Just got a new 2010 Prius III with 78,000 miles. I recently have had the car out when its been warming up outside and I noticed that when the AC is on every now and then it will make (in my opinion) a very loud electrical noise. I took it to the Toyota dealership and they said that the noise is normal (I even showed the person that checked my car in this exact video) however I question if they really heard the noise I was complaining about because it doesn't always do it (which is another reason I wonder if it isn't normal). Can anyone tell me if this is normal? Keep in mind my phone is close to the source of the noise so with the hood closed its not as loud but its still VERY noticeable.
Sounds normal to me. My 2011 sounds like that when the a/c system is working near max capacity, that is to say the interior and ambient temperatures are high, and the selected temperature is much lower, or at max cold. The Prius a/c compressor operates at variable speed, based on among other things, the amount of cooling requested. It can be quite noticeable at max speed. If the noise really bothers you, and you can tolerate reduced a/c cooling capacity, there is a customization setting that the dealer can perform to reduce the a/c compressor noise.
