Shortly after purchasing my 2014 Rav4, I started noticing a mildew smell. I discovered after the AC ran for a few minutes water would run out onto the carpet. My carpet was soaked with water. I took to the dealership and they said one of the lines was obstructed and cleaned out. They told me the smell would go away, still waiting after a week. I will give it a little while longer before taking it back for them to get do something about the smell.
We have been to the dealership two times complaining about the mold smell spewing from our a/c. They have cleaned the ac and gave us a charcoal filter, however, the problem persists. I followed all the solutions such as turning off the AC circulation etc. before turning off the car, sprayed Lysol disinfectant into the vents from under the hood, etc. NOTHING WORKS. One more visit and we are filing a lemon law claim. I have developed severe allergies and believe this is the problem. I will never buy another Toyota. I also noticed that my daughters Camry has the same problem. It is a design problem but they won't admit it.
New 2014 Rav4 Limited with really bad mildew odor from vents on start up. Problem became noticeable around 3000 miles. Took car to Toyota dealer for 5k service today and they said to turn off the a/c or make sure it's always set for outside air, which it usually is. I've never had a car with this problem, but I've seen numerous complaints on this and other forums about various models including Lexus and Prius with the same issue. Some suggest spraying alcohol or other chemicals into the air intakes but that has to be a short-term solution and the alcohol could damage or discolor plastic items. No doubt the materials used in the air vents or evaporator support the growth of mold and mildew which could be very bad for people with asthma or allergies. There has to be a class action suit here somewhere. Virginia has a lemon law so I'll start checking on that to see if eventually they'll take it back.
- billh442,
Crimora, VA, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Shortly after purchasing my 2014 Rav4, I started noticing a mildew smell. I discovered after the AC ran for a few minutes water would run out onto the carpet. My carpet was soaked with water. I took to the dealership and they said one of the lines was obstructed and cleaned out. They told me the smell would go away, still waiting after a week. I will give it a little while longer before taking it back for them to get do something about the smell.
- bi4, Portland, TN, US