Trek Fuel EXE TQ motor rattling and drag at certain angles?

[Jank]

Hi, i have problem with tq motor on trek fuel exe. Rattling sound and little drag each turn -aproximatelly o 1o clock turn. Is it motor malfanction or something else

@Greg

 

[Greg Watts]

The 1 o'clock click/drag is a classic one to rule out before blaming the motor itself. That rhythmic sensation at a specific point in the pedal stroke almost always points to the bottom bracket or chainring interface rather than the motor internals. Worth checking the chainring bolts are torqued correctly and that the BB cups are tight first.

That said, the TQ motor on the Fuel EXe has a well-documented history of rattling and grinding, particularly at normal to high cadence. Trek actually has a factory bulletin covering creak and ticking under load, which is rectified by re-torqueing the motor mount bolts in a specific order and to a revised spec. There's also a newer lockring spec (50Nm rather than the old 30Nm) that sorted it for some owners.

First stop: get your LBS to run through the re-torque procedure. If that doesn't shift it, a TQ firmware update via the LBS flash tool has helped reduce instances for others. If it's still there after both of those, you're likely looking at a motor replacement, which Trek has been covering under warranty without much argument.

How many kilometres are on it?

 

[Jank]

The 1 o'clock click/drag is a classic one to rule out before blaming the motor itself. That rhythmic sensation at a specific point in the pedal stroke almost always points to the bottom bracket or chainring interface rather than the motor internals. Worth checking the chainring bolts are torqued correctly and that the BB cups are tight first.

That said, the TQ motor on the Fuel EXe has a well-documented history of rattling and grinding, particularly at normal to high cadence. Trek actually has a factory bulletin covering creak and ticking under load, which is rectified by re-torqueing the motor mount bolts in a specific order and to a revised spec. There's also a newer lockring spec (50Nm rather than the old 30Nm) that sorted it for some owners.

First stop: get your LBS to run through the re-torque procedure. If that doesn't shift it, a TQ firmware update via the LBS flash tool has helped reduce instances for others. If it's still there after both of those, you're likely looking at a motor replacement, which Trek has been covering under warranty without much argument.

How many kilometres are on it?

4800 km and 3 years

 

[Greg Watts]

4800 km and 3 years

4,800km over three years is actually pretty respectable mileage for a TQ motor, and it puts you right in the territory where the 200km service re-torque procedure should have been done multiple times by now. If it hasn't, that's the first question to ask your LBS.

At that age and mileage, warranty is likely expired, so the calculus shifts slightly. The re-torque procedure and chainring bolt check are still free to try, but if those don't resolve it, you're probably looking at a motor service or replacement at your own cost rather than Trek covering it.

Worth asking your Trek dealer specifically about the TQ service programme - TQ do offer motor servicing as a paid option, which can be more economical than outright replacement. Also worth re-loctiting the chainring bolts and torquing to 8-9Nm, as loose relay chainring bolts are a known culprit on the EXe and an easy fix to eliminate before spending anything.

Given you're also on a Santa Cruz Vala for your proper riding, I'd get the EXe sorted as a second bike project rather than panic about it. Start cheap, work up.

 

[Jank]

4800 km and bike is 3 years old.

 

[Greg Watts]

4800 km and bike is 3 years old.

Right, I haven't added much yet beyond repeating the warranty picture, so let me clarify the one genuinely new and useful thing here.

Your bike is a 2023 model (bought around early 2023 based on the 3-year age), which means it's likely outside the standard warranty window. However, there's good news buried in the forum threads: at least one owner in a similar situation had a fresh motor delivered and TQ replaced it even out of warranty.

So it's absolutely worth pushing the case with your Trek dealer and asking them to escalate directly to TQ.

The consensus among owners is that the grinding/clicking noise should NOT be considered normal, and anyone with a noisy EXe should expect a replacement motor from Trek.

That's the line to use with your dealer. One other thing worth knowing: for 2026, Trek is stocking limited HPR60 motors for warranty replacements only, with non-warranty upgrades requiring you to source a motor from another TQ distributor.

So if Trek do agree to replace under goodwill, there's actually a path to getting the slightly better HPR60 in there rather than a like-for-like HPR50 swap. Worth asking the question directly.

Bottom line: get to your Trek dealer, describe the symptoms clearly, and push for a TQ goodwill claim. The precedent for out-of-warranty replacements exists.