burning plastic smell?

So I've searched this and while I did find a couple of threads, I didn't come up with anything really definitive... I have a new 2019 Tacoma 2.7L Auto with around 750 miles on it. I just hauled a pretty full load of logs home from a friend's house. The truck was squatting really badly, and I imagine I was at, if not over, the payload for the truck (I didn't realize how bad it was squatting until I got home). Anyways, It was a short and relatively easy trip home of about 10 miles and when I got home I could smell a faint burning plastic smell. I immediately popped the hood and didn't smell it under there and when I went under the truck I didn't see any fluids anywhere. Was this just the brakes getting hot? Should I be concerned? It's my first new truck and I just want it to last a very long time. Thanks in advance.

 

Dragging a mud flap or tire rubbing up in the well?

 

Thanks for the response, but it wasn't rubbing. I've had rubbing in other trucks and this wasn't rubbing. The mud flaps look fine too and I'm sure weren't rubbing.

 

something might of hit the exhaust

 

^^^^^^^

 

Drive it a few miles without a load. See if the smell goes away. Probably nothing to worry about.

 

I did... I went back for another load and didn't smell it. I did just order a scanner to read trans temp so I can monitor it better.

 

My guess is brakes. Your stock brakes on the 4 banger probably weren't designed for the 1,000+ lbs that wood may have weighed, especially if you were in stop and go traffic or in the mountains. I have a V6 with manual trans and use my engine rpm to help me not burn the brakes when I haul oak rounds.

 

Also a chance a plastic bag or something flipped up off the road and instantly welded to a hot exhaust system. Burns off pretty quick but you would swear something is wrong with your truck

 

Exhaust looks clean so I don't think so, plus the smell was a bit faint and not super strong.

This is what I'm hoping, but I swear I didn't use my breaks all that much. In any event I don't think it's something that is cause for concern as I took the truck out again and didn't replicate it and is under warranty. I will have peace of mind knowing the trans temp though for future hauling.

 

There’s a difference between burning brakes and melting plastic. Same with burnt clutch and burnt electrical

 

I'm sure there is, but to someone that doesn't know what each of those smells like, it was a general smell of burning/melting plastic.... have any advice or suggestions?

 

Post number 4 ....

 

lol didn't realize it was the same person

 

I think it is still getting broken in, 750 miles isn't much at all maybe this was the first time it got real heat in it.

 

my guess is the extra load got the truck warm enough to heat some of the plastics and metals near your powertrain causing the burnt smell. I have smelled similar odors when driving trucks hard at work.

 

that happened to me years ago, welded to the CAT.