Taking a Stand on 2007 Prius AC Mold Problem!

I live in a semiarid climate. I rarely run the AC. I have an EBH for early morning warm-ups before driving.

 

Hey Folks,

Just got off the phone to the Toyota help desk and lodged a complaint about the mold/smell problem.
Nice people working there. Talk English too.
Please, take the time to make a quick call about the problem, and talk to a customer service manager and within 24 hrs on a working day they will call you back,- let them know your concerns. It's worth a few minutes to get some help and maybe get the problem corrected for good. If we all make the attempt we WILL get some action.

Tired of Sweat Sox smell,

Flintlock

 

The cleaner they used is most likely the same one we have at the dealer where I work, it is sprayed into the evaporator drain hose and is an expanding foam (think Foam O Fill) It will fill the entire case and hopefully clean up the core and then drain out as it liquifies. The second part of the treatment is to spray a disinfectant into the fresh air intake with the A/C set to fresh.

(Pulling a mask over my head to try to remain anonymous) It doesn't work as well as I would like. On the average car, it is a good idea as a mantenance item to help remove dust and dirt and clean out the case. It will NOT cure the mold issues that Toyotas are experiancing lately. Yes, other models are having the same issue. Mostly Prius and Camry.

When a customer reports this issue, we first try using the evap cleaner. (Usually trying to get it covered under warranty) If the condition comes back (most do) we contact TAS (Tech Assist in Jacksonville) and ask for authorization to replace the ENTIRE evaporator case. So far this seems to solve the issue. Although the part number is still the same and I am not aware of any change in the design or materials, we have not had any reports ofmold coming back on cars which have had the case replaced.

In defense of my beloved Toyoa Motor Sales Corporation, I would hope the engineers are working on a true and permanent fix for this and are simply still gatherng information and working on a proper fix.

(sneaks away adjusting my indentity-hiding paper bag):spy:

 

Thanks for the post...do you know the name of the product you inject into the e-vap drain hole please?

 

I live in Dallas, TX and have exactly the same problem as yours. I don't drive everyday and the car is in the underground garage. I think this problem started when the car was just 9 months old. I will go to the dealership tomorrow for the oil change so I am going to try to ask them to fix the problem under the warranty.

 

The product we use is from a company called Service Rite and should be available over the counter from most dealers, especially in SET.

 

Walk the Walk

Just got a call from a Toyota service manager about 10 minutes ago, told her of the problem and she was very non commital. I have to take my 2007 in for the 12k tire/oil change so I will let my dealership know of the problem then. She did say that if they wanted to charge me anything for them to call her direct so I would not be charged like you were, and gave me her phone # and extensions to reach her. (Wonder if she works on Sat.?) We'll find out next week.

Come On People, - make some noise and we WILL get results. Toyota cannot ignore a few million owners with a common problem. It's just not good business sense, especially after outselling GM ( or was it Ford?) this past quarter.

Getting used to old sweat sox smell,

Flintlock

 

Yeah this is the first I have heard of this too. How does replacing the evaporator housing which I assume means the whole shebang...e-coil etc fix the problem? Are you saying the replacement part is different or there is a factory failure going on here that a new working e-coil fixes? Thats excellent! That would explain why some people have the problem and some don't.At work there's 3 Prius's. We all bought them the same month. 2 of us have the problem the other person does not. We all use AC non stop. Wacky!
How come my dealer knows nothing about this and there standard fix is to fog the cabin and spray some sh*t on the intake filter. Please help us out and explain.Please.Thank you!!

 

Finally got a nice day to tackle the stinky ac. Big props to Jayman for his time and inspiration and help on this. I owe you a big one jayman.Thanks to Patrick too!
Armed with lots of alcohol and the false bravado of the clueless I attempt the latest assault on the e-coil. Today I chose the simpler route....through the firewall as drilling a hole in the e-box still gives me the willies.
As mentioned earlier by another poster I am trying for the passenger side ac hi/lo line entry through the firewall. I took off the air cleaner top and then removed the oil fill spout. Covered it all with towels and found I can grab the rubber grommet that air tights where those hi/lo lines enter the firewall by laying my arm on the valve cover and reaching back in there. That big seal pulls right off. I bought a new bug sprayer and filled it with E-Coil cleaner. Pumped it up and carefully inserted it in the hole shared by the ac pipes. Squirted quite a bit of cleaner in there an trying hopefully to be aiming at where I thought the e-coil resides.
After letting it sit for a few hours when i first got in and turned the ac on I was very happy indeed to not smell the dreaded stinky sock. Just pleasant fresh cleaner.We'll see how long it lasts but it is working so far. And now I will try the putting the blower on high with a little heat on at the end of the trip as everyone suggests too!

 

To clarify a couple of points:

The part we are replacing is the evap case, with the evap core and heater core, the entire unit as a whole.

So far, each car that has had a new case installed has not returned with an odor complaint. This does not mean they are guaranteed solved, simply that so far the problem has not returned. We are basing our solution on the recommendations of the Tech Assist engineers in Jacksonville.

There is no "official" stance on the proper repair for this condition. No TSB. No bulletin. All we have to go on is the word from TAS in Jax. We techs are as in the dark as everyone else is at the moment.

We cannot replace evap cases without approval from TAS. Their approval is given on a case by case basis. I DO believe that Toyota is aware and working on a proper fix. (Perhaps just blind loyalty on my part, but I think it's true) My best recommendation for anyone experiancing this condition is polite persistance. Keep on squeaking and politely working your way up the chain of command asking for a real fix. Toyota will respond. If your particular dealer seems unable to do anything, ask to speak to the district rep from TMMC. (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Corp)

BTW.... if you should receive a survey from Toyota after having work done on your car, be honest. Toyota tracks those surveys VERY closely. Dealers who get low scores get scrutiny from Toyota like you wouldn't believe.

Remember also that I am no one with authority. I am simply a tech who tries to help out where I can. Anything you hear from me is simply what I have observed in my own dealership and with my own experiance. Good Luck!!:spy:

 

Hi Bear68:

Have you noticed any 2004 or 2005 2G with this problem? The 2004 New Car Features manual indicates that the evaporator core is coated with an antibacterial coating. I am wondering if an engineering change (or maybe a mfg problem) happened where some cores on newer production 2G had not been coated.

 

Ok I'm a broken record, as I've mentioned it before. We've sprayed this anti-bacterial aerosol into our evap core area the best we can, and into the AC ports, and on the cabin air filter. Only need to do it once a year. They sell this in Europe & Australia. Haven't found a U.S. dealer yet. It works, that's all I know.

 

Thanks very much for your help.

 

Hi Patrick,
Nice one. That could be the whole thing right there. There's def. a bacterial thing going on here. Maybe this anti-bac feature is only on certain packages.
The lady at work with an 07 with this problem has the same pack as I do #2. I wonder if there using the coated e-coils as replacements for the complaining customers. This is probably the issue. If so Toy will do all it can to keep this quiet as a TSB for this problem would be really expensive for them. In the millions I bet. Squeeky wheel.

 

I called the Toyota customer assist line Walk the Walk posted. They said the dealer I bought it from will contact me. They'll probably want me to to go through the all day cabin de-fog. :flock:Waste of time. I asked about the District Rep and was told they don't talk to the public they only talk to the dealer. PITA.

 

Patrick,

I have a 2005 Prius, and have this problem. During last year's summer, I always put on recirculate when I'm using the AC. And it STINKS! The way I resolve this issue is already mentioned in this thread. Leave it on fresh air 10 min before shutting off the car. I haven't notice any smell this year.