2021 Tahoe whining sound?

[joshpgardner]

I have a whining sound that sounds like power steering but not sure what it could be? any ideas?

 

[RST Dana]

SC?

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

Can you provide us with additional information regarding the whining sound? When does it whine and when does it not whine? What are you doing when the shining sound exists?

 

[jasonalim]

I had the same issue with my 2021 Z71... I replaced the alternator and the water pump before taking it to another dealership to only be told it was the transmission. YES the transmission at 61,000 miles. The positive is GM handled 75% of the cost.. if thats a positive ??? The negative...It took 9 weeks, more back and forth then I care to admit and zero reimbursement for a rental car. In all fairness, I'm now thinking its the truck. Since that visit to the dealership, the truck has been back twice for not starting. Both times the truck was towed to the dealership, both times I was charged for a diagnoses and both times the answer was " we don't know" This is my 17th GM vehicle. Never had any issues like this in the past.

 

[JKeller]

Long time lurker but first time posting. My 2021 Tahoe HC 4x4 does this too so I figured I would chime in. Mine does this only when cold and only when turning either direction, especially when accelerating.

I first thought it was a front wheel bearing/hub so I took it to my mechanic. My mechanic told me it was coming from the rear differential and to take it to the dealership since it was still under the powertrain warranty. The dealership claimed they couldn't hear it first. I then got one of them to ride with me in the parking lot and they admitted they heard it, but claimed it was either: 1) normal; or 2) not something that GM has issued any kind of notice for.

Finally, I got a mechanic in the family to offer an opinion. He thinks its the limited slip making noise since the noise goes away once it warms up. That seems reasonable to me. What remains to be seen is whether it causes problems long term. However, it seems to be getting better. I have had the noise for about 5k miles now.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Long time lurker but first time posting. My 2021 Tahoe HC 4x4 does this too so I figured I would chime in. Mine does this only when cold and only when turning either direction, especially when accelerating.

I first thought it was a front wheel bearing/hub so I took it to my mechanic. My mechanic told me it was coming from the rear differential and to take it to the dealership since it was still under the powertrain warranty. The dealership claimed they couldn't hear it first. I then got one of them to ride with me in the parking lot and they admitted they heard it, but claimed it was either: 1) normal; or 2) not something that GM has issued any kind of notice for.

Finally, I got a mechanic in the family to offer an opinion. He thinks its the limited slip making noise since the noise goes away once it warms up. That seems reasonable to me. What remains to be seen is whether it causes problems long term. However, it seems to be getting better. I have had the noise for about 5k miles now.

Does the HC have "limited slip" rear diff? I thought it got the Eaton locker, not the eLSD like is available on the GMC and Caddys?

That said, could still be the rear diff..have you had the fluid changed/done driveline service?

 

[houstontaylor]

A common whistling sound on my 2003 Tahoe in cold weather is the idler on the ac belt tensioner. I have gotten replacements from the dealer and aftermarket and it still does it. They all seem to be made in Canada, maybe by the same company. I've thought about finding a replacement pulley with better bearings that will fit on the tensioner. When the serpentine belt was off with the engine running the noise was still in the engine compartment because the ac compressor has its own belt. A mechanic stethoscope also confirmed the location.

 

[gameconch]

Long time lurker but first time posting. My 2021 Tahoe HC 4x4 does this too so I figured I would chime in. Mine does this only when cold and only when turning either direction, especially when accelerating.

I first thought it was a front wheel bearing/hub so I took it to my mechanic. My mechanic told me it was coming from the rear differential and to take it to the dealership since it was still under the powertrain warranty. The dealership claimed they couldn't hear it first. I then got one of them to ride with me in the parking lot and they admitted they heard it, but claimed it was either: 1) normal; or 2) not something that GM has issued any kind of notice for.

Finally, I got a mechanic in the family to offer an opinion. He thinks its the limited slip making noise since the noise goes away once it warms up. That seems reasonable to me. What remains to be seen is whether it causes problems long term. However, it seems to be getting better. I have had the noise for about 5k miles now.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10230610-0001.pdf

 

[gameconch]

The above service bulletin now applies to 2021-2023 vehicles. Mine has it but my regular Chevy dealership said it requires new differential fluid and that fluid differs depending on which type of differential you have. The fluid that mine (which has a G86 differential) requires is backordered because of the GM strike.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

The above service bulletin now applies to 2021-2023 vehicles. Mine has it but my regular Chevy dealership said it requires new differential fluid and that fluid differs depending on which type of differential you have. The fluid that mine (which has a G86 differential) requires is backordered because of the GM strike.

What service bulletin are you referring to, I re-read this thread 2x, and see no reference to a service bulletin in it.

 

[Gritty B]

Here is the whining noise on my 2021 tahoe with 40K miles. Started when accelerating and now is consistent while in park.

any thoughts here?

 

[StephenPT]

That sounds awful - as bad as it is, it should be pretty easy to diagnose by taking off the serpentine belt and rotating by hand all the pulleys in the accessory drive loop. You should find one of them that feels rough when rotating.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Here is the whining noise on my 2021 tahoe with 40K miles. Started when accelerating and now is consistent while in park.

any thoughts here?

Possibly this:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10240363-0001.pdf

 

[Gritty B]

Thanks for all the help here. It was covered under the powertrain warranty.

 

[BlaineBug]

I had the same issue with my 2021 Z71... I replaced the alternator and the water pump before taking it to another dealership to only be told it was the transmission. YES the transmission at 61,000 miles. The positive is GM handled 75% of the cost.. if thats a positive ??? The negative...It took 9 weeks, more back and forth then I care to admit and zero reimbursement for a rental car. In all fairness, I'm now thinking its the truck. Since that visit to the dealership, the truck has been back twice for not starting. Both times the truck was towed to the dealership, both times I was charged for a diagnoses and both times the answer was " we don't know" This is my 17th GM vehicle. Never had any issues like this in the past.

They are charging you for "ineffective diagnosis" because you're 1,000 miles out of warranty, is that right?

 

[B-train]

I can't believe how the build quality of basic components has gone to shit. Those are items you shouldn't need to touch for at least 100k, if not longer (belt and pulley). As far as other posts about the transmission, I share a similar opinion.

For a comparison, when people say Japanese quality, it's real. I looked at a Mazda 6 for a commuter awhile back and was totally impressed with the build quality, fit and finish, and overall common sense ideas. It shares the platform of the Ford Fusion my daughter has, but you can tell between the 2 which one was designed and assembled by people who care and have a societal sense of purpose. Sorry for the soap box, but it just grinds my gears that people keep spending huge $$ for a quality that doesn't match lately. IMO

 

[bradac]

Here is the whining noise on my 2021 tahoe with 40K miles. Started when accelerating and now is consistent while in park.

any thoughts here?

That is 1000% idler pully, super cheap to fix, considered a wear item, happened to me around the same miles. Ignore all the nonsense everyone else is stating. idler pulley, thats it. Make sure to get the belt replaced with the idler pulley itself. should be about $100 is parts between the two if buying from the dealer.