Prius (2010-12) :: 2015 - Wet Sock Smell From AC System?
Jun 17, 2015
Since I've purchased my car starting at 47 miles on it, I'm now under 5,500 miles (I don't drive that much)- We've got a problem... I've been noticing that weird funk smell that everybody back in 2010-2011 were talking about in an old thread here (moldy/mildew/wet smell coming from a/c), but guess what? It's 2015, so it's time for an update on the newest Prius models and see what's going on and what are people doing differently these days and so forth.
I was due for another factory warranty maintenance checkup, so I took my car in 2 days ago for the workup. I've mentioned to the shop guys about the funky smell and the guy told me, "it's a problem that several toyota models ranging from 2014-2015 are having and Toyota can't figure out the problem." Basically, he told me to just deal with it and stop whining over it. It's a new car and I don't know about you, but I've gotten sick from mold exposure before so no, I don't want to experience that again.
At first, I thought my filter was just down right nasty from all the pollen and air pollution, but I was wrong after the Toyota guy took the filters out and showed me how clean they were. (I even sniffed the filters to make sure they didn't stink!) ... The goal is to touch base on this issue today and update what's going on. This is still a problem, it's in the 2015 Prius models obviously.
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Can't figure out any known issue regarding water leakage that may be causing this musty smell in a Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon). It seems to have started after some heavy rains a few weeks ago. Clogged air conditional drip?
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Two weeks ago a large, industrial truck dropped a piece of bent steel pipe on the interstate in front of my 2010, 50k miles, Prius and (sadly) I was forced to hit or swerve into rush hour traffic and cause an accident. It tore up a good part of the cooling system and did some body damage. Of course I didn't know this at the time, but it began to overheat, so I pulled off the freeway and had it towed to a body shop. After about ten days, I got my Prius back.
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Loving my '15 Persona! Since the Prius doesn't have a gas warning when it gets low.....what is the recommended time to fill up? When it gets down to 1-2 bars?
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Last week I bought a 2012 with 35,000 miles. It has leather interior that was not factory installed. I noticed a smell when I first picked the car up and asked if the air filter had been changed and it had. It took me a day or two to realize the smell was like a new tire. Sometimes it is stronger than others but, it can actually give me a strange taste in my mouth. I went back to the dealership on a cooler day and they did not think it was anything. Driving home tonight it was terrible.
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I just purchased a new Prius a couple days ago. When is the first scheduled maintenance interval? My dealership told me 10,000 miles for the first oil change? I've always been under the impression that you need to do the first service as soon as possible with a brand new vehicle? To rid the oil off metal shavings and break-in oil.
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I would like to install a Homelink mirror with compass on my wife's 2015 3, but a search on here is not coming up with much info on this install on the newer vehicles. It does seem like I found a post where the mirror that was purchased would not work for some reason. I did one on our 2011 (purchased new in 2011) when we bought it and I was able to find enough info to feel comfortable buying a mirror on E-bay and being sure it would work. Anyway, I guess I would like to know if the mount on the windshield is still the standard wedge mount and if there is anything else I need to know/watch for.
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This has happened before but at a slower speed. Today I pulled out onto the main road and car accelerated leisurely as usual. It was strangely quieter than normal though... I look at the speedo and I'm already past 15 mph and nothing. Just electric acceleration. I press the gas harder and now I'm into the PWR range (almost to the very end but not quite) and the car just continues to build speed but no ICE kick on as usual. at around 43 mph I get concerned and floor it all the way to see if the engine would kick on and finally the gas engine kicks on. It's as if the electronics of the car fell asleep. The acceleration felt labored as only the electric motor was providing power and I'm sure it's not good for the battery to put that much strain on it at those speeds. For those interested, I was in normal mode. Not EV, not ECO, not PWR. I stopped at the light then pulled off and the car took off and ice kicked on as normal (7-8 mph). The car behaved normally for the rest of my drive.
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Brand new 2015 Pruis two.... Still on 1st tank of gas. Can't get it to glide for more than a second or two generally. I'm experienced at the technique from owning a 2006. Could regularly get 50-60 mpg in that car. New 2015 won't let me glide. Today I had a minor breakthrough when it let me glide for 9 whole seconds! Mostly it bounces me between "charging" and "EV" without giving me a true glide. 1st tank is set to deliver a lackluster 39mpg.
I'm not too worried about that yet because I've spend some time sitting the car (with air) learning all the controls that have changed since 2006. Couple of things I'll try next: I have not driven too much in ECO mode yet... mostly just regular mode. Normal commute 24mi round trip mostly highway. I'll check the tires next trip and the parking brake when I run an errand in a minute. Also whether maybe there was a current software upgrade that's suppressing this?
