Wind Noise

[syoce]

The last couple of days I've been doing a fair amount of hwy driving, I've noticed when there is a significant crosswind wind, there is a howling sound. It sounds very similar to when your tires hit the grated areas of pavement on the side of hwys( the stuff thats supposed to keep your alert and not drive off the road)> My thought was it was the wind finding a gap somewhere on the underside because this only happens when its windy. This is my first SUV so I'm not sure if this is just a common thing due to the ride height and clearance.

Thanks!

[philipa_240sx]

There are many other posts regarding this. Wind noise is a common complaint. IMHO, it's partly the nature of an SUV/CUV. The taller profile, higher ground clearance, and roof rails seem to increase wind noise. My Pathfinder was no different than the Rogue in this respect. Add to the fact that engine noise is so low at cruising speeds so all you hear is wind and tire noise.

Admittedly Nissan could have done more to isolate tire and wind noise in the Rogue. Some mfg's have used thicker or laminated side glass, sound absorbing mats in the body panels, etc. All of these methods have their downside though: added weight, lower fuel economy, and increased cost. In the end, I think noise in the Rogue is approriate for a vehicle in it's class. I find it's only marginally higher than my '03 Altima and much quieter than my old Pathfinder.

[turbo5454]

I have looked evey place under the front end and secured all the loose wheel well flaps. I cut a nice shinney screen and tucked it in under the lower cooler fines to protect the fins looks good but the buffeling noise is still there only at a steady cross wind.

[Roguemonster]

I've decided it's got to be the roof rails. If you have one, open the sunroof visor (not the sunroof itself) and it suddenly becomes clear that the noise is coming from the roof.

Maybe those without roof rails can chime in...Are you hearing this noise when travelling at highway speeds with cross winds?

Since I never intend to use the things anyway, are they removable? I wouldn't mind just getting rid of them, especially if it eliminates the noise and gives me a little more of an aerodynamic stance.

[rogueboy]

I agree it comes from the roof rails (I have crossbars) in a crosswind.

Neither my wifes 05 Murano nor 09 murano, both with crossbars have had this problem. the 09 even has the dual sunroof and is MUCH quieter.

The noise is not constant, only whena crossbreeze blows at 50MPH+

[kcfm]

I've decided it's got to be the roof rails. If you have one, open the sunroof visor (not the sunroof itself) and it suddenly becomes clear that the noise is coming from the roof.

Maybe those without roof rails can chime in...Are you hearing this noise when travelling at highway speeds with cross winds?

Since I never intend to use the things anyway, are they removable? I wouldn't mind just getting rid of them, especially if it eliminates the noise and gives me a little more of an aerodynamic stance.

I think you're probably right about it being the roof rails. I have an S model without the roof rails and I have never experienced this noise you're referring to.

[hawaiigirl]

I am SO happy that I found this thread! I have been experiencing the same problem, and being that this is our first SUV, I was wondering if it was just the fact of the shape of the vehicle, or if something was wrong with just mines.

I tried playing around with it....opening and closing the passenger window (because it sounds like it's coming from that side)...and once the window is open, nothing...... But as soon as I close the window, it seems like once the cabin pressure builds up again, it starts howling.

I guess it's just one thing we'll have to learn to live with

But we really can't complain too much....because other than that, there's no complaints that we can come up with about our car!

[jazzy5454]

I had bought my 2008 rogue in dec & i have a howling wind noise as well. it has been taken in to the dealership (4) times & they do not know where it comes from. I am not sure if you take the crossbars off it will go away? I do know that i have tred folded in my side mirrors & for now when i do this i do not hear a wind noise? Who knows the noise is very annoying and for a 26,000 dollar car you should not have to deal with this. Anyone have any good ideas?

[Ticmxman]

Yes if you remove the crossbars I'm willing to bet you will remove the cause of the noise. In my previous RAV4 and CRVs if I had any type of roof rack crossbars I had a good bit more noise. On some of the racks it was easy for the bars to be installed wrong...rearedge facing the front and this would make even more of a whistling noise. No roof rack for my bikes now I use a hitchrack.

[tellurian]

Maybe those without roof rails can chime in...Are you hearing this noise when travelling at highway speeds with cross winds?

I do not have roof rails ... I have never heard this sound. I too think you are right that it is the roof rails, it is a fairly common for them to 'sing'.

[philipa_240sx]

One thing I noticed, is the round upper vents will 'whistle' if closed less than 50% while the fan is running. Try turning the fan off or open all the vents fully to be sure this is not the cause.

Other than that I have no wind noise to speak of. BTW, I do not have the factory crossbars, just the 2 side rails. IMHO the factory crossbars are nothing more than useless decoration, they are impractical for carrying many loads.

[albertwang16]

I noticed that on my July 4th weekend trip. we ended up playing all 4 of them to make different whistle sound while having the AC on high...lol...

[paulvanharte]

I had a bug deflector installed and it turns out thats what is causing my whistle. Took it off and took it out on the highway and no whistle.I think I might take it back to the dealer for a refund.

Paul

[mcci]

I am so glad I saw this post. I am having the same wind noise that seems to be coming from the front passenger window and also a noise from the rear stationary window on the passenger's side. I took your advice and took off the cross bars on the roof rack and the sound is pretty much gone from the front passenger window. I will work on the rear noise later, as another post suggested putting insulation in the wheel well area.

My question is who do you talk to (complain) about this situation to at Nissan? I took my car into the dealership before seeing the postings and was told they could not duplicate the noise and therefore could not help me. I contacted Nissan customer service and was told until they duplicate the problem they will not even talk to techinal support to see if they have any suggestions. I mentioned the info I saw on this post and the Nissan rep said it was not sanctioned by Nissan and they would not consider it. The dealership later did contact Nissan tech support and was told they had never heard of this problem. How can that be when there are so many postings about this topic? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. As the one posting said, for what I paid for this vehicle I expected more.