nexus86

I have an intermittent noise coming from the steering wheel / behind steering wheel area (inside dash etc).

It’s very hard to locate. I tore a lot of the dash apart to try and pinpoint, but have had no luck.

the noise only happens when the car is moving, and even then it doesn’t do it predictably. It comes and goes.

it sounds like an electrical module has an issue.

everything in the car works fine, and I’ve even tried unplugging things in hopes to isolate.

anyone else have this issue?

I am more looking if anyone has or had this issue and what they are doing or have done to fix the issue.

I am more than capable to speculate on my own.

LexMan2003

When it occurs, how long does the sound last for? 1 second, several seconds.
What is the duration of time between the sound occurring. If you hear the sound at 10:50:01, does it repeat? How many times?
Does it sound like a knock? A ping? A thud? Try to describe the tone. Does it sound like a metal object (a coin), a wood object (dull), a small object (paper clip dropping on a table), a big object?
Try to describe it with whatever thoughts come to your mind. Pretend it's a test or your on a game show. How would you best describe it?

Try to identify what the car is doing (motion-wise) when the sound occurs. It would be hard to believe the sound just comes randomly when nothing regarding the motion is changing, but it is still possible. So...does it happen when you accelerate? Decelerate? Go up a hill? Down a hill? Turn left, turn right? If you can identify WHEN it occurs and repeat that motion/sound, then you've made some good progress.

One more thing....it IS POSSIBLE that the sound is actually coming from the firewall area inside the engine compartment. You should open your hood and look around that area and see if you see anything. It's possible that something fell into the vent area there!

nexus86

Definitely coming from inside the cabin. Definitely the drivers area (dash/steering wheel).

noise comes and goes. Only Happens when the car is moving. Above 10-20kph. Noise will come for 2-15 seconds every 30-60 seconds. Again, not predictable. It can last longer than stated and not come for longer than stated. It doesn’t appear to be related to anything (HVAC, radio, cruise control etc etc).

noise sounds electrical, as stated in original post. Sounds to me like something inside a module isn’t functioning as quiet as it should.

n0v8or

Is your NX equipped with the power tilt / telescope steering wheel?
If yes, how does the sound when you adjust it compare to the "mystery" sound you hear?

nexus86

I do have power tilt / telescope.

I thought this as well, and adjusted as I drove. The sound is quite different. And does not change when adjusting.

LexMan2003

Another possibility: Did you drop something (small) into one of the speaker grills on top of the dashboard?

If so, it is very easy to remove any of the grills (using a plastic body panel tool).

nexus86

that was checked.

The G Man

Is it a electrical relay ticking noise? A clicking noise?

nexus86

might be. But very rapid, and not as loud as you would think a relay would sound.

I can go on for 20+seconds

n0v8or

In addition to the tilt/telescope motor, there are two other electric motors attached to the steering column behind the instrument panel:
Steering wheel lock motor ( *2 in the left image);
(Power) steering assist motor ( *7 in the right image).

Could slight (nearly imperceptible) steering corrections while driving straight ahead be triggering the noise, perhaps after a delay?

nexus86

the noise is independent of any steering inputs.