A burning smell is rarely a good sign, especially when it’s coming from your vehicle. The smell could indicate a few things. On the lighter end, it could indicate a problem with your vehicle’s air conditioning or a slightly more serious issue like a problem with the fan belt or overheating brakes. Then there are serious problems. If faulty wiring is causing the burning smell, your car may combust. If burning engine oil is the cause of the smell, your engine may have some major issues. Your transmission could also be the culprit. If the burning smell is coming from your transmission, it’s likely caused by an overheating problem.
When a gearbox overheats, it can burn the transmission fluid within it. That fluid is there to keep what is essentially a box full of rapidly moving parts well-lubricated. It can’t do that if it’s boiling and burning. Running an unlubricated, or poorly lubricated, transmission is a guaranteed way to destroy it very quickly. Avoid driving your car until the problem is solved, and harbor some hope that no real damage has been done so far. You may get lucky, and it could be an easy fix, but attempting to use your vehicle when the transmission is overheating will just lead to more severe, and expensive, problems.
