the seals on some of these cars are that bad.

 

I guess a lot of this is subjective and dependent on previous cars owned, make and condition of tires, and local climate.

My 2010 V with the 17" Michelin Pilot tires is the quietest car I have owned ... but my previous cars were not known for quietude. I live in Houston where the temperature is generally warm and the roads are generally good (?). However as the temp has been dropping into the 40's and below, I do notice that plastic creaks a bit until the inside warms up. Since plastic becomes brittle as the temp drops, this does not surprise or bother me (yet), but I can imagine that those of you in the frozen north might have more of an issue with this.

Bottom line ... my V is fit for purpose and highly satisfactory.

 

Our US built 2006 Acura TL is much better built and much quieter than our Gen III Prius.

I would like the Prius to be quieter but don't consider the noise level a big problem, just a minor nuisance. The noise level doesn't prevent normal conversation the radio is easy to hear and after driving for several hours there is no noise fatigue.

 

Hi All,

Yep, after having been in the cool elegant quality, sublime satisfaction of the 2nd Gen Prius, the eye candy, space wastage, difficult_to_make_with_quality design of the 3rd Gen Prius interior is a disappointment. The door panels move when the windows are operated. The door panels also leak air - which is not good for fuel economy, as the climate control has to overcome the cold in the winter, and heat in the summer that is let in. The interior design of the 3rd Gen Prius has to be the most un-synergistic thing about the 3rd Gen Prius. It wastes space, it wastes plastic, it wastes energy and it wastes the good-will of the customers.


Hate to say "I Told You So" but, heck, I did....

 

I'm sure that base price on that TL was MUCH higher than the base price on a Gen III Prius, not to mention that the TL is considered a luxury car.