RAM Classic 2019 major burnt rubber smell (3+ weeks at the dealer, no fix)

[SimmZ]

I have published my very bad story about my nearly brand new (5 months old) 2019 RAM Classic 1500 I purchased at the end of last summer on a Canadian RAM group a few weeks ago but I decided to publish here too to see if someone may have experienced a similar issue.

After 3 visits to my dealership before Christmas, where they did a stunning number of checks on my car and keep it over one week, they can't figure out where the VERY strong smell of burnt rubber coming from the engine bay and entering into the cab by the vents when the heater is running. I first noticed this issue by the end of November when I first turned on the heating as the winter arrived in Canada because during the summer I drove the windows open like 99% of the times. So just after the holiday break (Friday, January 10th, 2020) it was warm outside and my truck smelled so strong the burnt rubber that I had to keep the windows open or shutdown the heating. So I went straight back to the dealer and after doing new test drive with the workshop manager and one senior mechanic they realized that this smell is absolutely crazing and it's going worst than even. So they kept my truck and lend me a New-Body 2019 Tradesman 4x4 and they told me that they will have no other choice that opening a special ticket with the engineering department at FCA Canada because they have not a single idea what can cause this nasty, crazy, burnt rubber smell, considering that this is my 3rd visit for the problem and that they checked everything like 10x already (like any liquid leak, something that rubs on the exhaust, any overheating wiring, etc.)

Three days later, the engineering department of FCA Canada sent my dealer a list of like 20 rubber hoses and elbow and whatever, that they ask to replace on my truck since they are made of rubber as well and located under the hood of the truck. Some of the hose were out of stock and took a few days to be delivered. That is a fairly rational first diagnosis, but I obviously have a doubt that a rubber cooling hose can overheat and smell that bad.

To be continued...

Yesterday (Jan. 20th) where the 12th days since my RAM was at the dealership so I call them for news and after receiving all hoses and elbow and replacing everything made of rubber under the hood last week, unsurprisingly, it didn't change anything and it still smell as strong as before after just a few minutes of driving.

Then FCA Canada came back with a second/new theory (currently under investigation) according to which a clutch inside the transfer case would not disengage properly and would overheat since the problem occurs when I am on 2WD (however I did not not tried in 4WD to see if it smell). I was still a little surprised since I have the base transfer case (BW 44-45) and I don't remember having heard that there was a clutch in this T.C. but since I have not found any technical diagram of this T.C., I can be wrong.

Anyway, do you believe this second theory? Any other suggestions?

Unfortunately please note that we are not protected by any "lemon law" in Canada such as in the US, if someone think about it...

 

[Brandon-w]

Yeah we get screwed by not having a lemon law here... As for the burnt smell I cant really help you there. I can however guarantee you there are no clutches in the Borg warner 44-45 t case. Thats only the 44-44 t case that would have clutches. The pic says to 2017 but the design hasn't Changed. Hopefully they get it fixed.

 

[SimmZ]

Yeah we get screwed by not having a lemon law here... As for the burnt smell I cant really help you there. I can however guarantee you there are no clutches in the Borg warner 44-45 t case. Thats only the 44-44 t case that would have clutches. The pic says to 2017 but the design hasn't Changed. Hopefully they get it fixed.

Thank you very much for this information!! I can't believe it, but it looks like FCA Canada hotline actually get confused where they think that my truck have the 44-44 instead of the 44-45 transfert case while making this stupid diagnostic... I already heard several story of people reporting burnt clutches in the 44-44 and this is effectively causing a strong burnt rubber smell, but since I have the 44-45, this theory is dead by itself.

I don't know in which province you are located, but I am in Quebec so I contacted the provincial "Consumer Protection Office" which is a government office and they told me I can eventually fill a claim at the C.A.M.V.A.P. (CANADIAN MOTOR VEHICLE ARBITRATION PLAN) which is a federal organization that legally deal with buybacks process with vehicles manufacturers in Canada when a vehicle can't be properly repaired. But it seem to be a complex and long process, however it's mostly free of any charges.

 

[Brandon-w]

I'm in Alberta. We have amvic which is basically the same thing I Beleive. Yeah the 44-44 does burn clutches but I highly doubt it'd be smelling like rubber, Burnt transmission fluid maybe. One would think that after that amount of time if it were rubber it would have burned off right? Call me crazy but could it be coming from your accessory belt? Maybe somethings got some resistance not enough to squeal but enough to slip and cause some belt rubber to stink? I don't know thats the only thing I think could cause such a smell other than rubber. First initial thought was they got undercoat on your exhaust but that woulda burned off I'd think. I dono hard to say for sure. If it were me I'd take the belt off and run it. The bad thing is now that the smell is in your HVAC system it's going to linger there for a long time so even if the issue is fixed you will get a false smell. [emoji58]

 

[chrisbh17]

I know they had a problem with hoses offgassing and smelling terrible, but I think it was around 2014. Probably why they tried to swap out all the rubber stuff.

