[zel]

My '05 Tacoma seems to have developed a problem. I diligently run fresh air through the system with the AC off a few blocks from home. I never get that musty odor (mildew). It hasn't been hot enough to have a reason to run the AC for a few months now here in the northeast. I've needed to run the defoster a few times. It's a surprise to me that, after not driving the truck for a week or so, I have an overwhelming smell of mold when I turn on the heat. I've encountered a mildew smell in newer cars. This odor I have goes well beyond that. A friend who's a foreman for a mold remediation company checked it out for me. From outside of the truck a few feet away he could smell it with the blower on! He said I have a serious problem. He felt that it was black mold. Possibly staby-something or another? He also suggested that the only way the mold could breed to that degree was if it had plenty of moisture. Trapped water maybe.

My rugs are bone dry. The truck still smells new inside. There's no hint of odor until the fan is turned on.

I contacted Toyota customer care. The rep took my info then put me on hold. When he came back on, he told me that Toyota corporate would handle this directly. That the regional technical rep would deal with my case personally. That I shouldn't contact my dealer. That I'd be contacted within 48 hours. I was wowed. What great service!

I wasn't contacted in 48 hours. More like 4 days. Whatever. Anyway, the case manager pretty much took back what the rep told me. She, very nicely, said that he shouldn't have told me that. That I'd have to get it to the dealer for evaluation and take it from there. She was aware that my mold remediation buddy said that I definitely shouldn't drive the vehicle. BTW, he regailed me with horror storys of mold and it's ill effects. But still, it was on me to get it to the dealer. Which means 40 miles towed.

It seems to me that this was something that someone at Toyota took very seriously at first. I wonder why? I also wonder why they backed off of that position. Clearly, this must be a warranty issue? The truck is spotless, never smoked in, and garage kept.

Is there a product that's avaliable that would kill the mold? What happens to the dead mold then? Might the ductwork need to be replaced?

Help? Anyone?

 

[Guest]

"zel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
>
> My '05 Tacoma seems to have developed a problem. I diligently run fresh
> air through the system with the AC off a few blocks from home. I never
> get that musty odor (mildew). It hasn't been hot enough to have a
> reason to run the AC for a few months now here in the northeast. I've
> needed to run the defoster a few times. It's a surprise to me that,
> after not driving the truck for a week or so, I have an overwhelming
> smell of mold when I turn on the heat. I've encountered a mildew smell
> in newer cars. This odor I have goes well beyond that. A friend who's a
> foreman for a mold remediation company checked it out for me. From
> outside of the truck a few feet away he could smell it with the blower
> on! He said I have a serious problem. He felt that it was black mold.
> Possibly staby-something or another? He also suggested that the only
> way the mold could breed to that degree was if it had plenty of
> moisture. Trapped water maybe.
>
> My rugs are bone dry. The truck still smells new inside. There's no
> hint of odor until the fan is turned on.
>
> I contacted Toyota customer care. The rep took my info then put me on
> hold. When he came back on, he told me that Toyota corporate would
> handle this directly. That the regional technical rep would deal with
> my case personally. That I shouldn't contact my dealer. That I'd be
> contacted within 48 hours. I was wowed. What great service!
>
> I wasn't contacted in 48 hours. More like 4 days. Whatever. Anyway,
> the case manager pretty much took back what the rep told me. She, very
> nicely, said that he shouldn't have told me that. That I'd have to get
> it to the dealer for evaluation and take it from there. She was aware
> that my mold remediation buddy said that I definitely shouldn't drive
> the vehicle. BTW, he regailed me with horror storys of mold and it's
> ill effects. But still, it was on me to get it to the dealer. Which
> means 40 miles towed.
>
> It seems to me that this was something that someone at Toyota took
> very seriously at first. I wonder why? I also wonder why they backed
> off of that position. Clearly, this must be a warranty issue? The truck
> is spotless, never smoked in, and garage kept.
>
> Is there a product that's avaliable that would kill the mold? What
> happens to the dead mold then? Might the ductwork need to be replaced?
>
> Help? Anyone?
>
>
> --
> zel

It seems like there are 3 parts to your question.

1) The procedure that the first customer relations analyst gave you was
incorrect. Toyota corporate employees never work on customers' cars without
the car being first taken in by a dealership and a repair order documenting
the repair generated by the dealership. Under normal circumstances, a
vehicle with a problem is repaired by the dealership, and if the dealership
technician runs into a problem, the tech has access to tech hot-lines, and
if the hot line engineer is unable to resolve the problem over the phone,
the case is turned over to a field technical specialist or to a field
product engineer. If the district service manager who is responsible for
the dealership happens to be technically inclined, the DSM can sometimes
provide technical assistance before the field technical specialist gets
involved. Bottom line, you have to get your car to a dealership.