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Had this 2015 Prius 4 four a couple months. Today, all of the interior lights, (the two in the front, plus the dome light) are all staying on. The switch in the back is in the middle. Messed with it. Didn't work.They are staying on, after locking doors and significant time lapse. Is there a switch or button that would do this?
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My 2015 prius series 5 ride is really harsh when gong over bumps! 17 OEM wheels w Toyo tires set at 33 frt/32 rear, Trd springs frt/rear, trd rear sway Cusco frt sway bar, front power brace and center brace! Should go back to stock springs? Or invest in set of soft coil overs ? I like the lowered look too!
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I think that the EV indicator works very strangely on my 2015 Prius. Consider this: I'm driving downhill at 40mph and the EV indicator is on. As my speed increases (coasting the whole way - using neither the accelerator nor the breaks) and crosses 46mph, the EV indicator goes out. Why? I saw somewhere in the forums that 47mph is too fast for the motor-generator, and so it switches off --- but my real-time mpg indicator still shows 100mpg, which wouldn't seem to be the case if the Internal Combustion Engine has just kicked in. Why the EV indicator goes out? Should I even care?
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I’ve been having this awful mold smell coming from my 3rd gen during the first few minutes of AC use in the warmer weather months when I generally use AC more often. This mold smell rarely happened in the winter since I usually only use heat without AC and the air circulation is usually set to “outside” instead of re-circulate.
So I’ve read somewhere to simply not use the default recirculate setting when operating the AC to avoid the mold smell, and if using the re-circulate – to only use it to initially cool down the car then switch to outside circulation.
Some also state while the AC is on outside air circulation to turn off the AC a couple of minutes before arriving to your destination while keeping the fan on, but mainly I see that simply using the outside air circulation resolves my odor issue.
Keep in mind, that the default setting for AC while cooling down the vehicle is to re-circulate when using the “auto” mode – so you’ll have to be cognitive about switching it to outside air each time.
This method works like a charm for me. It has been driving me nuts for two seasons. Since following the above, I’ve not had that stinky mold/wet sock/hamper smell coming from my vents.
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The only disappointment with the 2010 prius is the terrible chem smell inside the car,, after six months it hasn't changed... in fact it is B.S. and doesn't seem healthy even running with outside air.
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In my 2010, when I use the A/C, the air comes out cool and dry. When I turn the A/C off, and just run the vent, I notice a few things.
1) The air warms up (duh!)
2) The air is more humid (duh!)
3) The air has a mustier, stale smell to it.
When I just run the vent (and don't run A/C prior) I don't notice the odor, but if I then run the A/C for a bit and then run the vent, the musty/stale smell returns.
I've noticed it and tend to ignore it. My wife noticed it and pointed it out to me, and it prevents me from cycling the A/C off as the odor fills the cabin.
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I did read the most recent thread on this, and while those lessons would be good if I was out of warranty, I'm about to go in for the 5k service after 2 months on the road.
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I have a strange (musky) smell coming from my air vents when i turn on the air. I was told by the dealer that this could be mold growing inside the vents because I use the AC a lot. Is there any cure for this besides going to the dealer? they told me that they can partial get rid of this by spraying a chemical into the vent but they cannot guarantee that it will work.
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Noticed a burning smell while driving in 2010 prius?
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2015 prius solar roof does it drain the battery when the sun is not out and the cooling fan is running, not AC?
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I just bought a used 2012 Toyota Prius iTech from a country town 3 hours away. About an hour into the drive home, the display informed me to "Check Hybrid System" and then "Check PCS System". The car continued to function for a little while, then eventually lost acceleration, so I pulled over. I turned it off and on again; the warning light remained but the car started and continued to work, but soon after I lost acceleration again. This happened one more time.
Then I Googled the problem and discovered that you could "turn it off and on again three times to reset the computer". I did this and the problem disappeared and did not resurface for the remainder of the trip, and has not happened again since.
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I have a 2010 with 5k miles - bought <4 mos.
Last week, I started noticing a petroleum smell in the cabin. I've also had trouble with the inside windshield. When I tried it wipe it, it just smeared. Finally, I used some cleanser and it's clear. It took several applications to work.
I read in the Gen II forums about a loose oil filter cap. I checked mine today. I was able to turn it about 1/2 inch. Now, I'm getting headaches after I drive for more than 15 minutes or so. I've tried switching the circulation but I can't tell which way is better.
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