Maybe they have the same issue again? Or like Brandon said, maybe the smell is still lingering even after they changed the hoses. Maybe try to "bomb" the vents with air freshener?

 

[gofishn]

have the ionize the trucks interior, get rid of any smeelsin the pplastic and such.

then set truck to recycleinterior air only,no outside air cominginto cab of truck. normal selector is is just below defrost and hit theleft fancontrol knob to trun it on. donot allow a/c to light up.

do not drive the truck, let it sit, so no drivetrain parts, other than engine is moving or generating heat or friction. see if you still smeel the rubber, smell, if so, rip that dash our and check the heater core of a I am quiting thisdamRam Truch assembl line job, going to go back to Iraq as a contrator andmake a **** pile of money but this ****** who buysthis truck is going to get a nice little surprise by jamming a pieceof rubber between these heat core fins.

it happens.

 

[gofish101]

I know they had a problem with hoses offgassing and smelling terrible, but I think it was around 2014. Probably why they tried to swap out all the rubber stuff.

Maybe they have the same issue again? Or like Brandon said, maybe the smell is still lingering even after they changed the hoses. Maybe try to "bomb" the vents with air freshener?

That was a fiasco. FCA switched from regular antifreeze to organic in the Ram trucks and some of the dealerships didn't get the memo. It was a dead animal smell most complained about.

 

[SimmZ]

I know they had a problem with hoses offgassing and smelling terrible, but I think it was around 2014. Probably why they tried to swap out all the rubber stuff.

Maybe they have the same issue again? Or like Brandon said, maybe the smell is still lingering even after they changed the hoses. Maybe try to "bomb" the vents with air freshener?

Well it's hard to explain, but this is not the kind of smell that may become residual into the vents. Because as soon as I shut down the vent, the smell gone immediately and moreover, it's very noticeable that the smell is coming from the engine bay, more from the back of the engine, not around the accessory belt. I also assume that the accessory belt is the first thing that the dealer tested several weeks ago when I first report the problem. It really looks like it's coming from around the transmission and/or the transfer case and the smell is pure burnt rubber, 100% identical like if I was doing a burnout with the truck and the smell is VERY strong, as strong as you need to turn off vents or open windows to let fresh air into the cab.

 

[SimmZ]

That was a fiasco. FCA switched from regular antifreeze to organic in the Ram trucks and some of the dealerships didn't get the memo. It was a dead animal smell most complained about.

Well definitely not my case... nothing near of dead animal! It's 100% identical smell like if I was doing a burnout with the truck.

 

[SimmZ]

have the ionize the trucks interior, get rid of any smeelsin the pplastic and such.

then set truck to recycleinterior air only,no outside air cominginto cab of truck. normal selector is is just below defrost and hit theleft fancontrol knob to trun it on. donot allow a/c to light up.

do not drive the truck, let it sit, so no drivetrain parts, other than engine is moving or generating heat or friction. see if you still smeel the rubber, smell, if so, rip that dash our and check the heater core of a I am quiting thisdamRam Truch assembl line job, going to go back to Iraq as a contrator andmake a **** pile of money but this ****** who buysthis truck is going to get a nice little surprise by jamming a pieceof rubber between these heat core fins.

it happens.

I forgot to mention that the dealer also suspected residual smell in the cab, so it's been ionized and they also use some professional vent cleaner/disinfectant without success. Plus, after replacing the entire cooling system, they made a quick test drive, then enter the truck in the garage and as soon as they opened the hood, the strong smell were immediately noticeable.

However you have a good point, I noticed myself that I can leave the truck running like 30 minutes in my driveway without having any burnt rubber smell. The smell is only present as soon as I drive a few miles (usually 2-3 miles is enough!) so the issue must be related to a drivetrain component... I don't know if the dealer did the same test, but I did report that information to them at the very first visit. To be honest, for no particular reason I was suspecting a transmission issue... however the truck drive perfectly fine. But I remember smelling a similar odor few years ago with my 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan while I was climbing a very steep road with my 2500 LB camper behind the van and that I have slightly overheated my transmission... however with the RAM I have transmission temp gauge permanently in my face (7 inch digital cluster) and temperature is just perfect by any time...

 

[Kevs10]

Im gonna follow this..

I was out yesterday driving around, could smell rubber too..
I m sure it was the belts slipping but ill have to see if it does it again, was too cold out to care..

 

[tourrider]

is the smell after you drive a little, or will start without going down the road?

I ask because I'm going to tell you a story.

I purchased my 3500 August-2018. In October I drive it up to Vermont to visit my brother inlaw. One afternoon, we drove a little ways to go for lunch. When I parked, I could smell rubber burning from my left rear. I stuck my head around, saw nothing, not even smoke. Later I crawel under it and could find anything the might be rubbing.

