‘Please Tell Me This Isn’t Normal’: Man Buys Brand-New Tesla. Then He’s Forced To Turn Up His Music To Solve a Problem

A new Tesla Model Y owner says he has to blast music to mask a strange creaking noise coming from his car’s steering column after just 1,000 miles of driving. Carlos Sancon (@carlossancon) posted a viral TikTok that’s garnered more than 42,000 views on the popular social media application. In it, he showcases the problem in action, and it seems like other Tesla drivers have encountered similar conundrums.

“Hey Tesla owners. Please tell me this isn’t normal,” he says into the camera as he walks outdoors past some foliage. Then, his video cuts to footage of his black Model Y sitting in a parking spot.

The car appears to be brand new: Its angular lines and obsidian hue glisten in the sunlight. However, Sancon says that despite recently purchasing the vehicle, he’s already experiencing problems. “So 1,000 miles in and already have an issue with my brand new Tesla,” he tells his viewers.

Following this, he films himself popping open the driver’s side door and he steps into the vehicle. Next, he aims the lens at his face as he directly speaks to his audience. “Actually I have two issues. The first one being that I’ve now developed a really weird noise underneath the steering wheel,” he claims.

Tesla Steering Column Buzzing

According to him, his EV is prone to making a strange noise that exacerbates with further acceleration. “The faster I go, the louder it gets. Which sucks cause I’m usually on the highway so it’s pretty loud,” Sancon states. 

More puzzling, he says, is that this noise disappears whenever he increases audio playback volume through the Model Y’s speaker system. “Now I have found that if you turn the volume up on the music, it does tend to go away,” Sancon remarks.

Afterward, he demonstrates the problem in his TikTok by bringing his camera closer to the steering column as he drives. A static, creaking noise can be heard emitting from the vehicle during his commute, which sounds akin to crackling.

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The TikToker says he was surprised to encounter this problem in his new EV. “And honestly I didn’t expect that because I do know that they’ve made a lot of improvements on their manufacturing,” he tells other users on the app.

Furthermore, he says that when compared to other Tesla vehicles he’s driven, the Model Y he now uses is more stalwart. “This car does feel way more solid than previous generation Teslas I’ve been in.”

Tesla’s Response

While Sancon wasn’t happy with this noise, he did commend Tesla for making it easy to set up a service appointment via the brand’s mobile application. Furthermore, he shared that he’s indeed scheduled a time slot for brand techs to inspect the auditory quandary. “Now that being said, Tesla’s been really cool about everything. I already have it set up so that it can get fixed. And Tesla do make it super easy to set up a service appointment on the app,” he said. 

However, the other gripe he has with his Tesla isn’t something that could be addressed by Tesla service techs. And it’s the lack of a stock automatic open/close feature for the car’s frunk. “My second issue though, kind of annoying. Let me show you,” the states. Next, he demonstrates unlocking the frunk from the Model Y’s infotainment screen before his clip abruptly comes to a close. In a follow-up clip, he details that initial attempts at locking the frunk manually after opening it never works. Which means that he has to go into his vehicle to pop it open, get out of the car again, and slam it shut to ensure it’s successfully registered as closed.

Commenters Sound Off

With regards to the frunk, there was at least one other person in the comments section of Sancon’s video who shared his ire. “I’m 2k in a month and haven’t had any issues. And yes that frunk needs to be automatically up and down without having to do it manually,” they said.

As for the static echoing from his steering wheel, numerous folks thought this was an abnormal trait. Like this person who relayed that they’ve never encountered this issue after five years of Tesla Model 3 ownership. “Definitely not normal. My Model 3 is almost 5 yrs old and doesn’t do that. Take it in for service, warranty will cover it,” they penned.

Another echoed the aforementioned sentiment, writing, “Doesn’t happen with my 2023 MYLR.”

“6,000 on mine and thankfully no issues,” another person commented.

Although some Tesla owners remarked that they weren’t as fortunate. This Model Y buyer shared their own vehicular woes, but did state Tesla was able to rectify their qualms. “1,000 miles in on my 26 Y the cabin radar shorted out. Had to touch the screen every time I got in it to start it back up. Tesla service fixed it and all is well now,” they stated.

Another person had a similar experience. “I just had my 2026 Juniper climate control system fault. NO a/c and fan. They fixed it in less than one day as a walk-in service request though. Stuff happens and I was impressed with the service center intake and turn around time,” the TikTok user explained.

Other Tesla Drivers Have Experienced Steering Column Noise

The blog Ranwhenparked writes that there have been a number of folks who’ve purchased vehicles from the EV automaker, too. The article surmises that knocking sounds when “going uphill” could be tied to the drivetrain. And when it comes to all-wheel-drive models, folks should ask a tech to investigate their Tesla’s driveshaft for maintenance.

As for the “creaking sound when you accelerate or decelerate,” the outlet recommends looking at the car’s suspension. And if the noise is isolated to the driver’s side of the car, Ranwhenparked speculates that this could be tied to “torque changes” in one’s Tesla. These variations in torque can cause squeaking on “drive axles and bearings,” so these components should be checked out to ensure they’re in good standing.

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One commenter in the Tesla Motors Club forum also said that they experience “very squeaky noises” whenever their steering column automatically adjusts. Others on the website replied that they, too, have witnessed this same phenomena. And there was one driver who said that they’ve had three different steering columns installed in their Tesla within 50,000 miles. The issues mentioned in the forum post appear akin to the concerns expressed by this Redditor, too.

InsideEVs has reached out to Sancon via TikTok comment for further information.

 

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