What does it mean if my front right tire and hubcap are hot and it smells like burning rubber? I just had the tires rotated today and they suggested it might be an issue with the brake caliper, but didn’t see anything. They also thought the smell was more “sweet,” like antifreeze, but I totally disagree.
It is usually stuck calipers. Is your gas mileage off? Does the car role as easily as before? You can jack the car up and see if the tire rotates freely or it is stuck.
Okay, thanks. That’s what they said when they rotated my tires, but when they looked it sounded like they didn’t find anything wrong with the calipers. Is there anything else that could cause this?
Take it elsewhere. You have a dragging brake, a sticky caliper. Determining if a caliper is sticking requires removal of the caliper from over the disc and actually (a) checking the pads for uneven wear and (b) checking the aliper for sticking.
The shop that did your rotation, were they a tire shop exclusively?
It could also be a bad wheel bearing. The burning rubber smell can be coming from the tire, a rubber seal, a CV boot, a brake flex line, etc. With the wheel getting that hot, anything under there can be subject to catching fire. Take it straight to a mechanic and have it properly evaluated.
Busted knuckles is right, I have seen a bad wheel bearing cut the axle in two before, not on my car, but you cant afford to fool around with this. this is a dangerous situation, and you need to find out what it is.