After that, every once in a while, I would get to work, or somewhere, and could smell burning rubber. Well that went on until just before this last Christmas. I headed down the interstate on Satrday at Midnight, and my left rear gave out. It didnt blow, but it did fall apart at 70MPH. I got off the road without issue, and changed it out.

The tire had a failure called a zipper tear, and is often cause by subtle cord or belt movement, when there should be none.

I didnt relate this flat to the smell until I was buying new tire from my neigborhood tire guru. He said it started failing the day it was made. I asked if it might be the source of my burning rubber and my guy said he would put money on it.

As a note, I made an 800 mile dash this last weekend, no burning smell with these new shoes,

So that's my story. Might be good to take a real close look at your front tires.
Have you rotated your tires? See if the smell moves to the back.

Hope you have some good luck getting this taken care of.


Sent from my SM-T830 using Tapatalk

 

[SimmZ]

is the smell after you drive a little, or will start without going down the road?

I ask because I'm going to tell you a story.

I purchased my 3500 August-2018. In October I drive it up to Vermont to visit my brother inlaw. One afternoon, we drove a little ways to go for lunch. When I parked, I could smell rubber burning from my left rear. I stuck my head around, saw nothing, not even smoke. Later I crawel under it and could find anything the might be rubbing.

After that, every once in a while, I would get to work, or somewhere, and could smell burning rubber. Well that went on until just before this last Christmas. I headed down the interstate on Satrday at Midnight, and my left rear gave out. It didnt blow, but it did fall apart at 70MPH. I got off the road without issue, and changed it out.

The tire had a failure called a zipper tear, and is often cause by subtle cord or belt movement, when there should be none.

I didnt relate this flat to the smell until I was buying new tire from my neigborhood tire guru. He said it started failing the day it was made. I asked if it might be the source of my burning rubber and my guy said he would put money on it.

As a note, I made an 800 mile dash this last weekend, no burning smell with these new shoes,

So that's my story. Might be good to take a real close look at your front tires.
Have you rotated your tires? See if the smell moves to the back.

Hope you have some good luck getting this taken care of.


Sent from my SM-T830 using Tapatalk

That what I suspected first (a defective tire), because everything in my story is nothing but coincidences... because when I first noticed this issue around beginning of November is was :

- First time I turn on the heating on a new truck
- First time I drove with my winter tires (which are brand new as well)
- First time I engaged the 4WD-Lock because of the snow

So anything on these can be potential cause/explanation. However as for my strong rubber smell, it's definitely coming from inside the engine bay, this can be easily confirmed if you sniff it (LOL). I also very carefully sniffed around my tires and there's no sign of any smell in this area, the smell only appeared as soon as you noze reach the engine bay.

To be continued... I guess... ;-)

 

[huntergreen]

Subed

 

[gofishn]

No smell unless drivetrai nis engaged?

Get truck up on a hoist, engage drive train, with a person at each end, as soon as smell starts up, start sniffing.
If no smell exists, then it MUST be tires.

Tires are the only thing , not truly working, as if they were on teh road.

 

[Shiva]

Ok winter tires on a 4wd truck. Start with dumping them. Biggest scam ever conceived by people that want to sell/service/store/install tires ever!!!
See any statistics showing less collisions?
Get back to the OE tires and rims to try to find your problem source.

 

[SimmZ]

Ok winter tires on a 4wd truck. Start with dumping them. Biggest scam ever conceived by people that want to sell/service/store/install tires ever!!!
See any statistics showing less collisions?
Get back to the OE tires and rims to try to find your problem source.

What? I live in Canada and in my province, the winter tires (true certified winter tires) are mandatory as per the law starting from December 1st to March 15th of each year. The fines are very elevated if you infringe the law and trust me, there's many police operations (roadblock) for winter tires inspections in my area each winter. Moreover you also need to observe a maximum winter tires wear as per this same law, I don't remember the minimum thread authorized but I think it's 8/32 of an inch.

 

[gofishn]

Ok winter tires on a 4wd truck. Start with dumping them. Biggest scam ever conceived by people that want to sell/service/store/install tires ever!!!
See any statistics showing less collisions?
Get back to the OE tires and rims to try to find your problem source.

WOW.

 

[gofishn]

OP< What brand are you WInter TIres?
It is quite possible, if no snow or ice present, your tires could be warming up too much and potentially causing this smell.
Winter Tires, by their very nature, tend to be extremely soft rubber, for first few thousands of miles.
It's this very softness of the rubber that provides such excellent traction on ice.

 

[SimmZ]

OP< What brand are you WInter TIres?
It is quite possible, if no snow or ice present, your tires could be warming up too much and potentially causing this smell.
Winter Tires, by their very nature, tend to be extremely soft rubber, for first few thousands of miles.
It's this very softness of the rubber that provides such excellent traction on ice.

Correct, however this was the first thing that as been checked and even in the deep snow, the burnt rubber is still present. My tires are the Firestone WinterForce 2UV and they are studded. I know they are not LT charge rated, but I don't care since I don't tow or carry anything with my truck during winter (only during summer).