Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving

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Wed 14 Oct 2020 20:55
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - dellhydro

Hi,

Looking for some help diagnosing my issue. I recently bought a 2018 Suzuki Vitara S All Grip Automatic and a few days later it developed a noise when driving. The closest thing I can compare the noise to is a high pitched whistle/buzzing on a phone line. The sound becomes more prominent at faster speeds > 50 mph and also once the car is warmed up (driving for 20+ mins). It doesn't appear to be linked to accelerating or breaking and sounds like it's coming from the dashboard/infotainment centre (although my partner thinks it sounds more like it's coming from under the bonnet). I've turned off the infotainment centre, A/C, closed the vents etc. and can still hear it. I don't notice it on lower speeds and have experienced it on both windy and non-windy days. It's making long journeys a bit unbearable as the sound can still be heard over the radio. I took the car into a Suzuki dealer last week to take a look and they said that they would do a safety inspection but could only do a limited test drive. The car has come back and they said they couldn't hear the noise on the test drive (no big surprise as they did say the would only do a limited test drive) but suggested it might be from the brakes i.e. the pads or discs heating up after a while and somehow causing the sound - they suggested stripping and cleaning all break pads as a precaution. Which they did but it has not resolved the issue.

I bought the car from a well know UK car reseller, not direct from the dealer, so believe it's their issue to fix (even though the car is still under warranty), is that correct?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

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Wed 14 Oct 2020 23:19
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Andrew-T

Can the noise be made with the car parked and the engine running with the bonnet up? And if the engine is revved ? That might eliminate wind noise or a brake problem.

'Fixing' may be unnecessary if there is nothing 'wrong' or suggesting possible failure.

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Thu 15 Oct 2020 13:35
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Railroad.

Has the car ever had a replacement windscreen fitted? If so there may be a small gap in the sealant. This will create a whistle type noise, especially at higher speed and on windy days. The windscreen will need to be removed and refitted by a screen company. Take it to Autoglass or wherever and see if they can come for a test drive with you to allow them to hear the noise.

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Fri 16 Oct 2020 09:16
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - dellhydro

Thanks for the replies so far.

The noise doesn't appear when parked, only when driving. It hasn't had the windscreen changed to my knowledge.

I'm taking it back to the dealer on Monday to do a longer test drive so they can hear the noise, hopefully they'll know what the problem is then.

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Fri 16 Oct 2020 09:17
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Bolt

Has the car ever had a replacement windscreen fitted? If so there may be a small gap in the sealant. This will create a whistle type noise, especially at higher speed and on windy days. The windscreen will need to be removed and refitted by a screen company. Take it to Autoglass or wherever and see if they can come for a test drive with you to allow them to hear the noise.

You can usually hear it if it has a leak, and its quiet, sounds like putting sea shell against ear, if it has a leak in bonding then finding it is fun

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Sat 17 Oct 2020 18:44
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Ethan Edwards

You know the audio system comes on when you turn on the ignition. Could it be the radio just not tuned into a station? Are you perhaps listening to static? Swap the mode to dab, tune in a station and mute it. Do you still hear it? Great car , I own the exact same one.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 09:52
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - dellhydro

Thanks for the suggestion Ethan. I did think it might be the radio initially but I've tried muting it and switching off the the infotainment unit and can still here it. Also it only appears after the car is warmed up i.e. 20+ mins of driving.

I'm bringing it into the place I bought it from today and they are going to investigate. Will post an update if they find the problem.

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Sun 1 Nov 2020 00:08
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Ethan Edwards

Noisy fuel pump? The tank is under the rear seats so the noise would be in the cabin. Or air conditioning system. Sorry I'm guessing here's mine doesn't do it. I have a late 17 Vitara S Allgrip Auto and I love it.

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Sun 1 Nov 2020 09:15
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - RT

Does it have "audible brake wear indicators"? They're like tuning forks and hum when coming into contact with the disk.

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Mon 9 Nov 2020 09:01
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - dellhydro

UPDATE: turns out it was an issue with the brake discs/pads. The sales person did say to me when I bought the car that they had replaced them all but as they were not a Suzuki dealer I'm not sure if they fitted them correctly (that's just a guess as the service manager didn't go into details). The UK reseller ended up sending the car to a Suzuki dealer near them who fixed the issue and there has been no noise since ??

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Tue 25 Jul 2023 16:36
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Stefano Calligaris

Hi, i've bought a 2nd hand suzuki vitara 1.4 hybrid 4wd 2020 and i discover on the first trip on the motorway the same noise you described when the speed turn 50 mph and after the engine is on for over 15 minutes, An high frequency whistle that disappear when the speed decreased.

if you fixed the problem can confirm me it was connected with brakes? did you contact a suzuki center that know more about this kind of noise/problem?

