Burning rubber smell right rear fender well.

[TOY2G]

The solution

I may have figured this out. I bought a couple 200 series and they did the same thing, then the wife got a 2021 GX460....same thing.

I don't want to be suspenseful so Ill get to the point and back track. The heat shield matting above the muffler can overheat and in fact burn.

sample group - 1
positive results - 1

I was talking to an buddy of mine who happens to also be an engineer and he mentioned his GX heat shield catching on fire. The I recalled mine also caught on fire when I did the catback exhaust. It happens when the engine is at load and the exhaust heats up enough to make the matting off-gas. Stands to reason why I smell it when I tow or pull long grades.

fast forward to this last weekend and we had to use my boys GX to take a lift over to central Oregon. I yanked the heat shield above his muffler out and by time we got to Bend...not a smell.

Now, I'm not saying it's the solution...aside from calling it literally "the solution" in the title because you don't want to run without a heat shield... especially if it gets hot enough to cook the heat shield.

I'm seriously just posting this because we found a possible culprit but no solution. Perhaps there is a market for vibranium heat shields...

If it resolves the smell on any of the other vehicles I'll check back here and report what I find.

 

[Happy Saguaro]

November 2022

Help - BURNING SMELL??!!

Hi all, I just bought a used 2021 TRD Off Road Premium, 285/70R17, 3" lift, with 48,000 miles and I have that burning smell too.
HOWEVER, my 4Runner makes that smell even when I start it up , let it idle for a few minutes in my driveway, and then shut it off, so.... it can't be a brake or driveshaft, or rotational U-joint issue. Probably not a burnt transmission as this smell occurs after a 5 minute idle. Does NOT seem to come from under the hood. It does smell a lot near the rear driver wheel well. There are NO oil drips or stains under the vehicle. Has anyone else found out something new?! Thanks!

 

[premise]

I may have figured this out. I bought a couple 200 series and they did the same thing, then the wife got a 2021 GX460....same thing.

I don't want to be suspenseful so Ill get to the point and back track. The heat shield matting above the muffler can overheat and in fact burn.

sample group - 1
positive results - 1

I was talking to an buddy of mine who happens to also be an engineer and he mentioned his GX heat shield catching on fire. The I recalled mine also caught on fire when I did the catback exhaust. It happens when the engine is at load and the exhaust heats up enough to make the matting off-gas. Stands to reason why I smell it when I tow or pull long grades.

fast forward to this last weekend and we had to use my boys GX to take a lift over to central Oregon. I yanked the heat shield above his muffler out and by time we got to Bend...not a smell.

Now, I'm not saying it's the solution...aside from calling it literally "the solution" in the title because you don't want to run without a heat shield... especially if it gets hot enough to cook the heat shield.

I'm seriously just posting this because we found a possible culprit but no solution. Perhaps there is a market for vibranium heat shields...

If it resolves the smell on any of the other vehicles I'll check back here and report what I find.

After reading the entire thread, this seems the most plausible. Plus someone posted a pic of an orange glow claimed to be from that area.

What I find interesting is the somewhat universal nature of this in Toyota trucks. One would think Toyota might have resolved this by now, if for no other reason than potential bad press.

 

[Old Grom]

I test drove a 2024 ORP last week and when we got back to the dealership and got out I could smell this burnt rubber smell also. We only drove about 6-7 miles on completely flat roads and never got above 50 MPH. I thought it was just new stuff getting hot for the first time. BTW Underground with XP package sure is nice looking.

 

[johnnygraphic]

I’ve always been perplexed by this smell. Never knew what it was and this helps to ease my mind. I kept thinking that I was overlooking something bad going on with my brakes or something like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maximum]

My wife's recently acquired 24 RAV4 XLE have this smell in the exact same location as my 23 ORP.