tire noise

[X-WingYaris]

2015 Yaris LE
bought certified used March 2016 with 16k on the odometer and 1 year 1 month later it has 29k miles on it.



Only mod done to car is the TRD rear sway bar. It was put on with a torque wrench at the exact measurements.
About 3-4 months afterwards I noticed their was some noise coming from my rear tires. It was when I was hitting 20-50 mph I can really hear it. It was a low hum/droning noise and is constant. I think the tires were worn down on the inside more than the out. I think.
I bought new tires because they had become worn down.
After the new tires were put on and an alignment, the shop said the rear tires were out of alignment and they did the best they could to get them aligned but stated I needed a camber kit. I did not do the camber kit that day and they advised me to get frequent tire rotations. They are free from that shop since I bought the tires from them. I drove away and the noise coming from the rear tires was still there even with brand new tires. I had them rotated after 1500 miles in March 2017 and went back earlier this April to do the camber kit but every time I go to that shop its at least a 2 hour wait and me working 12 hour night shifts...I gotta get sleep. So I did not get the camber kit work done.
I told one of my trusted friends who is a mechanic and worked at a tire shop about it and he said it sounded more like a wheel bearing issue. The noise however seems like it is coming from both sides and doesnt get any louder or quieter when I turn. I listened to some wheel bearing issue videos on youtube and it doesnt sound like the ones I watched. I am not discrediting him or that that wheel bearing the issue but not everything adds up.
I am one of those that wants to get the problem solved the first time and would like some input from you guys about what it could possibly be? I am tight on funds so getting the camber kit done and then if that doesnt work paying for wheel bearing service does not appeal to me. I would much rather take it to the shop and have them check it and fix it right there. Hopefully cost me nothing to check it but I doubt it. Any help is appreciated. I do want to take it to a shop and this is my weekend off but its Easter weekend and most things are closed.

Thanks and Happy Easter!

[SirDigby]

wow. that sucks. well, there is no need for a camber kit unless you've done some extensive changes to the geometry of the suspension. some thing is broken/damaged/bent. it really needs to be seen by a professional.

[NYC-SE]

Agreed. Camber is set at factory and is a function of the non-adjustable geometry of the rear suspension. It should not change. If it has then something is broke/damaged/bent as SirDigby says. Has car ever been in an accident? Are you sure the rear is really out of alignment? Tires can make some weird noises on their own, especially when new and breaking in or old and wearing out.

[X-WingYaris]

I went back and saw on the paperwork when I got new tires it says camber kit. When I talked with the guy about camber kit the past two times there he would say something about a shim. I just looked up shim and that looks nothing like a camber kit. Correct me if I'm wrong. So now I'm thinking it's not actually a camber kit but a shim to put at the rear drum or so.
After getting the tires rotated only the rear was still making noise. The front never gave me issues. I don't think it's the tires.

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[miiser]

Is there any possibility for the rims to be slightly bend? When they rotate the wheels, do the change the tire from the one rim to the other? Or they swap both rims and tires?

Also does the sound affects your steering wheel stability? Any vibrations or anything?




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[X-WingYaris]

They swapped both the rim and the tires together. Front is quiet when after the rear wheels went to the front.

Steering and control is fine. No vibrations. Just a constant low hum.

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[SirDigby]

a shim is a washer. usually if a shim is needed in the rear, it's for the toe. if they rotated rear to front and front went quiet after rears were installed, it sounds like you have an issue in the front suspension. if there was excessive feathering/cupping on the tires they would make noise. alignment will never cause a vibration, unless it's WAY out, then maybe; like +/- 4.5 degrees... (camber or toe)
it could be a wheel bearing. they are a self contained unit and are pretty expensive (around $150 ea.) but they are bolt in and you do not need to pay someone to install them, so they are same or cheaper than a press in one after installed.
what is your millage?

edit* oh, i see. 30,000. no, you should not need to replace bearings at this low of millage, but being 8 years old, maybe, but i doubt it.
i'd still lean towards damage....

what brand of tire are these?

[X-WingYaris]

I'm still under warranty so if it is a wheel bearing that should be covered right?

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[miiser]

Just go to a professional as soon as possible. IMO any car with a sound like that, isn't safe. You never know what to expect. and on these speeds everything must work like a charm because it's dangerous otherwise. There is no place for mechanic problems on these speeds.

Check it as soon as possible and go to a trusty mechanic or on Toyota itself.

(Might be smth like rubber bushing? They should not be damaged on such low miles car but you never know)


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[Motzking1]

If your out of alignment and it's causing tire wear with that milage somethings bent! What you are describing sounds like a wheel bearing. If somethings bent and your having a bearing issue at that milage dam good chance it's due to an accident. "Certified" means nothing. Nothing at all. I have seen "certified" used cars that were totaled bad, cut in half and a used half welded on. An accident could be sombody backed into the rear tire in a parking lot causing no body damage but bends the strut, or control arm. It drives funny, wears tires so they trade it in. No damage reported. Get it checked out by sombody who specializes in frame and alignment. They can put it on a good alignment machine, look at the numbers and find the problem. The numbers do not lie, people do.

