Hyundai Repair: 2004 2.7 V6 AWD Santa Fe GLS, strong odor, transmission leaks, oil drip

Question
Have a 04 Santa Fe with 60k miles that has a strong burning rubber smell coming from under the hood after driving for more than 15 minutes.  Smell seems to be coming either from behind engine, or from the passenger side of the compartment.  I also have a new oil drip (previously there were no spots on the garage floor) that is dripping off of the car near where the driveshaft hooks into the transaxle.  The oil drip seems unrelated to the smell as the smell has been around for about a year (no noticeable change in performance).  Any idea what could be causing the smell?  Also, are oil leaks in the transaxle area common?

Thanks  

Answer
The oil leak is the first thing to address here.  If it's leaking from the right side of the transfer case-- the right axle hooks into the transfer case, not the transmission-- it'd be plausible that's the cause of your odor as well.  The exhaust runs underneath the right side of the transfer case.  In fact, I suspect that's what's occurring.  Most likely, the leakage was small enough previously that it burned off the exhaust prior to dripping onto the ground.

Transmission leaks are rare, but Santa Fes in 2003 and 2004 seemed to have a high incidence of leakage from the transfer case.  If you're the original owner, I'd recommend taking the vehicle to the dealer for warranty service.