2010 Sequoia with cabin noise

[TennSequoia]

I have 2010 Sequoia with 149K. In the last 6-10 months I have started to notice a noise in the cabin that sounds like an overall warbling type noise that does not come from any particular source or condition that is obvious. It is a low undercurrent of noise. When I first started hearing it I thought I was hearing what sounded like stadium crowd noise from a distance or construction noise from a distance or music/talking from another car, I would roll down my window to find no such noise from the outside world. Does not seem to be dictated by AC/heat functions nor any audio functions. It's my everyday family driver, have had no mechanical issues to date. Any thoughts?

 

[toyotafan]

I have 2010 Sequoia with 149K. In the last 6-10 months I have started to notice a noise in the cabin that sounds like an overall warbling type noise that does not come from any particular source or condition that is obvious. It is a low undercurrent of noise. When I first started hearing it I thought I was hearing what sounded like stadium crowd noise from a distance or construction noise from a distance or music/talking from another car, I would roll down my window to find no such noise from the outside world. Does not seem to be dictated by AC/heat functions nor any audio functions. It's my everyday family driver, have had no mechanical issues to date. Any thoughts?

Any chance you can safely take a video to record the noise? Is it like a hiss sound, like coming from the speakers?

 

[MuddyTacoma]

I have 2010 Sequoia with 149K. In the last 6-10 months I have started to notice a noise in the cabin that sounds like an overall warbling type noise that does not come from any particular source or condition that is obvious. It is a low undercurrent of noise. When I first started hearing it I thought I was hearing what sounded like stadium crowd noise from a distance or construction noise from a distance or music/talking from another car, I would roll down my window to find no such noise from the outside world. Does not seem to be dictated by AC/heat functions nor any audio functions. It's my everyday family driver, have had no mechanical issues to date. Any thoughts?

Not sure what you mean by warbling noise. How loud?

 

[TennSequoia]

It's like a low gurgle, a muffle. Sometimes barely audible. Sometimes loud enough I think any passenger should hear it. So far my husband doesn't hear it. My 14 year old daughter finally understood what I meant the other day when I asked, "Do you not hear that?" She said, "Oh that? I thought that was in my head!" I can't put a great description on it.

The only new thing I noticed about it is this: the other day I had it in park in my driveway and had to get something off the floorboard behind driver seat, basically getting my ear closer to the body frame, and it sounded louder and from under the vehicle but same type of noise. Oddly enough I have never investigated the sound while in park; I think that's just because when I hear it I am not in an opportunity to put in park and crawl around. Have not taken to my mechanic yet, trying to go to him when I have a little more I can describe to him.

 

[toyotafan]

Do you smell anything odd? Fuel or exhaust smell? A faint smell of anti-freeze? Are you having any issues with heating or cooling of the vehicle .... and/or issues with getting heat or cooling the vehicle itself with the HVAC system?

 

[toyotafan]

Also, how well do you do maintenance? Do you change the oil every 5K miles if you're running conventional or 10K if using a full synthetic? Have you look up your owner's manual and done the full scheduled maintenance, I'm not sure what your Sequoia was supposed to have for larger maintenance items but have you checked to see if those were done by the book?

 

[toyotafan]

I took the liberty to download the 2010 Toyota Sequoia Maintenance Schedule guide and attached it to this post. Oddly enough, I could have sworn that this engine had either a 60,000 or 100,000 mile timing chain replacement requirement back in the 2010 timeframe. That appears to be gone.