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[MUSKOKA800]

wheel bearing most likely.

[X-WingYaris]

Okay so maybe this will help clear some things up…

The noise started in 2016. My grandfather passed away and was very busy dealing with that then Christmas. I figured it was just my tires out of alignment and that they wore down so bad it was making that noise. I got new tires in January of this year. The mechanic advised me the rear was out of alignment but they would align to the closest they possibly could. They said it needed a “camber kit”. They also advised me to do frequent tire rotations. I did not do the “camber kit” work then because of funds. There were none.

In February I was rear ended. The Toyota collision center found no structure damage in the vehicle. Just the rear hatch and its parts needed to be replaced. The sound was there before the collision and after the repair.

I went in the beginning of March to get the tires rotated. I maybe put 1200 miles on them, if that. The mechanics said something about a shim and wedge again for the tires to be realigned. I did not do the “camber kit” then. I had my funds tied up to do other things like get engaged and some other stuff. Both the tires and wheels were rotated, together, as a unit, and the noise remained in the rear.

April came and I went to get the “camber kit” done but the mechanic told me to come the next day in the morning since they didn’t have the parts. I went the next morning, bright and early, and the whole town was there. It was the busiest I have ever seen it. They said it was at least a 2 hour wait then a 2 hour wait again when they got the car in. I just got off a 14 hour work night and only running on 5 hours of sleep. I declined.

I asked my friend who is a mechanic about it and he said it was a bad wheel bearing. I took my car on a decent road and was all by myself on the road. The road had plenty of curves. The noise remained constant on every turn. It did not get louder or quieter. The steering wheel never shook. The car stays straight when I let go of the wheel. The noise is only heard in the cabin and not outside the vehicle. I have been in the passenger seat and both rear seats with my fiancé driving and it sounds like its coming from both sides. I looked up “shims” and “wedges” and to me that doesn’t seem like a “camber kit”.

I have not been able to go to the mechanics yet because of the Easter holiday weekend and I got to work 2x 12 hour night shifts in a row. My fiancé’s grandfather just passed and we are driving some 500 miles for the funeral this weekend. I have 2 days off, Wednesday and Thursday. My car is still under warranty for bumper to bumper coverage. so if it something warranty related then no problems, Toyota will take care of it. I know I wont know until I get someone to look at it but I just wanted to see if any one might, from these symptoms, be able to point me in the right direction. I guess my OP was a little foggy.

[kimona]

Have you tried removing the TRD rear anti-sway bar to see if it has any effect on the noise you are hearing?

[SirDigby]

i don't know why you are wasting your time and money if you have a warranty. you should go to the biggest toyota dealership in your area and demand they repair it 100% under warranty; plus you want a loaner car and don't want your car back until it's 100% fixed.

[X-WingYaris]

Haven't tried removing the trd bar yet. I'll give that a try when I can.

Funeral just got moved to Thursday so my next available day to get anything done is Monday. Dealership will probably charge to look at it. But whatever. I'm thinking dealership my next available day.

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[Motzking1]

It's a toyota car, Toyota sway bar, under warranty purchased from a toyota dealer. I'm with SirDigby. Sounds like Toyota ' s problem, not yours.

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[Motzking1]

If for some crazy unforseen reason it's not Toyotas problem then it's definitely the insurance company's problem next. Still not your problem.

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[SirDigby]

like i said, go to the big dealership with the free loaners...
you should pay nothing!

[monkeydave]

i get a whistle from the left rear wheel at 40mph and above, i have swapped the tyres round and had the rear door opened to check for wind noise and it has been back to the dealers once and they cleaned the rear drum brakes and it quietened it down for a day they also said it was done as a courtesy and not covered under warranty

good way of selling me another car and getting the service done with them i dont think

i spoke to toyota head office and they had a word with the dealer and im going in on monday for another test drive and another look into the problems

the brakes work normal and the noise is on and off exactly on 40mph which makes me think wheel bearing as it is only on one side and the brake clean might have lubricated the bearing and quietened it for a while, the only thing that is against it being the wheel bearing is the noise is a whistle and not a hum normal wheel bearing noise

my rear brakes are drum brakes too which might make a difference

its getting on my nerves as its a new car (6 months old now with 2600 miles) and the rest of the car is great but if they mess me about i will be going back to honda

[X-WingYaris]

Finally got the car to the dealership.
In the rear: bad wheel bearing
Also in the front: bad front passenger strut.

Covered under warranty. No cost to me.

So glad for that.

However I am concerned a wheel bearing went out this early in the vehicles life. Is this cause for concern? Should I expect it to go out on the other side as well or something?

Thanks for everyone's input!

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[Motzking1]

I have oversized tires, big wheels, smacked a few curbs, replaced a few wheels, 300lbs worth of box and subs that take up the trunk and got 100k on mine. No bearing problems. Not for lack of abuse. At my work we run a fleet of yaris's 2013 to 2015. We have done a few. But only ones caused by smacking curbs good. I would expect they last a long time.

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