BlackWorksInc
New member
Well you know, everyone got so fed up with the 4th gen "sulfur" smell they switched it to burning rubber. 
Gotta keep things fresh! :rofl:
Gotta keep things fresh! :rofl:
Burning rubber smell right rear fender well.
- Thread starter TOY2G
- Start date
After driving up hills...
My 06 SR5 has the same issue. I have just moved to Montana from Pennsylvania, and am now driving up fairly long hills. I did not notice this issue for the first 5 years of ownership, which does concern me a bit. Eastern Pa. is a bit hilly, but the hills are all small. Vermont, where we drove fairly often, has more serious hills, but I never smelled the odor there.
The smell comes from the area of the right rear wheel well when I stop at the top of a hill after driving on a fairly twisty road. However, I don't smell it on normal long distance driving, or even when I have gone up and down hills, so long as I have not stopped and parked at the top of the hill. I have been wondering whether the constant turning while pushing uphill was causing strain on the differential, but looking underneath, I see no signs of leakage.
I am about to do some more serious cross-country driving, so I am going to get the differential fluid checked out. It was a bit discolored when I had the car serviced after pulling a 1200 lb. trailer here from Eastern PA. I hope that it checks out OK.
My 06 SR5 has the same issue. I have just moved to Montana from Pennsylvania, and am now driving up fairly long hills. I did not notice this issue for the first 5 years of ownership, which does concern me a bit. Eastern Pa. is a bit hilly, but the hills are all small. Vermont, where we drove fairly often, has more serious hills, but I never smelled the odor there.
The smell comes from the area of the right rear wheel well when I stop at the top of a hill after driving on a fairly twisty road. However, I don't smell it on normal long distance driving, or even when I have gone up and down hills, so long as I have not stopped and parked at the top of the hill. I have been wondering whether the constant turning while pushing uphill was causing strain on the differential, but looking underneath, I see no signs of leakage.
I am about to do some more serious cross-country driving, so I am going to get the differential fluid checked out. It was a bit discolored when I had the car serviced after pulling a 1200 lb. trailer here from Eastern PA. I hope that it checks out OK.
I had the rubber burning smell multiple times in the past years. It comes and goes. I think it is the propeller shaft (drive shaft) grease spill over the heat sheild. One time I asked the dealer to inject new grease in the propeller shaft zerk fittings, after I drive home, the rubber burning smell is very strong, I went underneath the truck and noticed that grease spilled onto the heat shield and muffler/exhaust pipe. I think that is the source the burning smell, after several weeks, the smell is totally gone, until next time they put some more grease.
ainkiller: :tape2:
singletrackftw
New member
I have a 2016 SR5P and I notice this smell too... I was thinking it was some slight rubbing of my beefy but stock sized 265/70 KO2's but I can't find anything on the tires suggestive of mudflap rubbing & ive noticed this smell after city driving. Glad to hear it's likely not my tires & probably normal
bloodninja
New member
Could be the combination of the new muffler coating and welding burning off
bloodninja
New member
Is it possible the drum brakes are sticking a little?
Saker
Senior Member
I doubt it. I've smelled it several times sice my T4R was purchased new....
always the right rear.
propain
New member
Funny you mentioned "always the right rear".
I have 212 miles on my 16', as I passed the rear of the truck, on the right/passenger side, I smelled that burning smell. I thought it may have been the brakes being that its new. I will bring it up to the dealer when it goes it for its first oil change. Gald I got fire coverage.
:target:
2003-4x4runner
New member
The 4th Gen has the same burning rubber smell as well. At 160k mi, I have no issues. Never did find out where the smell was coming from. I did hear/read some where that the drive line would spin out some grease and hit the muffler and cause the burning rubber smell.
flyinhawaiian01
New member
After 70k on mine, I still get the smell if I am driving it hard then park it in my garage. Its not a new car smell burning off.
Easy enough to reproduce on almost every 4 runner, before you get home, take your 4 runner on a long road and punch it from a stop to around 70mph. Don't let off the gas til you get there. Do this twice and then pull directly into your garage, close the door then smell at the right fenderwell.
I have two stop signs near my home, these are country roads with 4-way stops and nobody around most of the time. I've done this several times and tried the following:
turn off traction control, still has the smell
Slow down without using brakes hard, very light, downshift to slow, still has the smell
That rules out brake use for this smell. The only thing that I can tell is that it is definitely coming from the fenderwell area, which is also where the exhaust is. It is NOT coming from inside the exhaust, as the smell is not present at the tailpipe at all. It has to be the exhaust heating up and slightly burning one of the exhaust hanger rubber donuts near the exhaust.
Several folks have replaced their exhaust mufflers but still have the smell, so its not the actual muffler, and the only other thing that it could possibly be, aside from the isolator donuts, would be the heat shields, maybe they have some rubber undercoating, or use rubber grommets, or it has some sort of rubber sheet between it and the body? It is definitely a rubber smell, not a metallic heat smell.
One other thing I would check is the spare tire, only because its under there and its rubber. Maybe one day I'll drop the tire and do my little speed test to see if the smell goes away.
Of course, if anyone here has their spare tire off already, and can produce the smell easily, report back to see if that makes it disappear!
Easy enough to reproduce on almost every 4 runner, before you get home, take your 4 runner on a long road and punch it from a stop to around 70mph. Don't let off the gas til you get there. Do this twice and then pull directly into your garage, close the door then smell at the right fenderwell.
I have two stop signs near my home, these are country roads with 4-way stops and nobody around most of the time. I've done this several times and tried the following:
turn off traction control, still has the smell
Slow down without using brakes hard, very light, downshift to slow, still has the smell
That rules out brake use for this smell. The only thing that I can tell is that it is definitely coming from the fenderwell area, which is also where the exhaust is. It is NOT coming from inside the exhaust, as the smell is not present at the tailpipe at all. It has to be the exhaust heating up and slightly burning one of the exhaust hanger rubber donuts near the exhaust.
Several folks have replaced their exhaust mufflers but still have the smell, so its not the actual muffler, and the only other thing that it could possibly be, aside from the isolator donuts, would be the heat shields, maybe they have some rubber undercoating, or use rubber grommets, or it has some sort of rubber sheet between it and the body? It is definitely a rubber smell, not a metallic heat smell.
One other thing I would check is the spare tire, only because its under there and its rubber. Maybe one day I'll drop the tire and do my little speed test to see if the smell goes away.
Of course, if anyone here has their spare tire off already, and can produce the smell easily, report back to see if that makes it disappear!
I have it.
I think it's coming from the driver side front fender area. Could be passenger side, but I've never ran over to check. It's definitely the front end for me though. When you guys are saying "the right side" is that passenger or driver?
Mine started around 4500 miles. Have about 5500 now and it's come and go.
Took it to the shop at the 5K mark and made mention of it. They looked around, said they couldn't see anything. Even let me get under too. As long as it's noted that I brought it in, I feel like I did my part.
Outside of that, I think it's just the character.
I think it's coming from the driver side front fender area. Could be passenger side, but I've never ran over to check. It's definitely the front end for me though. When you guys are saying "the right side" is that passenger or driver?
Mine started around 4500 miles. Have about 5500 now and it's come and go.
Took it to the shop at the 5K mark and made mention of it. They looked around, said they couldn't see anything. Even let me get under too. As long as it's noted that I brought it in, I feel like I did my part.
Outside of that, I think it's just the character.
I have noticed this as well with my 2016 TEP, front driver side and smells like a hot/burning rubber...you are not alone lol maybe its the direction the wind is blowing haha
