No matter how high quality the sound deadening system may be in a vehicle, you will always hear a few burrs and thumps from time to time. Similarly, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is known for being a relatively loud off-road vehicle — but a constant humming noise should raise concern.
From our research, we’ve gathered that a Jeep Grand Cherokee humming noise when accelerating is a common issue experienced by a number of drivers. This is due to the fact that there are many reasons leading to this problem, and it’s hard to figure out what exactly the underlying factor could be.
Wheel bearing issues, a leaky pump, and low steering fluid are just a few possibilities that cause a humming noise from your vehicle. These might not cause much trouble initially but have hugely detrimental effects with time. So, we’ve listed all the factors you need to look out for to solve this issue before it evolves.
Humming Noises at the Front vs Rear and What They Mean
The location at which the noise is coming from can give you a pretty good assessment of the actual issue. To figure out the exact problem area, first, observe whether the noise is being emitted from the front or rear of the car.
If you find the noise coming from the front left or right side of the car, it may be due to faulty wheel bearings. Do the wheel check by having your car elevated using a hydraulic lift, then shaking and spinning each wheel. You can also try checking the transfer case and changing the oil if the wheels aren’t the issue.
Similarly, if you find that the noise is coming from the rear of your vehicle, you will also need to do a wheel bearing check. But, you should also check the differential to look out for worn-out gear threading.
This front vs rear assessment should be the first thing you do when experiencing humming noises from your car. However, if you still cannot identify or resolve the issue after this, the problem might be related to a deeper cause. For this, we recommend consulting a professional right away.
Reasons Why Your Jeep Grand Cherokee Might Make a Humming Noise
If your Jeep Grand Cherokee has been emitting a humming noise upon acceleration for a continuous period of time and you’re facing difficulty linking it to a cause, it might be one of the reasons listed below –
Wheel Bearing Issues
As we’ve discussed in our previous section, wheel bearing issues are the first and foremost concern when a vehicle is making strange noises. It causes the steering wheel to vibrate, producing the “humming” sound, which gets more noticeable as the vehicle accelerates or turns to the right/left.
Wheel bearings eventually fail due to intense pressure, so it is a very common issue. This is because the total weight of your vehicle rests on these bearings, exposing them to damaging forces.
If you think that a defective wheel bearing might be the reason behind the humming noise, you can check out this video to solve the issue at home. Other than that, you can also contact a mechanic to take a look at your vehicle instead.
Steering Belt Issues
When you’re driving, you might feel that your steering wheel has more play to it than usual, which makes it hard to direct and position your vehicle. This is a straight correlation to a loose steering belt.
As the steering belt starts to loosen, the power at which the steering wheel responds becomes weaker. Eventually, this leads to a humming sound.
Poor Tire Alignment
One of the main reasons why wheel bearings wear out fast or fail suddenly is due to poor wheel alignment.
You can easily determine whether your vehicle is improperly aligned by observing if the car pulls to one side, if the car vibrates while driving, if it shakes on a flat road, or if the steering wheel is always crooked. Most of the time, drivers will also notice uneven wear on the tires.
Although getting your car’s tires aligned is inexpensive and easy, you will have to leave it to a professional instead of attempting to do it yourself. The procedure takes skill and will impact the performance of your vehicle’s wheel bearings as well.
Worn Out Tires
Severely worn tires are another factor that leads to humming noises while driving. The bearings in the wheels are directly affected by the damage to the tires and also deteriorate in performance.
Worn-out tires not only cause sounds while accelerating, but they pose a risk while traveling across slippery terrain such as roads during rainfall, on snow, or even on muddy streets. These worn-out tires also have the potential to blow out during a drive, which can lead to anything from minor to fatal accidents.
The best thing to do in this case is to completely switch out the used tires for new ones. Remember to align the new tires properly and have them replaced before they wear out entirely.
Enlarged Tread Blocks on Tires
In the best case scenario for strange noises during driving, it could be because of your tires. If your vehicle has thick tires with large tread blocks, they are most likely the reason why you’re hearing a humming noise when you’re on the road.
Chunky tires with deep tread patterns are known for being noisy. With an off-road vehicle such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, this noise is a given and completely unavoidable unless you change the tires for quieter ones.
Exhaust Leak
Along with the humming noises, if you’re also experiencing a strange noise coming from the engine, a decline in engine performance (such as poor acceleration and power), and an increased stench of gas — the problem may be with your car’s exhaust system.
This is most likely an exhaust leak, which, unfortunately, has to be looked at by a professional no matter what. Continuing to drive a car with an exhaust leak is not only dangerous for the driver and passengers but also illegal.
Transmission Issues
There are two things that can go wrong with the transmission — it’s running low on transmission fluid or its gears are worn out.
If low transmission fluid is the issue, you will first need to check the transmission fluid pipe that is located under the hood of your vehicle. Take a look and make sure the dipstick indicates the fluid meets the “full” line. If not, you will need to fill transmission fluid to that mark.
However, worn-out transmission gears are not so easy to fix. These worn-out gears jiggle and hardly work together, which causes the “humming” sound during acceleration. This is also the reason why you may feel the transmission struggling to set to a higher gear as the car reaches a higher speed.
Since this problem is more internal, it’s best to have a mechanic work on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why does my Jeep make a buzzing noise when I accelerate?
Buzzing noises from your Jeep’s system may likely be transmission issues. This means your transmission could be running low on transmission fluid, or the gears are worn out.
For more info on this particular problem, refer to our Reasons Why Your Jeep Grand Cherokee Might Make a Humming Noise – Transmission Issues section.
2. Why is my Jeep Grand Cherokee making a whining noise?
A whining noise from a Jeep Grand Cherokee is a telltale sign of low transmission fluid. This is a pretty easy problem to fix, as all you’ll need to do is find the transmission fluid pipe under the hood and refill it. The whining should then go away.
Conclusion
A Jeep Grand Cherokee humming noise when accelerating is not a rare issue, but its effects can be minor to nearly fatal. Even though this vehicle is known to be noisy on the road, you should always stay cautious of the sounds it emits to make sure it isn’t related to system issues.
Also, always try to consult a professional first. There are many tutorials and guides out there, but no matter how easy they might look, you should have a mechanic look at the issue to avoid mismanaging your vehicle or worsening the situation.