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Musky moldy odor from A/C

157K views 357 replies 124 participants last post by  chunt5 
#1 ·
Whenever I start my car in the morning or when leaving from work, my A/C has a strong musty, moldy odor. It slowly dissipates as I drive (and switch to non recirculate). Anyone else have this issue? I haven't had the car but 4 months, but the odor is getting worse and worse....

I live in South Florida where the humidity is high, but never expected this!
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
when you close to your destination, or before you turn your car off, switch to outside air, turn fan to higher speed and let it run for 2-3 min. let you evaporator to dry out a bit, it will keep bacteria from growing and sticking inside of you evaporator.
 
#7 · (Edited)
You may have enough dirt and debris in the AC evaporator coil drainage pan to have caused the condensate drain to plug fully or partially. If that is the case, organics like pollen which has fungi growing in it will not drain fully. I suggest having the dealer check the AC condensate drain for you to make certain it is not partially or fully plugged. I had this kind of problem with my Mitsubishi Galant a few years back. I killed the odor by running the ventilation system, pulling in fresh air with the heater on fully, spraying Lysol aerosol into the fresh air intake outside the car, just below the windshield.
 
#8 ·
^ +1

If the drain hose is blocked then water can accumulate in the evaporator housing and allow mold to grow. If the car is still under warranty have the dealer check it. What year is the car?

Toyota had problems since Gen 5 IIRC with AC foul smell. They changed the evaporator I think with a fungicide coating and replaced them for customers who complained. But 2010 were still getting complaints. There were technical service bulletins on this problem. Here is another one on a 2011:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...1/406638-brand-new-2011-camry-se-ac-odor.html
 
#9 ·
Musty moldy smell in toyota camry 2010

I have a terrible oder in my camry coming from the air conditioner and the vents. It is definitely mold smelling. I live in San Diego and have brought it into the dealer 3 times without them resolving the issue, Two of the times the dealership employees smelled it clearly. They changed the filter and the 2nd time sprayed something. The smell came back. Who else is going through this? Debbie
 
#120 ·
I have a terrible oder in my camry coming from the air conditioner and the vents. It is definitely mold smelling. I live in San Diego and have brought it into the dealer 3 times without them resolving the issue, Two of the times the dealership employees smelled it clearly. They changed the filter and the 2nd time sprayed something. The smell came back. Who else is going through this? Debbie
You need to report it to Toyota and if the car is only a year old then your state might have the lemon law.
 
#11 ·
I have a terrible oder in my camry coming from the air conditioner and the vents. It is definitely mold smelling. I live in San Diego and have brought it into the dealer 3 times without them resolving the issue, Two of the times the dealership employees smelled it clearly. They changed the filter and the 2nd time sprayed something. The smell came back. Who else is going through this? Debbie
not sure how it could happened so quick on new vehicle, but looks like you do have mold growing on your evaporator.
I cleaned evaporator before and results were good.
keep bugging your dealer, they sure know what to do.
 
#12 · (Edited)
i also have the foul smell after using the AC. i generally run the fan without AC with re-circulation all the time (since its smoggy here). but when i have the AC on, i'd have to run it without re-circulation and flush out the smell before it gets nasty as mentioned above.

btw, this is on a new month old car where i've only used the AC maybe twice. this seems to be common amongst a lot of toyota's (my buddy's corolla does this same exact thing and happens on my parents older camry as well).

EDIT: i have the 2012 camry SE I4.
 
#13 ·
i also have the foul smell after using the AC. i generally run the fan without AC with re-circulation all the time (since its smoggy here). but when i have the AC on, i'd have to run it without re-circulation and flush out the smell before it gets nasty as mentioned above.

btw, this is on a new month old car where i've only used the AC maybe twice. this seems to be common amongst a lot of toyota's (my buddy's corolla does this same exact thing and happens on my parents older camry as well).
Happens with Hondas, old and new, as well.
 
