Why is my car making a weird noise after driving through water?
Water can damage vulnerable components beneath the car, such as the brakes or exhaust, leading to unusual sounds and sluggish driving. Continuing to drive without knowing the cause is risky and can lead to further mechanical damage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Taking the car to a repair shop
- 2Inspecting underneath the car for a loose splash or heat shield
- 3Removing the wheels and brake calipers to clean out dirt, sand, or debris
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I drove slowly into a huge puddle with my car and now it is constantly making this noise.”source ↗
“Not sure what is causing it. I don’t see anything stuck underneath”source ↗
“my hood/headlights went into the water and then my car started driving weird and slow as well as it makes a weird sound every time I drive!”source ↗
“unfortunately it’s still making that sound, especially when I break but not when I press the gas and speed up.”source ↗
“can I still drive the car or is that a bad idea?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2What to check after hitting a deep pothole or road dip
- 3Weird buzzing noise after jump starting a car
- 14Why does my car engine cut out after driving for a while?
- 11Car making weird noises after getting serviced
- 99How to explain an intermittent car noise to a mechanic
- 5Knocking noise under car after bottoming out on driveway