Chevy Recalled the Equinox EV for Being Too Quiet
Electric vehicles are almost silent in many situations, which is why they are required to have sound-making equipment that alerts others to their presence at low speeds. That system is the subject of a new Chevrolet Equinox EV recall, which may fail to produce a loud enough sound.
Electric vehicles are required to emit a sound of 56 decibels at specific frequencies at speeds of up to 19 mph in the United States. It’s the often-made-fun-of spaceship noises heard in parking lots, but it serves a legitimate purpose. The sounds must be audible when the vehicle is moving, including in reverse, and it must be heard from at least two meters away.
The recall documentation states that the “sound profile in these vehicles allows too much variation in volume to consistently meet relative volume changes required by FMVSS 141 when traveling from stationary to 10 km/h.” In simple terms, that variation means that the volume falls below the required levels at low speeds, and GM said the issue stems from the vehicles’ software calibration.
The lack of an audible alert sound could present safety issues to pedestrians, but no accidents or injuries have been reported related to the recall. General Motors is still working on a fix for the issue and said that owners would be notified by mail when the remedy is ready.
[Images: General Motors]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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I like that blue and white paint scheme. I learned to drive in a 1961 Nomad Wagon in that color.
I just read an article that asks the question, why do so many EVs copy the worst feature of gas cars?
Let me say, noise pollution is a bigger issue here. Why copy the bad features of gas cars indeed, mmmmm?