My Ford Escort (1995; 106,000 mi.) functions wonderfully. But yesterday it spewed several feed of black, hair-like fiber from the exhaust pipe. When pulled, a total of 10+ feet emerged.
The fibers don’t smell, and shrivel rather than ignite if exposed to a flame. Exactly the same thing happened about a year ago. The car is stored in a private, locked garage; this is no prank. But it is alarming.
This could be a faulty muffler.
No need for panic. Your mystery hair is merely fiberglass insulation that is built into the muffler for sound deadening purposes. Clearly there is some internal corrosion or damage to the muffler. It is no longer able to retain the fiberglass insulation.
The solution is obvious: Replace the muffler. This is not an urgent issue.