If you suffered as me on the motorway you will know how happy i could be with your help, hope you fix it a will let me know

Best regards

Stefano

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Fri 10 Feb 2023 16:57
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Mehmet Çelebi

Hello,

I ‘m having the exact same problem.

My car is Suzuki Vitara 2020 1.4S Allgrip.

When i first noticed the problem, it started when i reached a speed of around 140 km/h, and disappeared when slowed down to around 100 km/h.

After a while, it started making the same noise at lower speeds. But not always.

Now i hear the same noise even when i’m moving in the car park without pressing the gas.

The sound disappears when i stop. Also there is no any noise on idle.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, but my problem started after i put on the winter tires.

I took the car to two different authorized service centers, neither of them could detect a problem.

The last service i went to said that maybe it was the brake discs. They told me they saw some scratches on the discs.

I love my car very much, but this sound bothers me a lot.

I'm taking it to Suzuki's central service next week.

Did you find a solution to your problem?

I will be happy if you inform me.

Many thanks & regards.

Mehmet Celebi

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Fri 10 Feb 2023 21:04
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - catsdad

My daughter’s 1.6 2017 Vitara was sometimes making a high pitched noise in reverse. It appeared to come from the brakes and the main dealer says it’s common in the Vitara. The brakes have plenty of material left and no work is necessary. This may be a separate issue from what others on the thread are experiencing but it’s worth considering.
Some contributors on other forums say its curable with a brake strip down and full clean of but others say it still persists. At least the dealer didn’t charge my daughter to diagnose it and says it’s 100% safe.

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Thu 27 Jul 2023 09:42
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Stefano Calligaris

Hi,

Looking for some help diagnosing my issue. I recently bought a 2018 Suzuki Vitara S All Grip Automatic and a few days later it developed a noise when driving. The closest thing I can compare the noise to is a high pitched whistle/buzzing on a phone line. The sound becomes more prominent at faster speeds > 50 mph and also once the car is warmed up (driving for 20+ mins). It doesn't appear to be linked to accelerating or breaking and sounds like it's coming from the dashboard/infotainment centre (although my partner thinks it sounds more like it's coming from under the bonnet). I've turned off the infotainment centre, A/C, closed the vents etc. and can still hear it. I don't notice it on lower speeds and have experienced it on both windy and non-windy days. It's making long journeys a bit unbearable as the sound can still be heard over the radio. I took the car into a Suzuki dealer last week to take a look and they said that they would do a safety inspection but could only do a limited test drive. The car has come back and they said they couldn't hear the noise on the test drive (no big surprise as they did say the would only do a limited test drive) but suggested it might be from the brakes i.e. the pads or discs heating up after a while and somehow causing the sound - they suggested stripping and cleaning all break pads as a precaution. Which they did but it has not resolved the issue.

I bought the car from a well know UK car reseller, not direct from the dealer, so believe it's their issue to fix (even though the car is still under warranty), is that correct?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

HI, if you managed to fix this noise pls let us know, thanks Stefano

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Thu 27 Jul 2023 10:11
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - sammy1

"""I bought the car from a well know UK car reseller, not direct from the dealer, so believe it's their issue to fix (even though the car is still under warranty), is that correct?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

HI, if you managed to fix this noise pls let us know, thanks Stefano

The warranty dealer may have come across the problem before and will have contact with Suzuki central data bases so the odds of a fix here would be greater

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Wed 23 Aug 2023 13:02
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Duba

I got the same problem as you guys. Let us know if you fix this problem.

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Wed 24 Apr 2024 15:29
Suzuki Vitara - High pitched sound when driving - Unit

The noise is likely to be caused by a faulty bearing on the car's cardan (prop or drive shaft).

You can compare the noise your car makes to the one recorded in this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWdc42VhFeI

The central cardan bearing's premature wear is a known issue on New Vitaras (LY, build from 2015 onward) as well as on other Suzuki models such as SX4 / S-cross. You can find numerous on-line reports on them failing on low mileage, many during the warranty period.

The faulty bearing can't be serviced, you need to replace the whole cardan (which if you're out of warranty can set you off as much as €1000).

Since this seems to be a lucrative deal for their service network, Suzuki hasn't issued a recall on this matter, despite it being a longstanding and frustrating problem for the owners.

If you are facing this issue, you can file complaints to your national road safety and product safety authorities in order for them to push Suzuki for a recall.

You can also message the European Suzuki factory in Esztergom, Hungary (notorious for their poor quality control) and leave them a Google Maps review stating your problem: maps.app.goo.gl/eqyXp1RwjFwz2bSf6

Also, take it to reddit and other owners forums so more people find out they're not alone facing this problem.

If enough people complain, maybe Suzuki will address the matter and issue a recall. Cheers!

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