burning rubber smell

Asked by Bethany Jan 07, 2020 at 03:08 PM about the 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5 i

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

When I run the heater or air conditioner the passenger compartment gets a
smell of hot, burning rubber. I don't even know where to look for a problem.

1 Answer

400

There are two places the blower motor can pull air from. The cowl (the black trim at the base of the windshield typically where the wiper blade arms are connected) as well as the dashboard on the interior of the vehicle when the climate control is set to "recirculate". If you have the climate control on recirculate and the smell is not there or very faint but on the setting to pull air from outside is very noticeable the smell will be coming from the cowl or engine bay. If you open the hood while the engine is hot and running and you can smell it, the problem is in the engine bay. If reversed the smell must be coming from the vehicles interior. If the smell does not change this could be your cabin air filter. The filter is usually located very close to the blower motor (behind the glovebox typically). If you haven't already, change the filter with a charcoal filter. This will help significantly with any smells being introduced into the cabin. You can also find out if you have any mice hiding food or mice in general stinking the place up. Lastly another common smell is bacteria growing on the AC condenser. To fix this, put the blower on high and spray any common household disinfectant into the cowl at the base of the windshield (spray liberally). This will coat the condenser and destroy the bacteria. Plus your car will smell like lemons. If the engine bay isn't stinky start with a cabin air filter (charcoal) then proceed to the disinfectant. If you replace the filter yourself wear gloves, mouse poop and dead critters are common. Hope this helps!

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Mark Weiner
    Reputation
    33,230
  • #2
    TheSubaruGuruBoston
    Reputation
    28,310
  • #3
    Keith Cahalan
    Reputation
    3,310
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Subaru Forester
39 Great Deals out of 1,353 listings starting at $3,995
Used Toyota RAV4
127 Great Deals out of 3,065 listings starting at $4,999
Used Honda CR-V
181 Great Deals out of 5,013 listings starting at $440
Used Toyota Tacoma
37 Great Deals out of 728 listings starting at $9,975
Used Subaru Legacy
15 Great Deals out of 217 listings starting at $3,200
Used Toyota 4Runner
23 Great Deals out of 545 listings starting at $12,999
Used Subaru Impreza
31 Great Deals out of 666 listings starting at $4,299
Used Toyota Camry
44 Great Deals out of 1,134 listings starting at $4,795
Used Honda Pilot
40 Great Deals out of 899 listings starting at $591
Used Toyota Highlander
43 Great Deals out of 803 listings starting at $7,498
Used Jeep Wrangler
142 Great Deals out of 5,984 listings starting at $6,500
Used Ford F-150
325 Great Deals out of 13,693 listings starting at $3,800

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.