# 2006 Toyota Prius burning electrical smell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 13, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284 "2016-05-13T15:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Juanita1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@Juanita1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Juanita1)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/1 "2016-05-13T15:38:44Z")
117,000 miles, 1 previous corporate car owner, 30 day warrant. Bought 1 week ago, odor of burnt electrical. Seems to be stronger in the back inside. I have emailed the dealer today and am waiting to hear back. Shall I be worried? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/2 "2016-05-13T15:43:35Z")
I would be worried about a burning smell. I would get it back to the dealer as soon as I could. ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/3 "2016-05-13T15:44:04Z")
I would call them this morning yet and make an appointment. Better now than waiting and having a car fire on the freeway during rush hour. It could be as simple as a brake hanging up, but you have a warranty, so I’d use it. Yosemite ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/4 "2016-05-13T19:17:00Z")
I’d be very worried. In the back is where the hybrid battery is, along with the 12V battery. Get it checked ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/5 "2016-05-13T20:40:23Z")
If you smelled an electrical burning smell in your house, would you email the fire department? Stop driving it. Park it outside, away from any buildings and call the dealer to come tow it to their shop. ---
**Author:** ![SteveCBT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevecbt/32/3192_2.png) [@SteveCBT](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveCBT)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/6 "2016-05-13T21:34:08Z")
Yes you should be worried. +1 to @TwinTurbo . Park the car away from your house and other cars. Do not drive it, have the dealer tow it. You should not have this type of odor in a car. @texases said the hybrid battery is in the back. This is high voltage, and you could get a toasty fire going very quickly if there is a problem. Unfortunately you may also be at the end of life on the hybrid batteries and on the hook for a replacement $$. Talk to your dealer to see what coverage you do have on the battery. Check out this link. > **[Life After Death: What Happens When Your Prius Battery Dies](http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1071391_life-after-death-what-happens-when-your-prius-battery-dies)** > > Believe it or not, the humble Toyota Prius has been on sale in the U.S. for 12 years. While many of these original 2000 Priuses are still giving their owners the same gas milage they did when new, traction battery packs inside early cars are reaching... ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/7 "2016-05-13T22:39:04Z")
**"If you smelled an electrical burning smell in your house, would you email the fire department? Stop driving it. Park it outside, away from any buildings and call the dealer to come tow it to their shop."** +1_!_ ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/8 "2016-05-13T22:47:55Z")
I agree with what the other posters have said. There was a terrible house fire in an affluent neighborhood in my community. The occupants were rescued from their 2nd story bedroom, but spent a week in the hospital. The house was a total loss and the fire started in the attached garage. One of the vehicles in the garage was a Toyota Prius. One possibility that is being investigated is that the fire may have started in the Prius–the investigation is still ongoing. My son’s inlaws had a bad fire with considerable damage to the house that was started by a fire which began under the hood of their car–a Lincoln Town Car. The car was parked outside the garage, but the fire jumped into the eaves of the house. The insurance company sued Ford motor company as it was determined that the fire was caused by the cruise control and its wiring. The fire started about midnight, long after the car had been shut down. The point is–don’t mess around if something electrical seems wrong in a car. A considerable amount of current can pass through a circuit without tripping a breaker or blowing a fuse and heat up the wiring. A dead short is much less a fire hazard as it trips the breaker or blows the fuse instantly. GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED IMMEDIATELY!! ---
**Author:** ![lenjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lenjack](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lenjack)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2006-toyota-prius-burning-electrical-smell/93284/9 "2016-05-14T22:21:01Z")
Most times, I refer folks to [http://priuschat.com/forum/gen-3-prius-main-forum.72/](http://priuschat.com/forum/gen-3-prius-main-forum.72/) for info, but here, I agree that you need instant dealer help, and do NOT drive this car until resolved. Please keep us updated. Good luck. 🙂