#20 ·
or you can get this:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/CF10285-Fresh-Breeze-Cabin-Filter/dp/B001CEG90I/ref=au_pf_pfg_s?ie=UTF8&Make=Toyota%7C76&Model=Camry%7C1011&Year=2012%7C2012&carId=001&n=15684181&newCar=1&s=automotive&vehicleType=automotive[/ame]

 
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#22 ·
HELP! My car smells like mold in the morning...

I REALLY wish I read this forum prior to purchasing my 2012 Camry. My car STINKS every morning when I get inside. The stinch is coming from my vents and I fear that the odor is a hazard to my health. I took my car to the dealership and of course they said they didn't smell anything and that nothing was wrong. This is the "nicest" car that I have ever purchased, but I have never experienced anything like this before.

Can I insist that the dealership repairs the underlying problem with my air conditioner? Is this issue covered under the Toyota Care warranty?

I never thought that I'd fall out of love with this car so quickly :-(
 
#24 ·
I REALLY wish I read this forum prior to purchasing my 2012 Camry. My car STINKS every morning when I get inside. The stinch is coming from my vents and I fear that the odor is a hazard to my health. I took my car to the dealership and of course they said they didn't smell anything and that nothing was wrong. This is the "nicest" car that I have ever purchased, but I have never experienced anything like this before.

Can I insist that the dealership repairs the underlying problem with my air conditioner? Is this issue covered under the Toyota Care warranty?

I never thought that I'd fall out of love with this car so quickly :-(
Have you tried changing the cabin air filter as recommended in this thread 2 reply's above yours?
 
#23 · (Edited)
I've got the same stinky a/c problem. ~8k miles I4 SE. I rarely use recirc, but have used a/c frequently during this hot, but not particularly humid, Midwest summer. Dealer will do an a/c refresh, but claims they will charge as they assert it isn't covered under warranty. Lame. I have an appointment scheduled in a few days and will report back. I haven't decided whether I'll try to (1) convince dealer to fix for free, (2) fix it on my own with an aerosol anti-mold cleaner, or (3) have an independent repair shop do the work. My greatest concern is that any "fix" or clean will be temporary--this better not be a recurring problem/defect!

Update 1: Forgot to mention, I already changed the cabin air filter to no avail. The smell was still there. Filter was dirty, but not more than standard.
 
#25 ·
had the same issue w/ my previous 2010 corolla..they have to clean out the ac evap system. Usuallly the cause of that is pollution and dirt inside the vents and mole can devolop. cost about 200 bucks at the toyota dealer, and smell went away. it usually starts happening at 15k but 3k is weird. get it checked out.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I just bought the new air filters listed above for my Camry with 400 Miles on it, I am trying to get ahead of the problem. But, My 2006 GMC CC PU has the same issue. I researched it and has been stated it is due to water collecting in the coil and growing mildew. I sprayed and sprayed cans of Lysol though it and it would help temporarlily but what has helped the most has also been stated. Shut off the A/C about a mile or so from your destination and let the air blow while in the fresh mode. It takes a while to clear up but it does eventually go away.

XB 2002
 
#27 ·
I just bought the new air filters listed above for my Camry with 400 Miles on it, I am trying to get ahead of the problem. But, My 2006 GMC CC PU has the same issue. I researched it and has been stated it is due to water collecting in the coil and growing mildew. I sprayed and sprayed cans of Lysol though it and it would help temporarlily but what has helped the most has also been stated. Shut off the A/C about a mile or so from your destination and let the air blow while in the fresh mode. It takes a while to clear up but it does eventually go away.

XB 2002
On all my cars I run the air conditioner when the engine is runnig and have never had an odor. On my Auto HVAC systems the computer decides if it recirculates or uses fresh air.
 
#30 ·
My Camry SE 2012 is under 500miles and less than a month old and started doing this. I have done the suggestion to put fan on high and turn A/C off for a few mins before reaching your destination and it seems to really help. I think by keeping the moisture out of HVAC it prevents mold growth and hence the stink. Really surprised others cars I have owned in the past, never had this problem, sucks that to get good quality engines Toyota has compromised with all these (I think they should have made the HVAC system with antimicrobial substance). Just to be also preventative, I might get new cabin airfilter, does anyone know what is the best cabin air filters?
 
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