2015 CX-5 humming noise at speed

mpkav

Member
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2015 CX-5 GT
New user here (hi everyone!). I have a question about a noise my 2015 CX-5 GT is making. I have the stock Toyo A23 19" tires.

The noise only happens when going exactly 50 mph. It sounds like the humming from running your finger around the top of a filled wine glass. It is barely noticeable when going straight or turning left, but right turns really make it sing. In a hard right turn (off-ramp from the highway, for example), it is easily heard over the stereo. It disappears immediately above and below 50 mph and it changes intensity the harder the turn is.

My car has 10,000 km on it but it has been making this noise for the last 3,000-4,000 km. I have the Mazda roof rails and cross bars installed, my first thought it was noise running through the rack but it didn't go away when moving around the bars. I am tempted to remove the entire rack system and give it a go but it really doesn't sound like your typical wind hum. I had the tires rotated at 8,000 km with no change. The dealership took the car for two days to try to replicate the issue but they had no luck, though I am not confident in their abilities yet.

I am thinking it might be alignment related, it is more noticeable when a lighter passenger is beside me than a heavier one, though this is entirely subjective.

Is this just the nature of the tires? The noise doesn't bother me that much *twitch*, I am just worried that I am wearing something down prematurely.
 
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I wonder if one of your wheel bearings is damaged? Any recollections of hitting any curbs fairly hard? I have basically the same vehicle and setup as yours and I don't hear of those noises.
 
I wonder if one of your wheel bearings is damaged? Any recollections of hitting any curbs fairly hard? I have basically the same vehicle and setup as yours and I don't hear of those noises.

Not that I know of, I did drive over a curb at low speed once (tight turn into a lot), though it climbed over it without much issue. My CX-5 was used as a demo vehicle for a bit, so there may have been a previous incident prior to my ownership.

If this is indeed the issue, does this present any immediate concerns? I am heading to the dealership in a week or two to get the mirror housing replaced (vibrating issue others have had), I just need to reproduce the noise with a tech in the car.

EDIT: By the way, nice car. :) I have the same colour, it is really a striking look.
 
It if was indeed a wheel bearing you would want to get that looked at ASAP. Hopefully it is something else but a completely failed wheel bearing can cause a wheel to come off. It would likely make some noise at all speeds for that to occur though. One way to check if wheel bearing or not is if noise changes while vehicle is going into a corner.

Reading your post again I see you mention a sound change going into the right turn... I am strongly leaning on wheel bearing.

I really like the color as well.. It is the the first silver car I have ever had. It is nice that it looks better far longer between washes.
 
It if was indeed a wheel bearing you would want to get that looked at ASAP. Hopefully it is something else but a completely failed wheel bearing can cause a wheel to come off. It would likely make some noise at all speeds for that to occur though. One way to check if wheel bearing or not is if noise changes while vehicle is going into a corner.

Reading your post again I see you mention a sound change going into the right turn... I am strongly leaning on wheel bearing.

I really like the color as well.. It is the the first silver car I have ever had. It is nice that it looks better far longer between washes.

Thanks for the help!

I tried to record the sound on the commute home but there is only a short run at that speed, the engine revving was drowning out anything useful. There is a 30 km perimeter road that is pretty much all 80 km/h, I am heading out now. I think I can ride with cruise control on and see if I can record it.

The dealership was fairly receptive. They want me to bring it in as soon as possible to have a look/listen. I really want to have a recording for them.

I will update later!

P.S. I traded a black 2012 Mazda 3 for my CX-5 this past September, I am so happy with the new colour. It doesn't get as warm when parked and, as you said, looks great for longer. The 3 would get lots of rainspots.
 
I made a recording and brought it to the dealer. They listened and brought the car out for a run. They just called and mentioned a possible TSB regarding the wheel hub that they are going to look into.

I was able to find this:

TSB: 03-003/14

MULTI-MODEL - GROAN NOISE FROM FRONT WHEEL HUB

APPLICABLE MODEL(S)/VINS

2014 Mazda6 vehicles with VINs lower than JM1 GJ ****** 190589 (produced before June 01, 2014)

2013-2014 CX-5

DESCRIPTION

Some vehicles may exhibit a groan type noise from the front wheel hub bearing while driving at high speed or when cornering. This may be caused by front wheel hub bearing corrosion.

