We just picked up our brand new Prius v and there is this distinct chemical smell. It's not like the typical, rather sweet "new car smell" - this one smells more chemical. Our previous car was a 2011 Prius and I think there was almost no smell, so it surprises me even more that the new Prius v would smell that much.
View 16 RepliesThe 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.
View 6 RepliesI have a 2009 model Toyota Prius. There is a smell of chemical or gas inside my vehicle when I first get in. By "gas" I mean "gas" and not "petrol". So if it is a chemical from the battery for example, it smells like natural gas. I have been delivering phone books from my car in acreage which caused me to start and stop the car every 200 meters for about an hour. I only noticed the smell after I delivered the phone books. I searched the Prius Chat forum last night and read that stopping and starting for a lengthy period is bad for the battery. Should I ignore the smell and wait for the battery warning light to show. And if the battery warning light does flash, which battery would it relate to and is there a different warning light for both batteries? I have booked my car into the Toyota service center tomorrow but think I might cancel. They will probably run a diagnostic and see nothing as they will just interpret a number from a computer. They will predictably sniff and smell nothing ... and then I will pay them the service fee for nothing.
View 2 RepliesLast week as I was returning home I had a strange event in my Prius. I was coasting at about 30 mph when I heard a very faint pop sound a bit like a balloon breaking. It sounded like it came from the right rear area of the car. Afterwards I thought I detected a very faint chemical smell. Could this have been something involving the HV battery?
View 10 RepliesWhen I first start the car recently there is a strong chemical smell, not gas, not antifreeze, and not the musty a/c smell. I just got the 30K service, and it seems stronger now. Maybe related???? 2008 V8 ....
View 3 RepliesI have a 2011 BMW 328i and I get this sort of burnt chemical smell through the vents when the heat is on. It doesn't happen until I have been driving for 10-15 minutes. After that you get the smell on some low level all the time, but it seems to be briefly exacerbated by making a hard turn (i.e. a U-turn). You get a stronger whiff coming out of the turn and then it returns to baseline. I also smell it stronger when setting off in low gear (1st or 2nd) like from a stop sign. It happens whether the car has the air re-circulation on or not. It has been in for service twice and they can't find the problem. The car is a RWD manual transmission and only has 20k miles on it. I checked the fluid levels and as far as I can tell they don't seem low. I looked in the service history and a coolant leak was fixed at one point, near the thermostat - yet the car still exhibits the smell. In addition to the smell, it kind of irritates the back of my throat after a while.
View 12 RepliesThis is my first car with leatherette, wondering if that is causing the smell? Its not the monster mats. I have had several new cars and this is different than the average new car smell. Looking to getting rid of it?
View 11 RepliesI've had my B6 with leatherette for just over two weeks now and I'm having trouble with a strong interior smell. It is a chemical/fishy smell that builds up when the car sits with the windows closed. I don't think it's coming from the vents because the smell goes away partially when the A/C is on. It is not related to outside temperature or direct sun. I didn't smell it during the test drive but I did right after I picked it up. I suspect the smell might be from the scotchguard treatment the dealer did during prep but I'm not sure. I've washed down the interior with Woolite a couple times and had the interior detailed professionally but the smell comes right back. Otherwise I love this car. I have an appointment at the dealer on Friday to see what they say.
View 2 RepliesI get more or less constant wine-like odor in the salon, as well as intermittent burning match (sulphur?) one. These seem to be seeping from the outside, through the ventilation system. The car has a new radiator, and the heater core, there are no apparent coolant leaks.
View 3 Replies98 Accord AC died and left burnt chemical smell in it's wake...
View 8 RepliesI have an '08 Grand Cherokee Laredo, 3.7L V6 with 74,000 miles on it. Recently the exhaust/muffler have been getting loud, and during my state inspection the guy said it would probably need a new muffler/pipe in the next few months. That was about a month ago. Since then there has been an on-and-off horrible plastic/chemical smell in the cabin some of the time. My wife drives it about an hour to work each way, and she says sometimes it gets so bad she has to open the windows (in 20 degree temps....) or she gets a headache. She describes it as a "formaldehyde smell" and says it tastes kind of sweet. To me it's more like a burnt plastic/chemical type odor. I checked all underneath but saw no plastic bags or anything else odd. Nothing unusual under the hood. No visible smoke. I have an appointment in two days to have the exhaust fixed. My question is - is there any way this weird smell could be exhaust related? I am hoping so, because otherwise it's a total mystery. It's definitely not an "exhaust" smell as I know it.
View 11 Replies 2005 F350 Lariat crew cab a few weeks back.
My question.... I noticed a strong ammonia/super glue like smell floating around in the cab about the 3rd time i drove the pickup. Since then, it seems to do it intermittently. My first assumption was it was coming through the vents. I have done a couple experiments, and I don't believe this is the case. My wife and I were driving yesterday and she thought she noticed the smell again. while I was driving she started checking all the vents, and nothing. But when she leaned clear down near the speaker hole in the door, she said she could really smell it.
What could be causing this? I'm assuming if it was the AC it would be coming though the vents. And at this time, I don't think it is.
I bought my used Prius a few weeks ago. However the air con smells. It took me a couple of weeks to realise that the smell was from the air con. Does bad smell need regassing?
View 19 RepliesHeadlight out prematurely
Rear plug in not working - went to use it for the first time and it does not work at all
Windshield Wipers are not working. This is the second set.
MOLD SMELL - From the A/C ..the only time it has gone away was when the cabin filter was replaced. It was only free of that smell for a few days and then it started back again.
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.
View 9 RepliesI have this horrible, rancid smell inside my car. I have wiped and vacuumed the entire interior and found nothing that could be causing the smell.
View 16 RepliesProblem we experienced today with our 06 Prius - 63k miles. Up to this point, the car has been completely trouble-free. Abruptly, there was an extremely strong, foul electric-like smell throughout the cabin. No sudden acceleration, not pulling any heavy loads, no out of the ordinary driving. The weather was in the low 60s today. No a/c or heat being used at the time. The smell persists or becomes even stronger after the car sits turned off for several hours. the battery vent was not blocked, but the smell does appear to be stronger at the vent. The smell is so strong that we can't tolerate sitting in the car.
View 9 RepliesI’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.
I have a 2005 Prius that my son has been using for the last couple of months... He just called me this evening and asked if I had ever had a rotten egg or natural gas smell coming from the a/c. I have not... the car only has 30,000 miles on it and I have never had any issues (knock on wood). He shut down the a/c rolled down the windows and drove on flow-through ventilation for a while and the smell dissipated. However the minute he turned the a/c back on the smell returned. I should probably mention that this car is being operated in Las Vegas... so I am pretty sure mildew is off the suspect list.
View 9 RepliesIn 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.
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.
View 19 Replies