New owner with rear noises

Scoobie

New Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2022
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23
Location
Alabama
We just picked up our new 2023 Sahara 4xe this weekend, and while test driving, it was fine... smooth roads. However, when we got close to home and started down our dirt/gravel road, the noise from the rear was disturbing. My wife kept asking why her ears were feeling like they were about to pop... like a rear window was rolled down a little when traveling fast... that loud whooping noise you hear. I noticed it too. So we took it out yesterday for a ride and on every dirt/gravel road we hit it was atrociously loud. We had a 2-door Wrangler that we took on the same roads all the time and never noticed anything like this before. I would think being a Jeep it would be set up to handle off-road without this kind of noise. It is painful to even drive it down our dirt/gravel road to get to our house. It only happens at slower speeds, as we don't go fast down dirt/gravel roads like we do a paved road.

I have not mentioned it to the dealer yet. I wanted to see if this is common among other owners. We are thinking because of the larger enclosed area with a hard top vs. a soft top that this might be something others are experiencing, but it certainly surprises me since Wranglers are supposedly designed for off-road.

Thanks for any feedback.
 
We just picked up our new 2023 Sahara 4xe this weekend, and while test driving, it was fine... smooth roads. However, when we got close to home and started down our dirt/gravel road, the noise from the rear was disturbing. My wife kept asking why her ears were feeling like they were about to pop... like a rear window was rolled down a little when traveling fast... that loud whooping noise you hear. I noticed it too. So we took it out yesterday for a ride and on every dirt/gravel road we hit it was atrociously loud. We had a 2-door Wrangler that we took on the same roads all the time and never noticed anything like this before. I would think being a Jeep it would be set up to handle off-road without this kind of noise. It is painful to even drive it down our dirt/gravel road to get to our house. It only happens at slower speeds, as we don't go fast down dirt/gravel roads like we do a paved road.

I have not mentioned it to the dealer yet. I wanted to see if this is common among other owners. We are thinking because of the larger enclosed area with a hard top vs. a soft top that this might be something others are experiencing, but it certainly surprises me since Wranglers are supposedly designed for off-road.

Thanks for any feedback.

No vehicle should be making a noise like that sounds like that, let alone a new one.
 
From what I've found with Google searches and reading other places, it is buffeting caused by the top... and apparently, it's been going on for several years. Other owners are inserting foam between the roll bar and hard top to stop it... like noodles, foam, blankets, etc. I'm really shocked that Jeed has not addressed it, albeit what seems to be an easy fix for the consumer. I like it well enough that this would make it near perfect if it indeed fixes it.
 
Well... apparently, that is not as easy of a fix as I thought it would be. I tried the foam... have it at the house, and that did not stop it. It might have helped slightly, but it's definitely still there. Not sure what we might do now. I guess we could buy a soft top and use it until we do a long road trip, then pop the hard top back on, but that seems like a lot of trouble to fix something Jeep should have already addressed.
 
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Well... apparently, that is not as easy of a fix as I thought it would be. I tried the foam... have it at the house, and that did not stop it. It might have helped slightly, but it's definitely still there. Not sure what we might do now. I guess we could buy a soft top and use it until we do a long road trip, then pop the hard top back on, but that seems like a lot of trouble to fix something Jeep should have already addressed.
It's a brand new Jeep. I would take it to the dealer
like, yesterday, and explain whats happening . Take service
manager on a drive to close by gravel Rd..
Cause that my friend is just messed up. I have a 2008 and go
Off Roading weekly . No wind buffering , no
crazy noises, nothing. If it's an issue it's their
responsibility to fix it properly. They may even
have a fix for it .
You spent prob north of 50K so this in my
books is unacceptable. it should be relatively
quiet, well as quiet as a Jeeps get .
Keep us posted If you woudnt mind .
THX
 
We don't believe the noise is not coming from the hard top. It sounds like it is coming from underneath the vehicle. We can roll the windows down, and it actually gets louder.

We stuffed/wedged foam very tightly all across the rear bar between the bar and top. I also pressed hard with my back against the top back and that did not affect it.

Two of us took turns riding in the back, pressing firmly against everything, but it was easy to determine whatever it is in underneath the vehicle. It's louder outside the vehicle than inside the vehicle.

We plan to take the top off tomorrow to confirm if it is still doing it with the top off. If it stops, then I'll be very seriously confused.

Also tried to contact the dealer today (2 hours away)... will try again tomorrow.
 
Just a shot in the dark here....

Because it sounds like relative speed increases or decreases the noise, wind also plays a factor as to rough roads- Have you checked all the fender wells and liners? If you're missing a couple fasteners for the fender liners and you start vibrating them with either road wind or vibration, the noise can be annoying and downright unbearable if the liner is loose enough.
 
