Bad Odor from A/C
Asked by newtotoyota1 May 28, 2015 at 09:37 AM about the 2014 Toyota Camry SE
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I have a 2014 Toyota Camry, purchased it brand new last year and I noticed a bad smelling odor at about 6k miles. Took it to the dealer and was told that they suggest I change my filter the charcoal one for $150. I told them to hold off on that because it just didn't seem right that the a/c would start to smell that fast on a new car. I've had plenty of used cars with high mileage and never experienced this. After doing a lot of research I realized that this is a big problem for many newer car owners. What in the world can I do about this? I replaced the filter myself, leave my vents on outside/fresh mode, and even tried spraying the intake valve. My noise burns so bad by the time I reach my destination that I'm scared it's going to affecting my health. HELP, someone please!
14 Answers
Same issue. It's epidemic with the vehicle and not a new issue. See link... http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/53133-toyota-hit-with-class-action-over-moldy-smell-in-camry-ac-system/ Plus, our Toyota dealer said DO NOT USE LYSOL or they'll not be responsible.
I tried using Meguiar's Air Freshener, New Car, Multicolor Meguiar's Air Freshener, This works really well. just follow directions. Let A/C run with recirculation on. Press button on air freshener and run for 15 minutes.
I sold off my other Honda , which never gave me any problem. Toyota on the other hand is full of problems. First they had a sticky dashboard. They kept denying it till they received a court order after a class action lawsuit to fix it. And glad my camrys dashboard is fixed. And now there is this another problem to tackle. Nasty smell on turning on the car ac/heater. Doesn't matter if its AC or heater , whether you spray lysol or something else,change the cabin air filter etc. The smell just comes back. There is another problem with my 07 camry, strong vibrating noise from hood which goes away after driving around for sometime. My friend had the same problem so its not an isolated case. I considered toyota and honda to be reliable , but I guess I will remove Toyota off that list.
2015 Toyota camry bought new and within 2 weeks, horrible smell!! Carried back to dealership, was advised I could pay to have air ducts cleaned. Could take up to one or more times at $129. + at my own expense!!!! Something has to be done about this!!! It has been hot in Georgia and a must for air. But the smell is unbearable!!!! And my daughter is Alpha-1, and this is causing serious issues with her!
2016 Toyota with gross odor only 30,000 miles looking here on how to resolve it!
newtotoyota1 answered 7 years ago
Yes, and it didn't help. Tried the heater with the windows down as well. It only helped a little while it was on. Not an option for summer time though.
1/23/18 I have a 2014 Toyota Camry SE, and after riding it for about 9 month, I began to smell a bad odor coming from my air /heat vent what can I do? I drive for Uber , and this my only income .
The only thing to do is clean it and turn off ac 2 or more minutes before you turn the car off, to prevent moisture and mold buildup. Nothing else will help.
You will need to clean your evaporator by the condensation drain and make sure when your done driving to turn off the a/c and recirculation is disabled. Luckly your camry has a memory that can engange recirculation when its pretty hot outside and disable it when you turn off the a/c. Furthermore, I attempted to clean my 2014.5 camry evaporator and now the air is so cold with no smell and im enjoying my camry a/c.
I have an unbearable odor inside the car that I can’t seem to get rid of. I, yesterday had my vehicle shampoo and the smell is still there. My car is a 2014.5 Toyota Camry with 95,000 miles on it.
Sarahisasking answered 5 years ago
Has anyone tried this youtube link? I have the same problem with my Toyota auris 40.000km, it smells like a mixture of smelly feet and wet dog. but only when I turn off my a/c. I sprayed a really good product that I got at the garage in the vents and changed the pollen filter. Something tells me that I have to get deeper to the source. Has anyone found a solution? Thanks!
Horrible smell made me sick. Kept looking for the issue in 2016 Camry and found mold growing under my passenger front seat. Took it in and the wire underneath the front passenger seat was stuck and was leaking water under the rug. Mold everywhere under the rug. Took it in 3 times for them to fix the issue and the final time- the smell was finally Gone. Now, it’s back. Will be taking it back in this week!
i have a recently purchased 2015 toyota highlander with 53,000 miles on it. Bad smell in interior that seems worse when heat/blower is on. we have the heated seats too, but not sure where this smell is coming from. Help!!!
