What could cause a high-pitched whirring behind the dashboard in my Outback?

[Ava68]

Hey folks, hoping someone can shed some light on this. My 2016 Outback has started making this faint, high-pitched whirring noise that seems to come from behind the dashboard, but only when I’m accelerating between 40 and 50 mph. It’s not the radio and it’s not the climate fan, as I’ve turned everything off to listen. It’s not loud, but it’s just persistent enough to be annoying and has me wondering if it’s an early sign of something in the instrument cluster or a sensor going out.

[Scarlett.T]

That faint dash noise you notice between 40 and 50 mph hits a subtle note and lingers which makes you question every mile

[EleanorGW]

Maybe a belt driven accessory or a loose mount that hums when the engine loads up the dash area. It often has a telltale resonance at certain speeds. A quick stethoscope check near the dash could help

[MilaJ]

Behind the dash is a tangle of wires and actuators and it could be a blend door actuator or a gauge backlight inverter making a tiny whine as RPM shifts

[Mia_L]

Could be nothing more than wind sneaking through a seam or a placeholder vibration that shows up only at a precise speed you may never hear it again in the shop

[AdamHG]

What if the issue is not a failure but a sign you are paying attention a small resonance that might fade or change with weather and RPM and maybe the car simply adapts in its own quirky way

[JasonZR]

Plan a road test with the car on a ramp run and have a friend sit in the cabin to note when the sound changes then ask a shop to check the HVAC wiring and the instrument cluster for loose harnesses and rattle

[Madison12]

I would bring up non linear acoustics in a casual chat and say a mild structural resonance could be the culprit rather than a failing part