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burning rubber smell in my 2013 Prius C

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Tan Nurthen, Mar 3, 2014.

  1. Tan Nurthen

    Tan Nurthen New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2014
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    Location:
    Nottingham, Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Here is my short story. Whine, whine, whine... had to give up my 2004 Prius. Odometer would not turn over 299,999.9m. And 1. Would not pass PA inspection. 2. One cell of the 14 cell battery was shot. 3. Rusted out hole near the exhaust system. I am not a mechanic, l felt it was time for a new Prius. I chose the Prius C. A month old, and driving in the worst winter the East coast has had since I was born. I am old, very old. Don't expect to outlive the car. Well, just today, after digging the Prius out of the snow, I went for a ride. I had gone about 15 miles, heat on, pulled into the store`s parking lot. Parked and went into the store. About 30 min. Later, I began the ride home. Less than 5 miles to go, this burning rubber smell appeared inside the car. I thought that maybe it was a smell from the highway, but when I got home and walked to my house, I realized the smell was still apparent. Anybody ever had this problem?
     
    #1 Tan Nurthen, Mar 3, 2014
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome to priuschat! i believe i have read this before about the c, nothing to worry about as i recall. if you're too old to search, perhaps someone with more knowledge will jump in. all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 3, 2014
  3. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    N. Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I don't think "ignore it and it might go away" is good advice for any kind of "burning" smell.......unless maybe it is just the exhaust "burning in".

    The burning rubber thing might mean electrical. It is still under warranty so the dealer should have a look.

    If it does that on the next startup.......and you can pretty much tell that it is NOT just the hot exhaust.....I'd be tempted to have it towed.
     
    #3 Easy Rider, Mar 4, 2014
  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
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    You have to love the irony.
    "Burning rubber smell in a Prius....something has to be wrong!" :D

    If you're an older person, it might be worth your while to get it looked at since the car is almost certainly still under warranty. My guess is FOD or what the airdales call Foreign Object Damage. I'm thinking that it might be plastic that you smell instead of rubber.
    Pennsylvania's state bird is an empty WalMart bag. If one gets wrapped around your exhaust it will smell kinda bad for a while.
    Break-downs at my age aren't fun anymore.
    At your age they might be even less so.
    Go by your Toyota dealership and have somebody put the car on a lift and investigate.
    Those kids have knees that actually work.

    Good Luck!
     
    #4 ETC(SS), Mar 4, 2014
    ftl likes this.
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