It is really loud. Does it feel like coming from deep inside or more from external components? Try this, put it in D, press brake hard, and apply throttle at the same time. Do you still have the noise? Try in reverse as well. Nothing will be moving but you are putting torque on the motor's rotors.

 

Another idea for location isolation is to get moving and put it in neutral. Then brake. If you hear the sound it will eliminate motor mounts and drive shafts. A stress noise under braking alone might indicate movement in the suspension. Check if the lugnuts are tight.

 

Did you ever figure out what this sound is?

my 2016 with 38k miles makes the exact same noise on accel and braking. it is annoying.

 

Nope -- dealer still unable to identify the source. You are the first person to report having the same noise.

Another idea for location isolation is to get moving and put it in neutral. Then brake. If you hear the sound it will eliminate motor mounts and drive shafts. A stress noise under braking alone might indicate movement in the suspension. Check if the lugnuts are tight.

It does not make the noise when braking in neutral. Have tried several times and this result is consistent. It only makes the noise when in drive.

 

I had been trying to find someone else with a similar noise but other people had a more pronounced mechanical type click but the one in your video and what I am experiencing is different. ill try to see if I can get the noise to happen in neutral.

But yes I bought the car a few weeks ago and it has been doing that since I bought it.

I just dropped it off at the dealer today to have them check it thinking it might be the axle nut problem the first gens were having but they just told me that I would have to pay $159 for diagnosing the issue and I told them to kick rocks.

Im going to take it to the hyundai dealer I bought it from and ask them to take a look at it. if i figure anything out I will let you know.

 

Actually I went to a different dealer that listened really quickly and they think it is the axle nuts. I have an appointment tomorrow so I'll let you know if it fixes it for me.

 

Make sure they know there are new bigger nut and washer supposed to be used when replacing.

But most importantly, make sure they inspect the Axle mounts.

On mine I had a clicking that had also become a creaking noise, they first replaced the Axle nut and washer with the new bigger ones, but the creaking did not go away, and looking closer, they found two Axle mounts broken....

Last thread on this
https://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?331869-Axel-mount-failure

 

Hey thanks for the info. i found part numbers 11611232 and 11611687 in the thread you linked me to on one of the posts for the better nut and washer.

also scrambler, what year Volt do you have? I called GM about part numbers 11611232 and 11611687 which is what some people used on the Gen 1 Volts, but they said those parts didn't work with the gen 2?

do you know if people are using those parts on the Gen 2 as well? or if there are new washers and nuts with different part numbers for the gen 2 volts?

thanks

 

I have a 2017 Gen2, I cant be sure what they installed until I get the car back

 

If you find out the part numbers for the better nut and washer please share so us Gen 2 owners have a reference on what to ask for since the dealer information is that the ones on the 2011-2015 do not work for the Gen 2.

Thanks

 

Update:. Picked up my car today. They tightened the axle nuts and the noise went away. Super quiet and I'm so happy.

The service guy did tell me there are new part numbers for the nut and washer but they didn't have any in stock. He told me if the problem happens again that they would replace the nut and washer.

Redline, did they try to torque the axle nuts on your car? Mine sounded the exact same as yours and now it is quiet. Have them try that first. Hope it helps that I went through the same thing.
He told me to contact him tomorrow to get the new part numbers. Once they let me know I will go ahead and post them.

 

Redline, did they try to torque the axle nuts on your car? Mine sounded the exact same as yours and now it is quiet. Have them try that first. Hope it helps that I went through the same thing.
He told me to contact him tomorrow to get the new part numbers. Once they let me know I will go ahead and post them.

No, they did not even mention the axle nuts. There's another post here where someone went and torqued the axle nuts themselves and reported no difference. I have tools and could do that -- might give it a shot before going back to the dealer.

 

Here is what they did to fix both the clicking (new nuts and washer) and the creaking (axle mounts)

J# 1 47CVZ08 AXLE NOISE TECH(S):0170 WARRANTY
CUSTOMER STATES THERE IS A CLICKING AND CREAKING IN THE PASS
FRONT AXLE AREA WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. CAN BE
DUPLICATED BY STARTING AND STOPPING IN A PARKING LOT. PLEASE
ADVISE
REMOVE AND INSPECT AXLE WASHERS,BROKEN.REPLACE AXLE WASHERS
AND NUTS.DOC 4163595 .ROAD TEST,STILL HAS CREAKING ON ACCELL
FROM STOP. REFER TO LINE 4

PARTS------QTY---FP-NUMBER---------------DESCRIPTION---------LIST PRICE-UNIT PRICE
JOB # 1 2 13208079 NUT 6.056 Y WARRANTY
JOB # 1 2 11611964 WASHER 6.056 Y WARRANTY JOB # 1 TOTAL PARTS 0.00
JOB # 1 TOTAL LABOR & PARTS 0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

J# 2 00CVZCLINIC FREE VEHICLE INSPECT TECH(S):0170 INTERNAL
PROVIDE FREE VEHICLE INSPECTION AS PER MULTI POINT VEHICLE
INSPECTION FORM
COMPLETE VEHICLE INSPECTION AND REPORT ANY FINDINGS. R/F
TIRE 2/32.

