2024 GWM Haval H6 Pricing and Specs

It sounds as though the material the dashboard structure or skin is made from has started to collapse or degrade in some other way. If the structure beneath the vinyl skin of the dashboard fails, you could conceivably wind up with a mis-shapen dash.

While that might sound trivial, it’s important that this gets fixed as this part of the dashboard houses the airbag. And if the opening for the airbag is not the right shape or is compromised somehow, it could affect the correct deployment of the airbag in a crash. And the consequences of that aren’t hard to imagine.

The best advice here is to disconnect the battery and contact the dealership. Any time there’s odd electrical behaviour combined with a burning smell, there’s a decent chance you have an electrical short-circuit on your hands. And that can easily lead to a fire that could destroy the car and anything near it.

By disconnecting the battery, you’re removing the power source that is making something hot enough to produce the burning smell. The constant beeping, meanwhile could be a symptom of the same thing as the shorted or damaged wiring allows the warning beeper to continue blaring away even though the ignition is turned off.

Although it’s an inconvenience to lose your car for any length of time, it might be the only way the service team can diagnose the problem and attempt a fix. We like to remind each other that car makers have obligations under consumer law, but it also pays to remember that, as the consumer, you also need to give the manufacturer the opportunity to put things right if it can.

The best solution would be for the dealer to provide a courtesy car while yours is in dry dock.