2) What probably caused the mold buildup is moisture in the evaporator case.
The evaporator case has a drain that runs through the floor. Even if the
hose is routed properly, it sometimes gets clogged. From underneath, you
can try poking a stiff wire up through the hose to make sure there are no
obstructions. Mold will build up more quickly in the evaporator case if
you use the AC on recirculate more than on fresh. I recommend that you
leave the HVAC system in fresh mode except for the initial cool down or warm
up period to prevent a re-occurrence of the problem.

3) The repair involves some kind of treatment to kill the mold and flush the
system. A company called B-G sells products for professional use, and I
have seen very good results with their products.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

 

[zel]

"zel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
>
> My '05 Tacoma seems to have developed a problem. I diligently run fresh
> air through the system with the AC off a few blocks from home. I never
> get that musty odor (mildew). It hasn't been hot enough to have a
> reason to run the AC for a few months now here in the northeast. I've
> needed to run the defoster a few times. It's a surprise to me that,
> after not driving the truck for a week or so, I have an overwhelming
> smell of mold when I turn on the heat. I've encountered a mildew smell
> in newer cars. This odor I have goes well beyond that. A friend who's a
> foreman for a mold remediation company checked it out for me. From
> outside of the truck a few feet away he could smell it with the blower
> on! He said I have a serious problem. He felt that it was black mold.
> Possibly staby-something or another? He also suggested that the only
> way the mold could breed to that degree was if it had plenty of
> moisture. Trapped water maybe.
>
> My rugs are bone dry. The truck still smells new inside. There's no
> hint of odor until the fan is turned on.
>
> I contacted Toyota customer care. The rep took my info then put me on
> hold. When he came back on, he told me that Toyota corporate would
> handle this directly. That the regional technical rep would deal with
> my case personally. That I shouldn't contact my dealer. That I'd be
> contacted within 48 hours. I was wowed. What great service!
>
> I wasn't contacted in 48 hours. More like 4 days. Whatever. Anyway,
> the case manager pretty much took back what the rep told me. She, very
> nicely, said that he shouldn't have told me that. That I'd have to get
> it to the dealer for evaluation and take it from there. She was aware
> that my mold remediation buddy said that I definitely shouldn't drive
> the vehicle. BTW, he regailed me with horror storys of mold and it's
> ill effects. But still, it was on me to get it to the dealer. Which
> means 40 miles towed.
>
> It seems to me that this was something that someone at Toyota took
> very seriously at first. I wonder why? I also wonder why they backed
> off of that position. Clearly, this must be a warranty issue? The truck
> is spotless, never smoked in, and garage kept.
>
> Is there a product that's avaliable that would kill the mold? What
> happens to the dead mold then? Might the ductwork need to be replaced?
>
> Help? Anyone?
>
>
> --
> zel

It seems like there are 3 parts to your question.

1) The procedure that the first customer relations analyst gave you was
incorrect. Toyota corporate employees never work on customers' cars without
the car being first taken in by a dealership and a repair order documenting
the repair generated by the dealership. Under normal circumstances, a
vehicle with a problem is repaired by the dealership, and if the dealership
technician runs into a problem, the tech has access to tech hot-lines, and
if the hot line engineer is unable to resolve the problem over the phone,
the case is turned over to a field technical specialist or to a field
product engineer. If the district service manager who is responsible for
the dealership happens to be technically inclined, the DSM can sometimes
provide technical assistance before the field technical specialist gets
involved. Bottom line, you have to get your car to a dealership.

2) What probably caused the mold buildup is moisture in the evaporator case.
The evaporator case has a drain that runs through the floor. Even if the
hose is routed properly, it sometimes gets clogged. From underneath, you
can try poking a stiff wire up through the hose to make sure there are no
obstructions. Mold will build up more quickly in the evaporator case if
you use the AC on recirculate more than on fresh. I recommend that you
leave the HVAC system in fresh mode except for the initial cool down or warm
up period to prevent a re-occurrence of the problem.

3) The repair involves some kind of treatment to kill the mold and flush the
system. A company called B-G sells products for professional use, and I
have seen very good results with their products.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Thanks for your input, Ray.

