Hello. I have a 2020 EX that I bought 12 days ago. Love the car. It has under 27k miles. Today, with windows up, I started hearing a slight hollow sound from (what seems like) the right rear. My wife didn't hear it, but - in the front passenger seat - she's heard a ringing noise when her window is down. Any ideas as to what that might be? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

Possibly a worn wheel bearing.

 

Ah. I have an appointment to get it checked out on Wednesday. I'll let you know the diagnosis. Thanks for your input!

 

Tech test-drove (no noise heard) and inspected the car. No problems noted. Of course, on the way to - and from - the shop, I couldn't hear the noise either. I'm glad I had it checked out. Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

if it's a bearing , usually the sound will change if you veer from left to right as the car is moving .

 

Thanks for that detail. When I heard the noise, it was steady, whether going straight,on a "sweeper," or speeding up or slowing down.

 

Hey Oldog, did you ever get this figured out? I have a 2015 Honda Fit EX (Manual Transmission), and I had a hum show up in the rear of the car that sounds somewhat similar to what you're describing. I would describe my issue as a constant hum from the left rear wheel that only shows up at specific speeds, but after driving with it humming for a while, the steady hum became a slowly oscillating hum. For me, the hum would show up at 45-56MPH and also 70-something MPH (maybe 76MPH?). My issue ended up being tires with an unusual wear pattern. I suspect the wear pattern was caused by a rear alignment that was out of spec, but I cannot confirm with 100% certainty that it was the cause. The humming sound went away after (1) fixing the alignment, (2) replacing the tires with new ones (Yokohama AVID Ascend GT), and (3) getting those tires balanced. One thing I do know is that the hum was still present after fixing the rear alignment (driving on the old tires that were worn weirdly), so an alignment adjustment on its own did not fix it. From what I read online, this should be expected since you can't really undo cupping wear on tires by driving on them once the alignment problem is resolved.

Some things for you to try if you are still having issues:

1. Run your hand along each tire's tread (your hands will get pretty dirty). A cupped tire can look fine at a glance, but you can definitely feel the bumpy tire wear very easily with your hand. Compare the feel of the rear tires to the front ones to see if there's a difference. If you have odd tire wear, I'd recommend getting your alignment checked at a reputable shop. An ever-so-slightly bent rear axle is not impossible on these Honda Fits. It's what happened to me, and I've seen others post about it here.
   • I actually had a shop tell me there were no problems with my tires when I asked them to take a closer look at the rear tires -- I won't be going back to that shop. The second shop I went to taught me this trick where you run your hands on the tires.
2. I know I'm reiterating part of my point on #1, but get your alignment checked out for free at a reputable shop.
3. If you have the tools to safely get underneath the car (do NOT use the spare jack in the trunk), try knocking on the rear suspension springs or maybe tap it with something hard enough to produce a sound, like a mallet or the rubberized handle of a screwdriver. The humming sound that this test produced was the exact same humming frequency that I heard on the road. I did not have to replace the springs to make the hum go away, but I suspect that they were the part of the rear suspension that radiated the sound from the cupped tires.

 

pfprojects - Hey! Thank you for suggestions. A service rep at the Honda dealer (that I bought the car from in mid July) test drove the car, but didn't hear the sound. I also, have not heard it for awhile. I'm wondering if - paranoid though I am - I've just gotten used to it. That said, though, I will take you up on your suggestion of rubbing my hands over the tires. The tires look fine, but I like your idea of taking a closer "look." For the time-being, I'll hold-off on the alignment. BTW, I'm fortunate in having a local shop that I trust.
Another BTW: I'm about to post a note on my wife's 2017 LX: The hatch handle doesn't work.
Enjoy the drive!