Driving on highway on a windy day.

I always get this really annoying sound from the passenger side as well. You tend to get used to it after 21 years of marriage though.

 

Where did you read this?

My 15 sequoia makes a whistle on driver side only with a crosswind from 2 o'clock.

Only happens when I hit 70 or above.

Why not go to dealer and look it up with them on the 'puter?

 

Lol!

 

I've been trying to trace down the source for several years. It's not the windshield. I have the supposedly new different windshield moulding and the noise still persists. I'm convinced that it has to do with something around the mirror and/or the triangular plastic plate on the outside of the door where the mirror mounts. I have found one thing for sure. If I place my A/C system on recirc, it eliminates it by 95%. It acts like it's still trying hard to make the noise, but can't quite do it. I think it has to do with air pressure inside the cab at higher speeds and a low pressure on the downwind side during a strong crossing headwind that causes the air inside the cab to whistle as it evacuates through some hole in the inner door shell where wires or something pass through to the mirror. It also stops entirely if I fold the mirrors. Also lowering the window by 1/4" will stop it. It is those things that lead me to believe that it has to do with inside air pressure escaping out the leeward side of the cab. I've tried taping all different areas in around the mirror, and have yet to completely eliminate it, but I'm still determined to find the answer. My next move is to remove the trim panel on the door and the tweeter and check that area for the wire pass-through. I also suspect that it might be the very soft flexible door weatherstripping that runs down the front of the window frame on the door. A friend's Tacoma has the same problem.

 

I agree with everything you say except one thing. Because these vehicles like all others have a rearward sitting one-way flap to allow doors to close easily by letting air out, yet not in.

So if air needed to escape from anywhere inside, it would leave that way if no other way.

So I think its the reverse, air pressure is building outside by the mirror as you say and trying to make it inward, hence if you crack the window it reduces the whistle as the pressure has a place to go.

Now how to stop this 'unperfect storm' of wind noise?

 

Thought of that, too. I know of the vents in the back wall of the cab. There's a lot of trim back there to impede the flow of any high volume of air. So basically, I'm going to have to disagree that the pressure is greater outside. Mainly because of the 95% mitigation that I mentioned when blocking incoming air (thus reducing inside pressure) by setting the system to recirc. And I guarantee that when you crack that driver's window a quarter inch the air is moving out, not in. Also, perhaps I didn't make it clear enough that the noise eminates from the leeward, or downwind side of the truck. If the wind is from the right side, the driver's side makes the noise. A left crosswind will cause the noise on the passenger side.

The highest pressure at the beltline of most vehicles is at the cowling right in front of the windshield. The pressure reduces greatly as the air flows around and along the side of the truck, due to the increase in velocity (the Bernoulli effect).

 

So to fix the problem it's either going to be the left knob of the stereo, or if newer model it is the button with arrow pointing up next to radio.

 

Listened again today, to me the noise comes straight from the side mirror, fold them in and gone. I'm no aerodynamics expert but this doesn't appear easy to solve. Poor design testing from toyota, should have used what worked in so many other trucks of theirs including 4runners, no noise there. Sure smaller mirror but just make it bigger. tsk, tsk....

And looks like it was discovered by end users like us at least as far back as 2007. come on toyota, you couldn't have redesigned it for the 2nd or even supposed "3rd" gen tundra/sequoia? I thought gm, ford and fiat sucked it....

 

Potential solution.

I had a howling/whistle noise coming from drivers side, seemed like the mirror, from day one under certain conditions, usually over 70 mph on a windy day. Searched everywhere like you guys to figure it out. Some said it was the windshield seals, others the door seals. When you crack the window ever so slightly, it would stop. Sound familiar?

One gentleman posted that he took his door apart and replaced the rubber glass run and belt molding complete with steps and pictures and that solved his issue. I actually ordered those parts and intended to do the same, since he said it worked for him.

It dawned on me that I still had an old tube of Honda Shin-Etsu grease that I had used for slight wind noise for a Honda Accord. I figured I had nothing to lose since I had it, so I went a head and greased the window run and seal on the drivers door to see what would happen. It seemed to help, so I did a second coat of it about two weeks ago. It seemed to work for me! I took a trip last week, drove for over two hours and speed up over 90 mph, no noise!

Here is the info in case anyone else wants to try it. The link below is just the first one I saw, you can research who/where and how much. This one was around 12.00. If you go this route and it works/doesn't work for you, please post back in this thread.

Shin-Etsu Silicone Grease

 

I had this same issue with my Tacoma. An easy cheap remedy is to pick up some 1/4 in rubber tube from your local hardware store and thread it inside the seal molding inside the door. Just cut a slot with a razor towards the bottom of the molding and push it through up the door. This kind of bolsters up the molding and creates some reinforcement when the door closes. You might be able to fit some 3/8 tubing in there but you may have to lubricate it with some wd40 or Vaseline to help you slide it in. My crosswind noise and highway noise was drastically reduced.
Cheers