The truck went in yesterday. I'll give Toyota credit for this one. They were attentive. The corporate case manager called me to let me know she'd be on vacaction until wednesday, and that she'd follow up with me then. The dealer did use the BG climate control treatment. Foam pumped in followed by a liquid. I picked it up 3 hours afterward. I was hopeful. Unfortunately, I had to turn off the blower a few miles away from the dealership. Yes there was a chemical odor which was to be expected, but it was mixed with the distinct odor of mold. As of today, the chemical odor is gone. The odor of mold remains. I'm assuming that the foam didn't reach all of the affected areas. Maybe the mold migrated beyond the evaporator case? Either way I feel stuck. The dealer's service manager told me that Toyota didn't want to treat the problem under warranty. The manager still didn't charge me and said she'd fight it out with Toyota. This leads me to believe that what might need to be done, removal and manual cleaning of all associated ductwork, may be refused by Toyota. Interestingly, my mold remediation buddy felt that manual cleaning would be the only way to properly deal with it when he looked at it last week. He felt the foam seals would not give up the mold. I guess he was right.

I've owned Toyotas for years (20) Because I'm an advocate of them, my mother, brother, sister, and girlfriend now own new Toyotas. My GFs Camry Hybrid is parked next to my truck in the same garage. I drive the Camry as much as she does. I'm unaware of any particular behaviour of mine, with regard to using re-circulate mode, that's any different from when I drive either vehicle.

Certainly, I feel this is a warranty issue. Am I wrong? The odor is relentless. It doesn't fade while the blower is on. The average person will recoil from such an odor when encountered. When it's blowing in your face, it's quite sickening.

If Toyota leaves me out in the cold, literally, I suppose I'll be left with the prospect of tearing the sytem down and cleaning it. It's painful to contemplate. I've done this in the past on an '86 that was previously owned by a smoker. It's a daunting task.

This is all quite bizarre.

 

[Guest]

