[quagmire0]

Here's a link to a video that someone else took that has the exact same noise:

This issue has been happening for a couple months now, and actually happened before the recent cold weather, so I'm guessing it isn't necessarily cold-related. When we start the car, we hear a very loud whining sound that seems to be coming from the vents. It's definitely related to the A/C, as when we shut the A/C off, the sound goes away. If we don't turn it off, the sound goes away after about 30 seconds - a minute. Most of the time, the A/C is set to defrost/windshield. Has anyone had this issue, and if so, what was the problem/fix?

Thanks! ;D

 

[mowmow]

Is your van warm up properly before you drive ? Sounded like blower motor is working hard

 

[royc]

Bad actuator on one of the air control dampers? If changing the blower speed doesn't make a difference in the sound, I'd look for a bad actuator.

royc

 

[Narboza]

+1 for an actuator/blend door issue. it sounds like air leaking through an incompletely closed door. Does it sound the same in all modes? (heat, cool, defrost, etc.)

 

[Narboza]

You can also look at your cabin air filter to see if it is causing the noise.

 

[Jkrause224]

Did you figure out what was making the noise in the video? My 2012 Sienna is making the same noise.