Odd smell/burning? From front drivers side tire

[Newspaperman]

Hey everyone. I own a 2006 vibe. There is an odd smell coming from the drivers side front tire area. I'm not sure if it's tire wear or something else burning in that area. Just noticed it yesterday on a 240 mile trip. The car was driving fine-no noticeable problems. Any clue what it might be? I did not notice a smell under the hood, just in this isolated area. It would permeate into the car as we were driving, but i I thought it was another vehicle on the road. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[ColonelPanic]

Take it for a drive and feel each wheel to see if the temperatures are about the same or if one is considerably hotter. If your driver's side front wheel is warmer than the others, you may have a caliper that has seized. Barring any fluid leaks, that's about all I can think of that would cause a smell.

Just had the caliper seize on our Vibe, same wheel. After a few minutes of low speed driving, there was a stench of overheated brake pad material and when checking the wheels the driver's side was too hot to touch. We opted for a complete redo of the front brakes - calipers, pads, rotors, replaced the brake hose on the overheated side and flushed the fluid.

[Newspaperman]

Yep. Definitely hotter on that side. How hard is to replace? I'm still 250 miles from home-hope to make it back!

[Chiadog]

You can usually relieve a sticking pad by raising the car, removing the wheel and rocking the caliper back and forth on the rotor without removing anything. replace the wheel and see if it turns freely - it should. This will last at least until you use the front brakes again.