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

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PoMansRam

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I'm not saying the burning rubber smell from the T-case isn't possible, but I'd think if the wet clutches inside the BW44-44 got hot enough inside the sealed T-case that somehow you could smell it coming out of the breather vent, that sucker would be in flames.
 

FXCLM5

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dang thought this was a thread that would give some closure........not the saga continues sux for you man
 
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SimmZ

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I'm not saying the burning rubber smell from the T-case isn't possible, but I'd think if the wet clutches inside the BW44-44 got hot enough inside the sealed T-case that somehow you could smell it coming out of the breather vent, that sucker would be in flames.

Definitely! However I have the 44-45 TC myself, who doesn't have any clutches, it's all gear driven. But as for the other who have the 44-44, obviously that if it's become hot enough to smell burnt rubber, you probably already blown the clutches!
 

Jokybrto

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When I first starting reading this my first thought was exhaust system,Catalytic converter or a new muffler or mufflers braking in.

How many miles are on the truck?

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SimmZ

SimmZ

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When I first starting reading this my first thought was exhaust system,Catalytic converter or a new muffler or mufflers braking in.

How many miles are on the truck?

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11K KM on the truck (6800 miles)...
 

Wild one

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11K KM on the truck (6800 miles)...

There was an issue with the heater and rad hoses giving off an odour ,supposedly they have fixed that issue,and I don't remember many guys with the bad hoses saying they were giving off a burnt smell,but it might be worthwhile giving them a sniff when the truck is hot. I kinda doubt it's your issue,but worth sniffing the hoses anyways.
 

Jokybrto

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dude that's brand new! Has the dealer taken the cats/mufflers or exhaust out of the equation? They hopefully have, but if your not sure it wouldn't hurt to ask the dealer. just my 2 cents.
 
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SimmZ

SimmZ

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There was an issue with the heater and rad hoses giving off an odour ,supposedly they have fixed that issue,and I don't remember many guys with the bad hoses saying they were giving off a burnt smell,but it might be worthwhile giving them a sniff when the truck is hot. I kinda doubt it's your issue,but worth sniffing the hoses anyways.

They already replaced the entire (20+ pieces) rad hoses/elbow/etc at the first glance. It did not changed anything. :oops:
 
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SimmZ

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I have installed a few exhaust systems... I just put one on my dads truck and when it gets heated up you can smell it like a burnt clutch!

They didn't took apart the exhaust yet (I think), however they perform several cleaning/buffing on the exhaust manifold, cats and mufflers and they inspected them when very hot and there's not trace of smell in this area.
 

RamCares

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yes, any update? i am also from quebec, canada, have the same truck (ram 1500 classic v6 3.6l) that i bought last december. i also notice a burned rubber smell, not as strong as you said, mine do it occasionnaly but it's definitely come out from the fan and when i notice it, it also smell from under the hood. i also look like it happen more with warmer weather, but this might be just in my head. i didn't get the chance to go to the dealer yet

Hello Marc,
We are sorry to hear about your recent troubles. If you decide to bring this to the attention of your dealer in the future I have provided the Canadian customer care # below for potential assistance throughout that process.
1-800-361-3700.
Laura
RamCares
 

Douglas Hough

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In my last thread, I was indicating that my truck is at the dealership for 3 weeks without them to find why the hell this thing is smelling A LOT like burnt rubber. So now the truck is at the dealership for a little over 5 weeks now and two weeks ago, a few days after I posted my last thread, the dealership excluded a transfer case issue (as well) and now suspected that the burn rubber smell was coming from the transmission, so what FCA asked in regard of the transmission, is to flush entire fluid and give it a test... but instead of performing some test-drive themselves, they asked me to pick up my truck and test it myself to see the result. After only driving a few KM, the problem hasn't changed (or improved), so I bring the truck back to the dealership immediately.

A few days later, they told me that the now suspect that the burnt rubber smell can come from the (winter) tires. I strongly doubted of this because the smell is coming from the engine bay, not from the surroundings of the truck around the wheels. Once again, they don't perform any road test themselves and asked me to pick up my truck and give it a drive... only after driving 1 km in the middle of the day (during my lunch break at work), the problem was still present so I immediately bring the truck back to the dealership, indicating that if they had performed a test-drive of my truck only 1 km, they would not make me waste 1 hour of my time to do it myself!