Good idea. I will certainly check that here in a little while. I plan to check underneath as best I can for anything that I might can find before taking it to the dealer. It sure would be nice if it were something simple to fix.
 
We checked everything we could grab yesterday... couldn't find anything loose in the wheel wells or underneath the vehicle that would make this kind of vibration. We checked the tailgate latch and wrapped tape around it, we pull out the jack and tool, and we removed the top. We can still hear the vibration with the top off, although it is not as pronounced because it is not trapping the noise like it does with the top.

We are not professionals with suspension by any means but it sure seems like the shocks are not setup for the vibrations of dirt/gravel roads.

Maybe the dealer will be able to figure it out next week.
 
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Finally got it to the dealer... and this is common noise in these vehicles. The service manager and lead technician, and I, all drove ours and a new one from the lot on the same gravel... both equally as loud at 10-15 mph. I guess it is more sensitive to some than others, but there is nothing they can do about it. About the only option is to spray the wheel liners, dampen the rear walls and bed, and maybe get the headliner kit. Fox Shocks said their shocks would probably help some, but it would not be tremendous as lower speeds like we drive on gravel/dirt roads.
 
Finally got it to the dealer... and this is common noise in these vehicles. The service manager and lead technician, and I, all drove ours and a new one from the lot on the same gravel... both equally as loud at 10-15 mph. I guess it is more sensitive to some than others, but there is nothing they can do about it. About the only option is to spray the wheel liners, dampen the rear walls and bed, and maybe get the headliner kit. Fox Shocks said their shocks would probably help some, but it would not be tremendous as lower speeds like we drive on gravel/dirt roads.
I'm going to guess that it would be less noticeable if you had more engine and less motor. Because exhaust noise.
 
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It's vibrations thru the tires and suspension. As MANY others have noted, they don't like it and some have done things to fix it, and it does not bother some others... someone else returned his.

The exhaust is non-existent when on battery, and very negligible when on gas.

It is what it is... like someone else so brilliantly stated... it's a Jeep, we shouldn't expect it to be quiet. Of course... I never expected it to be quiet, I just didn't think it would be so loud I wouldn't want to stay in the vehicle with it.
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Well thank you for the update. I'm kinda now
wondering how loud it is and possibly expectations
that you set for the Jeep is to be super quiet .
IDK . @Dirtydog had a valid point . If in eledtric
mode I could understand rattles , creaks etc
sounding louder as there is no engine noise to
drown it out .
In your original post mentioned ears popping .
That's usually attributed to rear windows down
at Hwy or close to Hwy speeds. Not while your
travelling slower on a gravel road or much slower
on a trail.
Somethimg seems off cause whatever it is sounds really
loud . That just doesn't seem normal . Yeah a Jeep isn't
as quiet as a BMW SUV for sure . But it also isn't uncomfortably
loud at any speed . I wheel every week . When I'm recording
a trail which will eventually go on UTube music is turned off.
So I can hear everything and honestly it's pretty quiet
even on washboard gravel road going about 20KPH.
I had an annoying rattle which was mentioned above
Front fender liner . At the bottom of liner, back of front tire.
Fixed that up and it's quiet . I'll get the odd creak or groan
when flexing nut nothing crazy.
In the summer was looking after sisters dog. Driving down
the Hwy with rear window down a bit , no extra crazy noise .
On the trail all day with both rear windows down all way , nothing .
We appreciate all the members and hope you stick around .
But it would be worth your while to join a Jeep 4XE or JL forum
and run this issue by them.
See if others are experiencing same problems .
Good luck and hope your able to find a resolution .
 
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I certainly would never expect it to be super quiet, but we came from a 2022 2-door Wrangler, and this noise was not there... in the least bit. The service manager and lead technician both heard it and agreed it would be annoying if it were constant. Neither of them drive off-road or on dirt/gravel roads like we do on a regular basis, so they've never heard it like we have until I took them on a graveled drive. This problem is all over the Internet... my wife found several places it has been mentioned, and I've posted in a couple of places, but there is apparently no resolution for it as of yet.
 
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Speartip m
I certainly would never expect it to be super quiet, but we came from a 2022 2-door Wrangler, and this noise was not there... in the least bit. The service manager and lead technician both heard it and agreed it would be annoying if it were constant. Neither of them drive off-road or on dirt/gravel roads like we do on a regular basis, so they've never heard it like we have until I took them on a graveled drive. This problem is all over the Internet... my wife found several places it has been mentioned, and I've posted in a couple of places, but there is apparently no resolution for it as of yet.
I'm wondering if an after market shock or shock &
springs would help . Often aftermarkets are more
forgiving than stock, A few of the guys on here run
Bilstein 5100 and are very happy. Smooth ride
etc. amd won't break the bank.
 
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