2019 Chevy Blazer Forum banner

Front Drive Whine when Sub 20F

2941 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Chipa
I don't know what else to describe it as, but on my 2021 AWD RS when the temperature is below 20F I have a VERY noticeable whine from the front drivers drive train.
Once it warms up 10ish miles of driving it goes away.
It does it in both AWD and 2WD mode, however notice it more in AWD which is used when snowy and cold. This maybe just because I was using the AWD function while on that trip.
I was in MN after a snow and noticed it the first time at around 8 degrees.

I live in MI and we have only had a very few days of cold so far, need a sustained cold spell to get it looked at, since it won't do it if warmer out.

It sounds to me like a lubrication issue due to the cold fluids?

Anyone else??
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
Fluids at recommended levels? My wife hasn’t said anything but it hasn’t been that cold here yet
I’m located in NE Ohio. Can’t say I’ve heard this sound, but I also haven’t been paying real close attention to it. We’ll be getting sub 20 degree temps out here over the next couple of days. If I notice anything while running an errand, I’ll be sure to come back and comment.
You will know, on mine it is not a subtle noise.
It sounds like a small RC jet engine.

I don't even know what fluid would be low or even what fluid to check, the sound seams to come from the front drivers wheel hub direction.
Timely post! I was going to submit this same thing here. I live in MN and my 2020 Blazer also just started making a noticable "whine" or "singing" noise in the sub-zero temp last week. It was consistent in that it would whine or sing with variable pitch based on speed between 20-30mph. Once it warmed up, maybe 10 mins, it totally went away and when temps are decent (like today, 35 deg) there is no noise. I also thought it was more prevalent in AWD and couldn't recreate it in 2WD. I took it into service yesterday in fact. Problem was it was too warm yesterday for it to consistently do it for them but they did hear it for a moment when they drove it. So they left it out overnight and put on rack today and the tech was able to hear it for very brief moment while up on the rack (again rather warm today). They believe it's coming from the rear differential or what they called the "torque tube". They said the real location of the sound can be misleading when you listen from inside the vehicle as the sound can travel up the tube. They checked for any obvious issues but found nothing. Since they can't recreate to really listen good then dig in, we decided I would bring it home for now and when temp gets below zero again I'm going to drop it off and they will recreate up on rack in the shop. They said they have not ever "heard" (ha, sorry pun) of this issue with a Blazer before but they also said since the Blazer is a relatively new drive train design, there is a lot they don't know about it yet. P.S. mine has 37K miles on it. I drove it all last winter in below zero weather and never heard it do this - until suddenly this last week. I also had new tires put on 1K miles ago, but I don't think that is related.

Anyone else out there sub zero country also experiencing this? You would definitely notice it, it's not a subtle sound.
See less See more
Timely post! I was going to submit this same thing here. I live in MN and my 2020 Blazer also just started making a noticable "whine" or "singing" noise in the sub-zero temp last week. It was consistent in that it would whine or sing with variable pitch based on speed between 20-30mph. Once it warmed up, maybe 10 mins, it totally went away and when temps are decent (like today, 35 deg) there is no noise. I also thought it was more prevalent in AWD and couldn't recreate it in 2WD. I took it into service yesterday in fact. Problem was it was too warm yesterday for it to consistently do it for them but they did hear it for a moment when they drove it. So they left it out overnight and put on rack today and the tech was able to hear it for very brief moment while up on the rack (again rather warm today). They believe it's coming from the rear differential or what they called the "torque tube". They said the real location of the sound can be misleading when you listen from inside the vehicle as the sound can travel up the tube. They checked for any obvious issues but found nothing. Since they can't recreate to really listen good then dig in, we decided I would bring it home for now and when temp gets below zero again I'm going to drop it off and they will recreate up on rack in the shop. They said they have not ever "heard" (ha, sorry pun) of this issue with a Blazer before but they also said since the Blazer is a relatively new drive train design, there is a lot they don't know about it yet. P.S. mine has 37K miles on it. I drove it all last winter in below zero weather and never heard it do this - until suddenly this last week. I also had new tires put on 1K miles ago, but I don't think that is related.

Anyone else out there sub zero country also experiencing this? You would definitely notice it, it's not a subtle sound.
I had mine looked at yesterday, was told it is the damper for the radiator.l vibrating. It stops because they open after a short time.

Dealer had no solution for it.
I had mine looked at yesterday, was told it is the damper for the radiator.l vibrating. It stops because they open after a short time.

Dealer had no solution for it.
Thanks for the update. In your case, did the frequency/pitch of the noise change depending on speed you were going?
Slightly, it was high pitched so variance was hard to tell
Hi fellow Blazer owners, this is my first post but I have owned my 2020 Blazer close to 2 years now. I too have experienced this whine just recently, vehicle has about 6000km on it . It's noticeable at highway speeds only, more so in AWD. Yesterday when the noise appeared I shifted it in neutral the noise disappeared ,when put back in gear it came back which makes be believe it drivetrain related. Try this the next time you hear it and see if the same thing happens.
Hi fellow Blazer owners, this is my first post but I have owned my 2020 Blazer close to 2 years now. I too have experienced this whine just recently, vehicle has about 6000km on it . It's noticeable at highway speeds only, more so in AWD. Yesterday when the noise appeared I shifted it in neutral the noise disappeared ,when put back in gear it came back which makes be believe it drivetrain related. Try this the next time you hear it and see if the same thing happens.
Hi BlazerRob - I started a separate thread to discuss this. There are a few of us having same symptoms. I wish I had good news but I'm still on pause with my service guys. The new thread is here:
Timely post! I was going to submit this same thing here. I live in MN and my 2020 Blazer also just started making a noticable "whine" or "singing" noise in the sub-zero temp last week. It was consistent in that it would whine or sing with variable pitch based on speed between 20-30mph. Once it warmed up, maybe 10 mins, it totally went away and when temps are decent (like today, 35 deg) there is no noise. I also thought it was more prevalent in AWD and couldn't recreate it in 2WD. I took it into service yesterday in fact. Problem was it was too warm yesterday for it to consistently do it for them but they did hear it for a moment when they drove it. So they left it out overnight and put on rack today and the tech was able to hear it for very brief moment while up on the rack (again rather warm today). They believe it's coming from the rear differential or what they called the "torque tube". They said the real location of the sound can be misleading when you listen from inside the vehicle as the sound can travel up the tube. They checked for any obvious issues but found nothing. Since they can't recreate to really listen good then dig in, we decided I would bring it home for now and when temp gets below zero again I'm going to drop it off and they will recreate up on rack in the shop. They said they have not ever "heard" (ha, sorry pun) of this issue with a Blazer before but they also said since the Blazer is a relatively new drive train design, there is a lot they don't know about it yet. P.S. mine has 37K miles on it. I drove it all last winter in below zero weather and never heard it do this - until suddenly this last week. I also had new tires put on 1K miles ago, but I don't think that is related.

Anyone else out there sub zero country also experiencing this? You would definitely notice it, it's not a subtle sound.
I’ve noticed this same things with my 2021 blazer, started doing it with 10k miles on it in the winter months. I live in Connecticut and have noticed that even with 45 degree weather it still makes the same howling noise that sounds to be coming from the front when inside the car. Is there any updates on if you found the solution?
Nope mine only does it when very cold, dealer didn’t have a solution.

it is likely the active dampeners in the grill.
See the thread linked above for my latest update.
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
Top