Customers having this concern should have their vehicle repaired using the following repair procedure.

REPAIR PROCEDURE

1. Verify customer concern.
2. Replace the affected front wheel hub (A) and locknut (B). Refer to MS3 online or Workshop Manual (section 03-12) removal/installation instructions for the front wheel hub and the locknut only.
CX-5 - WHEEL HUB COMPONENT REMOVAL/INSTALLATION [AWD]

Mazda6 - WHEEL HUB, STEERING KNUCKLE REMOVAL/INSTALLATION


Which looks like it may be the issue. Mine is a 2015 though. I will update once things are sorted.
 
MP, to rule out noise from the roof rack, it's easy enough to remove the crossbars - that's where most, if not all, of the noise comes from. You're right, moving the crossbars around does not help much, if at all.

Flymo
 
Thanks for the advice.

The dealership was able to reproduce the noise and confirmed it is TSB: 03-003/14. The car is going in tomorrow to have the passenger side hubs replaced.
 
I just had the passenger side hubs replaced, three weeks to get the parts in, thanks Mazda Canada...

The sound is still there but it changed slightly in intensity and I think the left-turn hum is gone. This is entirely subjective, however. I guess I am going back to get the driver side done, which makes more sense to me because I thought it usually affects the opposite bearing.

If this doesn't work I am at a bit of a loss. It is too specific, and loud, to be tire noise (I think), and the roof rack does not seem likely as the sound is asymmetrical.
 
Since you have eliminated the wheel bearing possibility (good call Kedis82ZE8, I thought the same when reading the post), it is possible the rest of the noise is tire related. Any cupping, feathering or uneven wear can give this noise. Since you have admitted hitting a curb (even though at low speed) and it being a demo model (AKA Rental car), it is possible to have knocked the wheel alignment off, creating wear on tires that can exhibit your issue. Many times the cupping/feathering is on the inner edges not easily seen or felt when using your hands to feel.
 
Since you have eliminated the wheel bearing possibility (good call Kedis82ZE8, I thought the same when reading the post), it is possible the rest of the noise is tire related. Any cupping, feathering or uneven wear can give this noise. Since you have admitted hitting a curb (even though at low speed) and it being a demo model (AKA Rental car), it is possible to have knocked the wheel alignment off, creating wear on tires that can exhibit your issue. Many times the cupping/feathering is on the inner edges not easily seen or felt when using your hands to feel.

Thanks for the reply! I would normally agree but the Mazda techs have checked for wheel alignment and found no issues. I am getting the driver side bearings replaced on Wednesday, if that does not eliminate the noise then it probably is in fact tire related. If that is the case, as annoying as it is, I would relax a bit because there isn't something damaged.
 
Thanks for the reply! I would normally agree but the Mazda techs have checked for wheel alignment and found no issues. I am getting the driver side bearings replaced on Wednesday, if that does not eliminate the noise then it probably is in fact tire related. If that is the case, as annoying as it is, I would relax a bit because there isn't something damaged.

If it does indeed turn out to be tire related, cross rotating your tires may help with the noise, and help with uneven wear. Or, buying new tires will nip it in the bud [emoji6]
 
If it does indeed turn out to be tire related, cross rotating your tires may help with the noise, and help with uneven wear. Or, buying new tires will nip it in the bud [emoji6]

Haha, I would love to. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the stock Toyo A23s have lots of life left in them. The noise mostly bugs me because I am worried something is being worn or damaged prematurely. I will definitely be doing some research when it comes time to replace them.

The service centre seem to agree that it is a bearing issue. I will report back in on Wednesday, with any luck it will be resolved with the driver side replacement.

Cheers.
 
I got the car back yesterday with the driver side front wheel bearing replaced. I haven't given it a full test yet but in the few spots during my commute that consistently produce the noise there was nothing audible. I am thinking it is fixed. It seems to be related to the TSB I referenced above.
 
I was able to bring it out for a proper test drive on the highway, this issue has been fixed.
 
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