What’s Wrong With My Car? 

An unusual smell can be an early warning sign of a fluid leak, overheating component, brake problem, electrical issue, or emissions concern.

The smell, its location, and when it occurs can offer useful diagnostic clues. A burning odor may occur after braking, during acceleration, after turning on the AC, or near the engine bay. A sweet smell may suggest a cooling-system concern. A sulfur-like smell may be associated with an emissions, fuel, ignition, battery, or catalytic-converter issue.

Use the appropriate resource below for symptom-specific guidance:

• Burning Smell From Car
• Sweet Smell From Engine
• Rotten Egg Smell

Do not continue driving if you smell strong burning, see smoke, notice a fuel odor, experience overheating, or have a warning light combined with poor vehicle performance.

Is Your Car Losing Power or Not Accelerating?

Loss of acceleration can involve the engine, transmission, fuel system, exhaust, brakes, drivetrain, or electronic controls. You may notice that the engine revs without expected speed, the vehicle hesitates when you press the accelerator, power drops while climbing a hill, or the car enters reduced-power mode.

Use this resource to explore likely causes and recommended next steps:

• Car Won’t Accelerate

Do not continue driving if your vehicle cannot accelerate safely in traffic, the check engine light is flashing, the engine is shaking severely, there is smoke or a burning smell, or the vehicle has an overheating or oil-pressure warning.

Is a Warning Light On?

A dashboard warning light may appear before you notice a physical symptom. The light can be a reminder that maintenance is due, but it can also indicate a problem involving the engine, charging system, brakes, tires, transmission, cooling system, emissions system, or another monitored component.

Choose the warning-light resource that best fits your situation:

• Check engine light: Visit the Check Engine Light Learning Center.
• Flashing vs. solid check engine light: Read Flashing vs. Solid Check Engine Light.
• Battery or charging warning: Visit the Battery & Electrical Learning Center.
• Other dashboard warnings: Visit the Vehicle Diagnostics Guide.

A flashing check engine light, red oil-pressure warning, overheating warning, red brake warning, or battery warning paired with fading lights or stalling should be treated as urgent. Freehome Service Center provides diagnostic testing for check engine lights, battery and charging-system warnings, electrical faults, engine performance concerns, and transmission-related warning lights.