Coolant smell with heater on?

Brand new (less than 1,000 miles), and there's a light coolant (sweet, like maple?) smell whenever I have the HVAC set to heat. I don't smell coolant when I'm outside.

Is that normal, or is it likely what I'm finding on Google (heater core leak, etc)? Curious, before I bring it in to the dealership~

 

Sounds like a leaking heating core to me. Warranty time.

 

Congrats on the new runner! I noticed the same thing when I got mine in 2018. It went away shortly after I got mine in the later part of the year, so I too was using the heating while it was brand spanking new.

Enjoy your 4Runner.

 

Or a clamp on the heater core hoses not tight. Warranty time.

 

Has anyone figured out what causes this? I have a 2022 with 400 miles and noticed once it gets up to temp I smell coolant for about 1-2 minutes then goes away.

 

Make sure that yours hasn’t burped coolant. Sometimes they overfill at the factory and the heater core redistributes flow. But, yeah, that sounds like a leak.

 

Driving through New England in the fall, I ,often smell maple syrup too.!
Just joking, sounds like a heater core issue for sure. Get it checked. If you are Canadian, I;d say it's just some spilled drinks in your ride!
Mmm Maple

 

any updates on this?

 

Thanks for the nudge! As much as possible, I've been running with the windows cracked, heater on high, and highest fan setting. I wanted to see if I could dry any residual spillage and rule that out before taking it to the dealership. I think it worked, because I don't smell it as strongly anymore....that, or I've become noseblind to it...

 

Dude you know you spent a brass monkey ballz amount of cash on that Runner

Take

It

To

The

Dealer

 

Check for wet/dampness on the front of the passenger side floorboard.

 

I'm having the same problem windshield fogs up for about a minute or two then it clears up. No leaks under the heater box & no leak on the drain hose in the engine compartment. I have 10,100 miles on my 2021 TRD Off Road, not very happy about this now that winter is coming.