Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Date Published
JAN 09, 2019
NHTSA TSB #
10153311
TSB Document
Summary
On some vehicles, a sulfur smell or 'rotten egg' odor may be noticed coming from the exhaust system. The odor is usually noticed after a cold start, fast idle, extended periods of idling and full throttle acceleration. Sulfur smell is not an indication of an engine concern and will not cause reduced driveability or durability of the engine or any of its emission components. The sulfur smell or 'rotten egg' odor is caused by high amounts of sulfur in the gasoline being used in the vehicle. Sulfur is normally eliminated during the refining process, but the EPA regulation of sulfur in gasoline differs from state to state. Vehicles using fuel containing high amounts of sulfur will most likely emit sulfur smell from the exhaust system.When high sulfur fuel is burned, there is a chemical reaction in the catalytic converter causing the sulfur tooxidize. As the vehicle is driven, the oxidizing reaction odor in the converter will decrease with mileage and age.