PARTS------QTY---FP-NUMBER---------------DESCRIPTION---------LIST PRICE-UNIT PRICE JOB # 2 TOTAL PARTS 0.00

JOB # 2 TOTAL LABOR & PARTS 0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

J# 3 46CVZZ3 T P C COMPLETED TECH(S):0170 INTERNAL
TIRE INFLATION SERVICE WAS COMPLETED AND TIRE PRESSURE
MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED
TIRE PRESSURES WERE SET PER MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS.
LF / RF / RR / LR 36 ALL.

PARTS------QTY---FP-NUMBER---------------DESCRIPTION---------LIST PRICE-UNIT PRICE JOB # 3 TOTAL PARTS 0.00

JOB # 3 TOTAL LABOR & PARTS 0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

J# 4+30CVZ01 AUTO TRANS CONCERN TECH(S):0170 WARRANTY Added Operation (ANDREWS @ 08/29/2019 11:33)
CUSTOMER STATES VEHICLE CREAKS UNDER ACCELERATION. PER
INSPECTION TECH FOUND BROKEN TRANS MOUNTS IN ADDITION TO
REPAIR ON LINE 1. OK PER CUSTOMER 8-29-19 @ 11:32AM
INSPECT FOR MOUNT ISSUES,REAR TRANS MOUNT HAS
CRACKS AND MAKES NOISE.
REMOVE CRADLE AND REPLACE
MOUNT,DOC4582838.REPLACE TRANS BRACKET ALSO.ROAD TEST AND
EVALUATE,NO CURRENT ISSUES,NOTED BATTERY AND RIGHT SIDE
SHIELDS DAMAGED FROM IMPACT.PERFORM ALIGNMENT,TOE SET.

PARTS------QTY---FP-NUMBER---------------DESCRIPTION---------LIST PRICE-UNIT PRICE
JOB # 4 1 23377214 MOUNT 4.081 Y WARRANTY

 

Thanks Scrambler, so it looks like there aren't any updated washers and nuts for our car. The numbers you gave me are the same ones I was told are the original part number on the Gen 2 volt.

I am glad your problem was fixed. I kind of wish they had the new parts so they would have changed them for me as well rather than tighten.

 

I'm in this exact same situation as well. I'd love to know what the part numbers for the gen 2 are, I can't find them anywhere

 

My reply was in moderation for some time and in the mean time the answer was posted above.

 

I just checked my axle nuts they are at 185ft/lb and I'm still getting the creaking. I've taken a couple of videos the first is attached to this post and the other linked on it's youtube page. It really doesn't seem related to suspension movement. I have today ordered the washers and nuts since my dealer said they weren't sure what the problem is and wanted to try replacing $400 worth of steering arm parts to see if that was the source of the noise. They also seem to have missed noticing the completely torn shock absorber boot, so I'm not very impressed.

 

Interesting -- that's the same clicking noise mine makes (you linked to my youtube video in your description), although mine is much worse. I've never thought it was related to suspension movement and your video seems to prove it.

I think it's related to torque, which is why the axle nut seemed to make sense to me. In my video, the noise is most pronounced under acceleration.

I never bothered returning to the dealer -- they have been unable to identify it in 2 trips. The second time they held the car for a week. Mine is no longer under warranty so whenever something does finally break, I'm going to get stuck with the bill anyway...

 

Same. Car has ~68k on it now. Car needs to have recall done for AC hose, so I'm going to ask them to look at this noise again and see what happens.

Whatever it is, it is definitely NOT cosmetic nor normal.

 

Ughh. I just came across this thread. I've been hearing a clicking noise from the right rear for a while now, only on acceleration from start or deceleration to stop. I've more or less ignored it as it hasn't gotten worse and the car drives fine. The clicking sounds a lot like what we hear in the OP's video (although not as loud or as constant) and like what's in the video in the other thread linked to above.

It was probably a mistake to ignore it for so long. The car (a '16) now has 60,100 miles - 100 miles out of the powertrain warranty. I have a very good mechanic so I'll take it to him instead of the dealer. It shouldn't be too expensive for him to just tighten the mounting nut, or even to replace the mount. (I hope.)

 

FYI, Mine turned out to be broken mounts so ignoring it may not be a great idea

 

snic - could it be this? https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10137631-9999.pdf

 

Could be. The bulletin says the creak is heard "under certain rear axle load conditions" - it would be nice if it described what those are. I hear it only during acceleration and deceleration, which makes me think it's the axle mounts as described in this thread and the other one.

 

My car is now at Chevy dealer. I've seen threads claiming loose axel nut, bad axel nut washer, faulty sway bar links, bad CV joint and axel replacements. My noise is exactly the same as Redline's (thank you for the video). In my case, I torqued the nut to 180lbs and the noise became less frequent but is still happening. Will update when they update me.

