Original owner - 211,000 Miles on my 2010 Prius III, and yesterday I noticed a high pitched sound when in Drive - sound seems to go away after accelerating above 20 MPH. I was looking on my phone last and saw some scary stuff like the transmission is gone - not repairable, buy a new car... YIKES. This happened after picking up a piece of furniture that required me to ride with the hatch open for about 25 miles - held down with a bungee cord. It was heavy - about 100 pounds, but I don't think this caused the noise. Otherwise, the car has been fine. I appreciate any insights on this issue. Thanks!
The car makes various electronic switching noises that happen at audio frequencies you can hear. Some of them will remind you of the sounds of the Bay Area's BART or DC's Metro or even Detroit's old People Mover, anything with variable-frequency switched control of large electric motors. Sometimes what you hear or don't hear from the driver's seat can be influenced a lot by what windows are open; having the hatch open might influence that too. For a while I had a reason to drive my Gen 1 around with the back seat removed, and that made the switching whine quite loud from the battery area. I wouldn't necessarily be too concerned.