Two days later, they called me back, saying that they still suspect an issue with the tires, even after replacing them once. So they asked me to pick up my truck with a second set of new (used) tires. JESUS CHRIST! In a last demonstration of good faith, I did the test-drive myself again and noted (obviously) that the problem is still present.

That last attempt was around 7 days ago. Then it was followed by several days of radio silence where, then by February 5th, they called me to ask me to come and pick up my vehicle because it's fixed. I was very surprised so I asked them what they had allocated and they answered: "Nothing! We didn't work on it for 3-4 days and when the mechanic went to test-drive, the problem was gone.” HOLY SPIRIT MADE HIS MAGIC on my truck!!

So I went to pick up my vehicle to try it out even if I did not believe in the action of the Holy Spirit and without much surprise after driving a few kilometres, the problem was still there. So I called the dealer immediately by Monday (they are closed during the weekend) and they told me they were to call me back later. The next day (Tuesday, February 11), I called them back and they asked me to bring the truck back in the middle of the day, while the entire mechanic team was present for a test drive with a mechanic. So I showed up in the middle of the afternoon and did a (very short) test drive of 1 km in the presence of the mechanic (a new mechanic who had never worked on my vehicle) and he was immediately STUNNED of how the smell of burnt rubber is STRONG and unbearable inside the cab when the HVAC is running.

I waited a few days without any news from them, then I filled a complaint at FCA Canada but the answer I got from FCA Canada is that there's not lemon law in Canada and that the dealership is responsible to any legal warranty on a vehicle. So I sent the dealer a "formal notice" that they should receive by today asking them to refund the truck or exchange it for a new truck with identical specifications or better. If they don't answer to my request, I can bring the case to a free legal service in Canada called C.A.M.V.A.P. (CANADIAN MOTOR VEHICLE ARBITRATION PLAN) who can bring my case in court in front of a judge for free. https://www.camvap.ca/

Remember that I have opened the initial case with my dealership about this problem back in mid-November 2019!!! Three months now! I first did several in and out at the dealership for troubleshooting (try and error) and then by the mid-January, they kept my truck for full-time troubleshooting.
 

Douglas Hough

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Is your truck a diesel and is it going through a regen cycle. I get this from time to time on my ecodiesel 2019 2nd gen.

Do you mostly city drive - I drive mostly country which reduces the regen cycle but I do smell burnt rubber from time to time. Will bring the matter up with Cranbrook Dodge when they do the first service and let all know.
 

demonram

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I saw where you said when you have the HVAC on is when you smell the burnt rubber. Have they checked that system to see if there is a problem with it? If that's the only time you smell it, it seems likely that is where the problem originates from.
 

OLEJOE

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Have they checked the heater box? Even if the A/C is on the heater core still gets hot and may have something laying on it. And may have a rat nest or a dead rat in it. You’d be surprised how many wasp nest I picked out from under my 2018. Does it seem to vary with the engine temperature (not as bad at first but gets worse as it warms up)?
 

tron67j

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Have they checked the heater box? Even if the A/C is on the heater core still gets hot and may have something laying on it. And may have a rat nest or a dead rat in it. You’d be surprised how many wasp nest I picked out from under my 2018. Does it seem to vary with the engine temperature (not as bad at first but gets worse as it warms up)?
I was thinking this same thing. I have seen everything from a dead cat that got shredded and ingested to deer fur from a collision that has actually filled the cabin with the remnants. Also know of dead snake and bees stinking up the cabin without knowing they were there. You could try replacing the cabin filter if not done already just to see if anything got trapped against there and take some of the vent apart and use high pressure air to blow through.
 

chrisbh17

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I was thinking this same thing. I have seen everything from a dead cat that got shredded and ingested to deer fur from a collision that has actually filled the cabin with the remnants. Also know of dead snake and bees stinking up the cabin without knowing they were there. You could try replacing the cabin filter if not done already just to see if anything got trapped against there and take some of the vent apart and use high pressure air to blow through.

An inspection camera should work too...take the cabin filter out and insert the camera to look around.
 
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