First off let me say the Toyota Camry has really fail me or not live up to its name. When I first purchased the car all I thought about was reliability and three months later all I was smelling was cat piss or something stale. Me being the person that I am I immediately took it to a detail shop and had it shampooed inside out. Not even a three days later the smell came back. I was like "What the Hell" So after thoroughly sniffing trying to locate this awful smell I notice it only funks up when I cut the air on. I eliminated all of factors like factories or outside smell or anything of the nature. So here comes the fun part. I decided to take it to the dealership and what they told me was something about I stop the condenser up by switching the air on and off and decided to fix the problem. (ANYTHING TO GET RID OF THE SMELL) A month later same problem but decided not to fork out any more money for this bad smelling vehicle. Oh yeah forget trying to have company because its imbearable.
After two days drive in hot weather, the A/C was running whole day, I discovered the carpet was wet. I thought that maybe water poured on the carpet. I found out the whole car's carpet was wet. I tested my sun roof water drains. They all worked fine. I turned on A/C for 20 minutes, the floor was fry. I realized that the A/C caused the problem. I went to dealer, they said it caused by environmental. I had to pay for the repair. And I had to dry clean all carpets and paid myself.
Bought my 2012 Camry new at the beginning of 2013. I live in KY where I use the AC a lot. I started noticing a musty smell & it kept getting worse. The dealership told me to spray Lysol in the air intake and there wasn't much that could be done about it. I have complained about this issue multiple times to no avail. The smell is so bad it is embarrassing to have someone ride in the car with me.
The last time I took the car in for service I took it back the next day to ask if they had replaced the cabin air filter. They said this wasn't the issue, there wasn't a fix for the smell and to make sure that underneath the front floor mat isn't wet. That the water may be draining into the car if the AC vent is clogged. I have been checking, but a couple months later, I noticed while cleaning out my car that a piece of paper from under my seat was wet. I reached under the seat, and it is not just damp, but puddle wet. We took the car to the dealership and they said it was not covered under warranty due to spiders built a nest in the vent hose and it caused the condensation to come into my car. Not only does the carpet need to be removed, cleaned and dried, the floor padding has to be taken out, and it is attached to the frame.
I called Toyota and they said maybe my insurance will cover it. I told them I have no intention of covering the costs of the repair. Currently working with the dealership and Toyota to see what can be done. Will keep you posted!
As a Toyota owner for 34 years and owning about 16 different cars, suv's and trucks I have never had a problem with any of them. Then along came the 2012 Camry. My main complaint is the smell from the vents. A moldy mildew smell that is so strong you have to have the windows open to drive it.
Took it to the dealer (one that I bought 3 cars from since 2010) and when I had the mechanic smell it he said 'all I smell is dead air". I said bull, this car stinks. The official report is "odor is normal as indicated by T-SB-0142-13". They then tried to sell me a can of frigi-fresh to spray into the vents.
I'm contacting the health department tomorrow to see if they can test for mold. My wife has had three sinus infections from March to June of this year. This car is the one she drives most and is embarrassed to have anyone ride with her.
I was exposed to mold and Toyota stated the cause was a spider and they only fixed it as a courtesy. Toyota claimed it was a " natural cause" and out of their control. I tried to have them exchange my vehicle but they refused.
Now, Toyota has recalled my model year due to an infestation of spiders in the a/c hoses, exactly my problem. Toyota is not taking ownership of their problem and letting their customers be exposed to mold, a serious health hazard.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
First off let me say the Toyota Camry has really fail me or not live up to its name. When I first purchased the car all I thought about was reliability and three months later all I was smelling was cat piss or something stale. Me being the person that I am I immediately took it to a detail shop and had it shampooed inside out. Not even a three days later the smell came back. I was like "What the Hell" So after thoroughly sniffing trying to locate this awful smell I notice it only funks up when I cut the air on. I eliminated all of factors like factories or outside smell or anything of the nature. So here comes the fun part. I decided to take it to the dealership and what they told me was something about I stop the condenser up by switching the air on and off and decided to fix the problem. (ANYTHING TO GET RID OF THE SMELL) A month later same problem but decided not to fork out any more money for this bad smelling vehicle. Oh yeah forget trying to have company because its imbearable.
- Larry D., Natchez, MS, US