Hello-I have a 2010 Prius that is one year old with 9,000 miles. There is a smell that comes out of the air vents that is the most noticeable with the outside air coming into the car and less noticeable with the A/C on. It can best be described as a dead fish smell, not the dirty socks smell that others have described in other posts. I have removed the glove box and cabin filter, but there is nothing to see or to smell. The odor is the strongest when the car is parked and you put your nose to the black air intake vent on the outside of the car on the passenger side under the front windshield. When I called Toyota tech support they told me to look for a dead animal on the fan rod in the engine compartment, but they were unable (unwilling) to provide any more details. I am very reluctant to spend the time and the money for Toyota to tear apart the car knowing that the car will never be the same. I am will to do some detective work myself if someone provides me some direction. I have looked carefully at the engine compartment with a strong flashlight from above, but I do not see anything. Thank you.
Yup...you probably have a dead mouse/rat/bird down in there somewhere. That's the bad news. The good news is that, if you can't locate it, it will eventually fade away. You should be able to remove that black plastic cover under the W/S wipers and scrape the bugger out of there. Good luck!
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...g/78686-mouse-bedding-in-fresh-air-inlet.html This is where your little deceased friend was living... The other options are the rear vents (behind battery - and corresponding drivers side rear)
I've started to notice a weird smell coming from my vents as well. Only when the fan is on. Not the A/C. I have not checked my cabin air filter but find it hard to believe this already needs to be replaced. How many other people have experienced this musty smell?
If it's not a critter, it could be the plastics. Mine had a slight urea smell right from the get-go - not that nice "new car" smell you'd expect. I removed the lower glove box and unsnapped the cover on the cabin air filter to investigate. Nada, it was clean and there was no evidence of a mouse or other creature in the cowl intake. I tried spraying Lysol Crisp Linen scent into the cowl intake and it worked for a short while. But after a week, the urea smell was back. What I did was purchase a product called "Little Trees", specifically, the "New Car" smell and put one laying flat ON TOP of the cabin filter. It doesn't go anywhere near the blower motor even if it moves a bit. I put everything back and wha-la; a nice fresh smell from the vents. Note, the fresh smell is most noticeable if you set the airflow to "outside" (second button). BTW, you get 3 Little Trees per pack so when one wears out (about a month or so), just pop a new one in. Little Trees are available at automotive stores. If you still get a foul smell after this, then something is embedded in the intake between the cabin filter and the cowl inlet vent.
Since you could not see anything from the glove box/cabin air filter area, you need to remove the W/S wipers, and the black plastic engine tray. It's not a big job--fairly simple to accomplish. Then, I think, you'll find your dead animal. Good luck!
Look at MouseProofing the Prius: find it in 'Search' or it is included in the file Mouse bedding . . ., in the link in the first response you received. This guy goes into great detail about screening various vent holes but also discusses tearing into the area around the wipers and this may be useful to you. At my 20,000 mile service I had the dealer check out the cabin air filter area as we were getting foul smells and HAD mouse/rat poop and pee in the lower glove compartment. An 8" ball of debris formed the nest; hopefully it wasn't made up of seat padding, etc. Someone recommended a Click n Clack remedy for the smell: a container of coffee grounds (prior to brewing the coffee, of course).
Thanks for all of the support and responses. Using the photos and instructions on the PriusChat Forums I was able to take off the windshield wipers and the upper black plastic tray. No need to go any further because a large dead rat was lying in the lower tray-very dead and very smelly. Thanks to all for your help!
Can anyone tell me where to find the instructions for removing the windshield wipers and black plastic underneath them? I think I have a dead animal in there, too.
One of the best instructions can be found here: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-accessories-modifications/88655-tanabe-sustec-strut-tower-bar-under-brace-diy-installation-pix.html You won't have to remove the lower tray, just follow the instructions until the tray is exposed.
