Slight scraping sound coming from wheels

[Charrua]

I can hear a slight sound that I would describe as metal on metal scraping coming from my rear wheels. By "slight" I mean I only hear it when I'm driving slowly, if EV mode, on a quite street with the windows down. Even then I only really notice it if the sound gets reflected off of a parked car or a building close to the road.

 

Is this normal for a hybrid? I had the dealer look at it and they said it was fine when they test-drove it. I don't really trust the dealer that much yet.

[jeff_h]

The only time I get something that sounds close to that is after washing the car (or rain) and the car has been in the garage and the next time driven there might be a small amount of rust forming on the brake rotors - but that gets ground back off very quickly.

 

It might be worth a few minutes to jack up each rear wheel and spin each one to see if they are still rolling without a lot of resistance and not making noise... if one of the wheels is noisy or tough to spin by hand, probably worth a trip to the dealer to check out again by doing the same.

[hybridbear]

I hear a noise that I think is similar to what you're describing. We hear it when we're driving in the underground garage at our apartment. We only hear it when coming home and not when leaving in a cold car. I haven't given much thought to it, but maybe I should.

[GrySql]

I doubt this is the reason for your noise but just wanted to throw it out there.

 

The brake backing plates on these cars are very, very close to the brake rotors.

When they replaced my TSB axle washers the Ford Tech accidentally pried on that area and moved the backing plates just enough to have them touch.

That created a undulating scraping sound. I returned the car and they fixed it.

[Charrua]

I hear a noise that I think is similar to what you're describing. We hear it when we're driving in the underground garage at our apartment. We only hear it when coming home and not when leaving in a cold car. I haven't given much thought to it, but maybe I should.

 

I bet it's the same noise I hear. Could it be that the reason you don't hear it when leaving in a cold car is because of the sound of the ICE?

[hybridbear]

I bet it's the same noise I hear. Could it be that the reason you don't hear it when leaving in a cold car is because of the sound of the ICE?

Our ICE doesn't ever come on immediately when starting a cold car. We never have the ICE on when driving through the underground garage at our apartment. It doesn't come on until after we get a few blocks from home usually and get onto a road with a 40 MPH speed limit.

[lmp180psu]

I have the same sound/noise as others have described. It occurs pretty much anytime when driving slowly in EV or in ICE mode. Like others, it is fairly easily heard when the sound is reflected off walls or other cars. Mentioned it to the dealer when I had the PCM update, and they said they couldn't duplicate the concern. (ughhh)

I mentioned to them maybe something is rubbing with the brakes etc, but I guess since they didn't hear it, they didn't check anything.

 

If it continues, I will ask them to check again, the next time I am in for service (most likely the fuel module recall).

[Charrua]

I have the same sound/noise as others have described.

 

Since it doesn't seem like too many people have noticed the sound I'm assuming it's just an issue with a few vehicles.

 

I'm hoping to figure out what it is one of these days, but it probably won't happen until my 20,000 mile visit to the dealer which won't be till next spring.

[hybridbear]

I've paid more attention to this now recently. It seems to be a sound relating to regen. When I press on the accelerator enough to make the battery show the down arrow for discharging the sound goes away. Once I let off the gas pedal it comes back. This still doesn't explain why I haven't heard it when first leaving with a cold car. Perhaps that has just been perception. Since I walk to work all week I haven't driven the car since Sunday afternoon so I haven't been able to investigate further with a cold car.

[MaineFusion]

I had the same sound right after my 10,000 mi service when they rotated my tires. By the time I got the car back to the dealer to do the half-shaft TSB, the sound had gone away. The dealer thought it might have been some dust causing a pad to stick slightly.

[hybridbear]

I have since paid more attention and confirmed that I hear the noise when warm and cold. It sounds like it's regen related because it goes away when I step on the gas.

[owens.levi]

This thread is a bit old, but matches my issue pretty closely. Any "smoking guns" found for that noise? Mine also goes away (or maybe is covered by the ICE noise) when I step on the gas. Or if I pop in into neutral at speed. I would add that when braking, I now hear a high pitched whine that lowers in pitch as the speed decreases. Thought maybe my ANC had died, which I can't prove one way or another because the car sounds the same to me with the ANC fuse in or out.

[Charrua]

I basically just got used to the sound so I don't even notice it any more. I'm assuming it just annoys some people more than others.

[markd85]

This thread is a bit old, but matches my issue pretty closely. Any "smoking guns" found for that noise? Mine also goes away (or maybe is covered by the ICE noise) when I step on the gas. Or if I pop in into neutral at speed. I would add that when braking, I now hear a high pitched whine that lowers in pitch as the speed decreases. Thought maybe my ANC had died, which I can't prove one way or another because the car sounds the same to me with the ANC fuse in or out.

 

I have this exact same issue. A high pitched sound when decelerating, almost like the sound my knife sharpener makes when i sharpen my kitchen knives. I've also noticed that when driving at highway speed as the engine switches back and forth between ICE and EV there is the same sharpening sound for a split second. My gas mileage in the last 12 months has also been abysmal compared to this same time frame last year. I have 75k miles on my 2013 fusion, and somehow in the last 10k miles my average dipped from 41.6mpg to 40.9. Doing some quick math, over the last 10k miles i would have to had to average 36mpg to cause such a steep drop over the lifetime average. In previous winters the most my lifetime average ever dipped was from 41.6 to 41.5, or something similar. I've brought it to the dealer 3 times and they fix "something" each time, but acknowledge they cant hear what i hear (though the sound of knives sharpening is pretty distinct) and dont know what the problem is. Last time i brought it in they said it was the brakes rubbing so i bought new brakes, but the sound remained.

 

Their solution last time i brought it in? Tell me to come back when their shop when their foreman had time to drive around with me and listen for himself while i was there, and then stick around the dealership while they try fixing stuff and see if it goes away.