 

Chevy called and says the noise is caused by a broken left axle washer. They charged $179 to diagnose the problem and $190.19 is the estimate on parts/labor for the repair. When I dropped it off I tried to get them to skip the diagnosis step and just jump straight to the parts replacement but they refused to do any work without first doing the diagnosis. And they said since I'm out of the 3/36 that no warranty coverage on the broken part.

So $370.06 plus tax here in Southern California for a $15 dollar set of parts and what looks like an hour for a pro or a couple hours for a shade tree mechanic to tackle. There are good videos on Youtube regarding the replacement procedure but it is not just spin off the axel nut and pop on a washer-various suspension components need to be disconnected so you can pull off the hub to place the washer on the axel.

For those with the same issue I've read on other threads that leaving the washer broken/nut loose will cause the bearings to fail (over time). Volts use a low resistance bearing design that makes the part more expensive than typical. As time moves on I hope this forum will provide more examples of noises and solutions so we can save money with our local garages rather than dealing with Chevy. And based on the number of complaints in the forums I too am surprised there isn't a TSB on the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next year they do create one and we get reimbursed for these repairs.

 

I just took my '16 to my local mechanic. He heard the noise but didn't believe it was related to the axle. But, neither he nor I have put in the effort to localize it to a specific wheel. He said that once I'm able to tell him which wheel it is, he'll take it apart to see what's going on.

 

He said that once I'm able to tell him which wheel it is, he'll take it apart to see what's going on.

Does he really call himself a mechanic? Sounds like, "I don't want to risk making a diagnosis, find out I was wrong, and not be able to charge you for my failed efforts." He and I wouldn't work well together. How far are you from Avoca and South Main Auto (Eric O)?

 

On my car it was very easy to tell where the noise was coming from. Sounds exactly like Redline's video in the first post here. Oddly, some people have the clicking/creaking noise that Redline and I have and others have a click/thunk kind of noise and I've seen both attributed to the axel nut/washer. Picked up my car today and in short test drive home the new washer appears to have fixed the problem. I suspect that some of the 'tighten the axel nut' camp have a broken washer but the fresh torque keeps it together enough to get rid of the noise.
Thank you to everyone that posts here. Great to have such an active community to share knowledge with!

 

UPDATE -- 12/2020 -- problem finally solved!!!

What a difference a competent service advisor makes. Go see Jose Chavez at Capitol Chevrolet in San Jose.

Car now has 69k miles and had to go in for:
-- A/C hose recall
-- Shift to park issue (first time)
-- Ticking from left front (third time)

Without hesitation, Jose acknowledges his awareness of all 3 issues with Volts. I asked if the ticking was related to the broken axle nut/washer and he said that replacing those has previously solved the problem. He also said their typical procedure for the shift to park issue is to replace both the harness and the shifter (he was fully aware of the TSB and that this is covered under the Voltec warranty). I couldn't believe my ears. My last service advisor told me "not to believe everything you read on the internet" when I asked about the axle nut/washer and the ticking.

Got the car back 3 days later with a new axle nut and washer, new shifter harness and shifter and no more ticking or shift to park issue. All covered by warranty. Finally.

 

UPDATE -- 12/2020 -- problem finally solved!!!

What a difference a competent service advisor makes. Go see Jose Chavez at Capitol Chevrolet in San Jose.

Car now has 69k miles and had to go in for:
-- A/C hose recall
-- Shift to park issue (first time)
-- Ticking from left front (third time)

Without hesitation, Jose acknowledges his awareness of all 3 issues with Volts. I asked if the ticking was related to the broken axle nut/washer and he said that replacing those has previously solved the problem. He also said their typical procedure for the shift to park issue is to replace both the harness and the shifter (he was fully aware of the TSB and that this is covered under the Voltec warranty). I couldn't believe my ears. My last service advisor told me "not to believe everything you read on the internet" when I asked about the axle nut/washer and the ticking.

Got the car back 3 days later with a new axle nut and washer, new shifter harness and shifter and no more ticking or shift to park issue. All covered by warranty. Finally.

So even the axle nut/washer replacement was covered under warranty? The drive train warranty is 60k miles... Does the paperwork they gave you indicate which warranty covered it?

I didn't bother taking my car to the dealer for the clicking issue because I'm over 60k miles, and I'd prefer to avoid dealers and their BS as much as possible. (Which is not to say there aren't some good ones out there.)

 

Do you get that ticking even before the car is taken out of park? I'm now hearing it while in park with the parking brake set.

 

No -- see video in the first post -- mine was only related to starting/stopping.

 

My mechanic fixed the clicking/creaking problem by replacing the two front axles on my '16. So far it's as quiet as a mouse, just like when the car was new.

He did try tightening the axle nuts, but that had no effect at all. I bought some non-OEM axles, which hopefully won't develop this issue.