Plastic burning smell - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Mont-E · 07-04-2026, 05:39 PM

Hi all

I had the FR-S parked over the winter and now took it out.
When the air (no AC) is turned ON on any setting, there's a smell of burning plastic. The smell almost instantly fades away as soon as I turn the fan off.
I don't see any obvious burning in the engine bay but I did notice a stash of hay/small wood pieces indicating that a rodent was in.

How should I go about diagnosing the issue? I'll probably start with the cabin air filter as it's pretty straightforward. What other parts and areas should I be looking at?

Thank you
2015 Scion FR-S

Sapphireho · 07-04-2026, 09:38 PM

Start searching and digging until you find the nest. Hopefully they didn't do much wire and/or other damage. Could be easy and cheap, or could be expensive. Did you test all systems, lights, switches etc.? Does everything work?

Good luck.

Mont-E · 07-05-2026, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Start searching and digging until you find the nest. Hopefully they didn't do much wire and/or other damage. Could be easy and cheap, or could be expensive. Did you test all systems, lights, switches etc.? Does everything work?

Good luck.

Yes, everything seems to be working as before. Lights, audio etc

blsfrs · 07-06-2026, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mont-E

Yes, everything seems to be working as before. Lights, audio etc

Does the fan work?

07-04-2026, 05:39 PM	#1
Mont-E Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Drives: Scion FR-S Location: Canada Posts: 19 Thanks: 10 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s)	Plastic burning smell Hi all I had the FR-S parked over the winter and now took it out. When the air (no AC) is turned ON on any setting, there's a smell of burning plastic. The smell almost instantly fades away as soon as I turn the fan off. I don't see any obvious burning in the engine bay but I did notice a stash of hay/small wood pieces indicating that a rodent was in. How should I go about diagnosing the issue? I'll probably start with the cabin air filter as it's pretty straightforward. What other parts and areas should I be looking at? Thank you 2015 Scion FR-S

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07-04-2026, 09:38 PM	#2
Sapphireho Famous Potatoes Join Date: Mar 2016 Drives: '15 ultramarine Location: Idaho Posts: 14,097 Thanks: 5,833 Thanked 19,732 Times in 9,284 Posts Mentioned: 163 Post(s)	Start searching and digging until you find the nest. Hopefully they didn't do much wire and/or other damage. Could be easy and cheap, or could be expensive. Did you test all systems, lights, switches etc.? Does everything work? Good luck.

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