Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic maintenance is designed to keep your Dodge Durango running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. Today we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this content to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Dodge Durango . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to locate the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Dodge Durango? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Dodge Durango

So we commence our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Dodge Durango . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Indeed, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. Indeed, the action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Dodge Durango. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
  • The accessory belt: Nevertheless rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is mainly done of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will cause the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Dodge Durango.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs specifically on Dodge Durango that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might presume will cause the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be troubled by this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it may possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, specifically present on Dodge Durango’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.

How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Dodge Durango?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Dodge Durango . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your issue quickly. If your Dodge Durango smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our content on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Dodge Durango.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to change it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Dodge Durango, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    To find more tips on the Dodge Durango, take a look at the Dodge Durango category.