I'm having this issue where a type of burning / rubber burning type smell is coming through my vents, when I'm completely stopped. I smell it no other time until I'm fully stopped and idling parked. I opened the hood and don't notice any strong scent, I have to lean real close to the firewall and then I start to sort of smell it. It smells more in the cabin.

I searched about this here, but there was no one solid answer. Anything from belts, to oil dripping, to the VDC, to road salt burning.

What is the final word on this smell? Is it normal and maybe my cabin filter needs to be changed? Let me know, thanks.

 

Drop the passenger side kick area to find the air filter. A dirty filter could be the cause of this.

 

yeah im having the problem, I hope it is just the cabin air filter

 

Yeah I mean the filter helps keep the smell away I'm sure, but that's not getting down to the source of the smell. It might just be rock salt burning on the exhaust and engine.

 

I think I'm going to say that it really is the rock salt burning on the exhaust/engine. I had my car washed and I didn't smell it. But after driving around in the muck again, it started to smell again. I probably do need the filter changed to keep the smell out of the cabin, but I'm going to say it's the rock salt.