[Bug] Need for Speed: Heat - Extremely Loud Dialog Volume

tl;dr: the volume level for player and NPC dialog lines are extremely loud and distorted. It seems to happen randomly, about every 4 out of 5 game starts. What causes this? How do I stop this from happening?

Linked below is a video recording someone uploaded back in March 2022. A caption in the video says that the uploader lowered the volume of the recording, but it's still an accurate depiction of how loud and distorted the dialog becomes. Right after loading into the garage, Lucas makes a comment to the player character, and the bugged volume is immediately noticeable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au2QFFC5Hd8

Someone in the comments section of that video also uploaded footage of the same bug after the player exits the garage, but the uploader didn't lower the volume. I've added it below, as this is how it sounds in my game (loud volume warning):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk6mov1DJuM 

In my game, in the garage, the bugged audio sounds like there's been heavy reverb applied to all the dialog lines. It eventually becomes quieter, but it seems to last indefinitely. Leaving the garage through the menus, or even going to character selection gets rid of the reverb/echo, but not the loud voice audio.

I've played NFS Heat, with and without mods, in a number of configurations (low, medium, and high settings), online and solo play, for at least 250 hours since 2022. I've only experienced this issue once before, about 2-3 months ago, but thought it was just a one-off glitch at the time. It didn't happen again until a few days ago, and it's now become a frequent problem.

I don't know what triggers it, nor how to bypass it, other than muting "Sound Effects" in the game settings. Lowering the "Dialog Volume" to 0 doesn't do anything. I have to lower the master "Sound Effects" slider. That's far from an ideal solution, because it mutes most other sounds as well, leaving only the soundtrack audible.

I've tried:

• Verifying game files through Steam
• Uninstalling, clearing out any residual files, then reinstalling the game (i.e. clean install)
• Clearing the EA app cache
• Deleting my old save from My Documents
• Disabling audio inputs (I didn't have any recording devices plugged in to begin with, but did so to rule it out)
• Disabling any audio enhancements (I didn't have any enabled in the first place, but double checked)
• Disabling "Exclusive Mode" in Settings > Sound > Speakers Properties (Playback tab) > (Advanced tab) (sound enhancements and spatial sound have always been disabled)

I monitor my GPU/CPU usage and system temps. The game runs at the same levels as usual. I haven't made any changes to my system since before the bug (Windows 10). I did move my old save elsewhere to start over, and it was fine for several launches. I've also been playing the game without mods since before the bug started happening consistently.

There have been others who have posted about this issue on various social media platforms and YouTube. But no one seems to have a solution to this problem, let alone an explanation for why this happens in the first place. Any insight on this issue would hopefully help future players experiencing this problem as well.