Taking a Stand on 2007 Prius AC Mold Problem!

Sorry,

I've owned 3 Priuses, haven't had the problem. Of course I live in nice, dry Colorado instead of humid Florida.

 

The dealer cleaned ours under warranty a couple months ago. If there's another problem, I'll see about calling then.

 

No problem with either my 2001 or my 2004 in southern CA. However I agree that a good number of posters (esp. those living in Florida) have complained about the issue.

I attached an excerpt from the 2004 New Car Features manual (see p. BE-97), which indicates that the evaporator body has been coated with a resin containing anti-bacterial agent. I wonder if current production vehicles still have this treatment?

 

My 2008 does not have this problem (yet). I live in south central Texas, so I would expect it to happen to me if it is happening to drivers in Florida.

I am going to keep my eyes on this thread and my nose open. I will most definitely call Toyota if and when this occurs.

Good work and thanks for sharing it with us.

 

warranty coverage is conditional.

if the cabin air filter is in place and nothing has been tampered with (ie by rodents), the only contamination that could enter the system would be manufacturing related. it couldn't be a leaf or something that got in there.

should be a warranty issue within the 3/36 period given the above conditions.

the only prius DH saw with moldy a/c were related to exterior tampering- usually rodents. this is not uniquely toyota or uniquely prius. something gets in evaporator box to block up drainage, it's a great place for stuff to grow.

 

This issue isn't limited to the Prius. We have owned other vehicles that have had the same problem. I find that if we turn off the A/C before shutting the car off and run fresh air through the vents on a high fan speed, it helps.

 

Fairly common problem in humid areas, I live in exactly the same situation as Florida, but have not experienced that problem yet, knock on wood.

Here is an interesting tidbit, GM fixed that problem by having the blower blow for a few minutes after shutting down the car. They also came out with a kit, the kit included a spray to kill mold and mildew on the evaporator, then a blower control box was added that turned the blower on for 2 minute intervals, a few times after shutdown.

 

I have this problem in my 2007 Prius AND I had it with my 2000 Rav4. I used "Atmosklear" in the Rav and it took away the mold smell for awhile...

 

Before I entered my semi-retirement I was a Lincoln/Mercury tech for 35 years. Ford~Lincoln/Mercury had a mold issue back in the early 90's. They issued a mold abatment kit to all dealers.
This was the drill as best as I can recall. After making sure the evaporator case drain was clear. Run system on high heat/defrost for 30 minutes. Shut off. Reverse blower motor leads to make system blow backwards. Operate system and spray into the AC vents with an atomizer full of some mold killing stuff. Oh yeah, wear a cartridge filter mask while spraying. Next remove the blower resistor from the plenum case and spray some of the mold killer into the case. This would be putting it right onto the evaporator. Then the car would have to sit a number of hours while the stuff dried.
I recall it worked pretty well if it was done properly. Their answer long term was to have all the foam inside the heater/evap case that held the heater core and evaporator manufactured with mold inhibiting material in it.

Rod

 

No issues with a 2007 Red Prius purchased in March 2007 and the summers here in NJ are humid.

Philip

 

Excellent post! Thanks lot! I will call them in the morning. I agree 100% with everything you have posted. I've owned alot of cars and none of them stink like my 07. I love the car but it stinks. Everyone says run the blower after using the ac. That great if you do it from day one. But if any mold at all starts to grow nothing will fix it except Jaymans fix. And even then I would imagine its a routine maintenace issue. It would be no big deal if Toyota would have put an inspection plug in the plastic case that houses the e-coil. I would have no problem spraying some coil cleaner in that hole once in a while.Jayman drilled a hole in this case to spray down the e-coil with anti-fungal. A very radical fix that took some expertise to pull off.I also agree that this must be a design flaw.What I don't know.
I'm curious....could the posters who say that the dealer fixed there problem please post what the dealer performed please?

 

Interesting - my recently-purchased 19,000-mile 06 Prius also has a bad case of smelly AC too, and yet our Audi A3 is approaching four years old and 34,000 miles and has never suffered from it, without much care taken to keep it clean either.

 

Sorry I haven't had this problem but I have noticed dirt sticks to the paint on the outside of the car which is disturbing. Sometimes I need to wash the outside of the car every 1 or 2 weeks!!

Seriously I hope you find a solution to this problem.
I don't understand what you are after with the poll, are you asking us to call Toyota, are you asking if we have the problem, or taking bets on whether you will call Toyota?

 

same problem from almost day 1, i will call that # ASAP...i voted dont think it will help, cause i still dont, but lets hope i'm wrong..
recap, called and rep took info from me but said he was unaware of this concern and would forward this to my dealer for further evaluation...

 

I don't think people should call unless they have this problem. Otherwise, it's just a lot of hearsay that Toyota won't listen to. But definitely call if you do have this problem!

 

My '06 in northern California has this problem. I made the call. They recommended taking it to the dealer. We'll see what happens.

 

dealer called me but would not admit there was any reported problem. instead he told me that for $59.95 they have a kit that they use to flush the evaporator codensate line. apparently it is sprayed up the hose as a liquid and comes back out the hose as a foam with all the nasty stuff. he went on to tell me they recommend this yearly...i might try this myself, but as expected, i dont think toyota is going to make any concessions just yet.

 

Sounds like a load of BS he is telling you, any kind of spray stuff, needs to be sprayed on the Evaporator, otherwise spraying stuff up the hose is just going to reach the pan that holds condensation for the drain hose.

 

It is possible to turn the heater on with the AC engaged. The system then blows out really hot air. I know when you heat up teflon it gives off some nasty fumes. Maybe that is why they cannot coat it in the confines of a car AC system?