"zel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
>
> Ray O Wrote:
>> "zel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]
>> >
>> > My '05 Tacoma seems to have developed a problem. I diligently run
>> fresh
>> > air through the system with the AC off a few blocks from home. I
>> never
>> > get that musty odor (mildew). It hasn't been hot enough to have a
>> > reason to run the AC for a few months now here in the northeast.
>> I've
>> > needed to run the defoster a few times. It's a surprise to me that,
>> > after not driving the truck for a week or so, I have an overwhelming
>> > smell of mold when I turn on the heat. I've encountered a mildew
>> smell
>> > in newer cars. This odor I have goes well beyond that. A friend who's
>> a
>> > foreman for a mold remediation company checked it out for me. From
>> > outside of the truck a few feet away he could smell it with the
>> blower
>> > on! He said I have a serious problem. He felt that it was black
>> mold.
>> > Possibly staby-something or another? He also suggested that the only
>> > way the mold could breed to that degree was if it had plenty of
>> > moisture. Trapped water maybe.
>> >
>> > My rugs are bone dry. The truck still smells new inside. There's no
>> > hint of odor until the fan is turned on.
>> >
>> > I contacted Toyota customer care. The rep took my info then put me
>> on
>> > hold. When he came back on, he told me that Toyota corporate would
>> > handle this directly. That the regional technical rep would deal
>> with
>> > my case personally. That I shouldn't contact my dealer. That I'd be
>> > contacted within 48 hours. I was wowed. What great service!
>> >
>> > I wasn't contacted in 48 hours. More like 4 days. Whatever. Anyway,
>> > the case manager pretty much took back what the rep told me. She,
>> very
>> > nicely, said that he shouldn't have told me that. That I'd have to
>> get
>> > it to the dealer for evaluation and take it from there. She was
>> aware
>> > that my mold remediation buddy said that I definitely shouldn't
>> drive
>> > the vehicle. BTW, he regailed me with horror storys of mold and it's
>> > ill effects. But still, it was on me to get it to the dealer. Which
>> > means 40 miles towed.
>> >
>> > It seems to me that this was something that someone at Toyota took
>> > very seriously at first. I wonder why? I also wonder why they backed
>> > off of that position. Clearly, this must be a warranty issue? The
>> truck
>> > is spotless, never smoked in, and garage kept.
>> >
>> > Is there a product that's avaliable that would kill the mold? What
>> > happens to the dead mold then? Might the ductwork need to be
>> replaced?
>> >
>> > Help? Anyone?
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > zel
>>
>> It seems like there are 3 parts to your question.
>>
>> 1) The procedure that the first customer relations analyst gave you
>> was
>> incorrect. Toyota corporate employees never work on customers' cars
>> without
>> the car being first taken in by a dealership and a repair order
>> documenting
>> the repair generated by the dealership. Under normal circumstances, a
>> vehicle with a problem is repaired by the dealership, and if the
>> dealership
>> technician runs into a problem, the tech has access to tech hot-lines,
>> and
>> if the hot line engineer is unable to resolve the problem over the
>> phone,
>> the case is turned over to a field technical specialist or to a field
>> product engineer. If the district service manager who is responsible
>> for
>> the dealership happens to be technically inclined, the DSM can
>> sometimes
>> provide technical assistance before the field technical specialist
>> gets
>> involved. Bottom line, you have to get your car to a dealership.
>>
>> 2) What probably caused the mold buildup is moisture in the evaporator
>> case.
>> The evaporator case has a drain that runs through the floor. Even if
>> the
>> hose is routed properly, it sometimes gets clogged. From underneath,
>> you
>> can try poking a stiff wire up through the hose to make sure there are
>> no
>> obstructions. Mold will build up more quickly in the evaporator case
>> if
>> you use the AC on recirculate more than on fresh. I recommend that
>> you
>> leave the HVAC system in fresh mode except for the initial cool down or
>> warm
>> up period to prevent a re-occurrence of the problem.
>>
>> 3) The repair involves some kind of treatment to kill the mold and
>> flush the
>> system. A company called B-G sells products for professional use, and
>> I
>> have seen very good results with their products.
>> --
>>
>> Ray O
>> (correct punctuation to reply)
>
> Thanks for your input Ray.
>
> The truck went in yesterday. I'll give Toyota credit for this one.
> They were attentive. The corporate case manager called me to let me
> know she'd be on vacaction until wednesday, and that she'd follow up
> with me then. The dealer did use the BG climate control treatment. Foam
> pumped in followed by a liquid. I picked it up 3 hours afterward. I was
> hopeful. Unfortunately, I had to turn off the blower a few miles away
> from the dealership. Yes there was a chemical odor which was to be
> expected, but it was mixed with the distinct odor of mold. As of today,
> the chemical odor is gone. The odor of mold remains. I'm assuming that
> the foam didn't reach all of the affected areas. Maybe the mold
> migrated beyond the evaporator case? Either way I feel stuck. The
> dealer's service manager told me that Toyota didn't want to treat the
> problem under warranty. The manager still didn't charge me and said
> she'd fight it out with Toyota. This leads me to believe that what
> might need to be done, removal and manual cleaning of all associated
> ductwork, may be refused by Toyota. Interestingly, my mold remediation
> buddy felt that manual cleaning would be the only way to properly deal
> with it when he looked at it last week. He felt the foam seals would
> not give up the mold. I guess he was right.
>
> I've owned Toyotas for years (20) Because I'm an advocate of them, my
> mother, brother, sister, and girlfriend now own new Toyotas. My GFs
> Camry Hybrid is parked next to my truck in the same garage. I drive the
> Camry as much as she does. I'm unaware of any particular behaviour of
> mine, with regard to using re-circulate mode, that's any different from
> when I drive either vehicle.
>
> Certainly, I feel this is a warranty issue. Am I wrong? The odor is
> relentless. It doesn't fade while the blower is on. The average person
> will recoil from such an odor when encountered. When it's blowing in
> your face, it's quite sickening.
>
> If Toyota leaves me out in the cold, literally, I suppose I'll be
> left with the prospect of tearing the sytem down and cleaning it. It's
> painful to contemplate. I've done this in the past on an '86 that was
> previously owned by a smoker. It's a daunting task.
>
> This is all quite bizarre.
>
>
> --
> zel
>
The Camry hybrid probably has automatic climate control that defaults to
fresh mode to prevent mold build-up.

If I were the district service manager responsible for the dealership where
you are taking your truck, I would say that cleaning the ductwork and
evaporator would be a warranty problem if a defect like a mis-routed
evaporator drain hose or problem with the fresh/recirculate damper caused
the problem, but the problem seems to have been caused by environmental
conditions, which would not necessarily be a warrantable defect in materials
or workmanship. If there is a problem with the damper control or damper
itself, the problem should be covered by warranty. I have not heard of a
widespread problem with mold odor in the Tacoma, which would have helped
your case be covered under warranty.

At this point, you can ask the dealership for a can of Frigi-Fresh, or you
can try Lysol disinfectant or a mix of water and bleach and spray into the
recirculation intake under the passenger side of the dashboard. Wear
goggles and watch your eyes when spraying the stuff to see if it makes the
odor go away. It may take several applications of spraying while
recirculating and the switching to fresh to make the smell go away, and in
the future, use fresh mode as much as possible to avoid the problem in the
future.

Good luck!

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)