I've had my Camry for 2.5 years and it still has a chemical odor. When I get home from work, I can smell it on my clothes. It's the same smell from when the car was delivered to me. Everyone who gets in the car says it still smells new (I religiously keep it immaculate [no pun intended]). It annoys me sometimes. I've changed the cabin filter with every oil change without any decrease in the odor. Since the price of gas has decreased, I've been driving the Camry about 1 time per week (really just to keep the batteries charged) in an overall effort to keep miles from piling on too quickly (it's currently at 39K) and it seems the smell has gotten stronger, or I'm just not used to it any more. At any rate, the Camry definitely has an odor unlike any new car I've ever owned.

 

You must live in the north. I live in southern New Mexico. Here any new car looses that new car small at the end of the first hot Summer. Evidently it's the sunlight though the windows that helps dissipate the new car smell. I prefer the new car smell myself.

 

My car also smells and it just seems to be getting worse. My kids call it the SMELLY car --- and this seems to be an issue with the Toyota Camry Hybrids. There are days I get in the car and it smells like the circus. Not good. The dealership has tried the ozone spray through the car and some other airation treatment -- and still the smell lives. Glad to see I'm not alone but will continue reading to see if anyone has had any luck getting rid of the odor. Glad to be helping the environment but the smell in the car is awful. The worst is when I get home from a long drive and the kids say -- Mom, you smell like the hybrid. Yuck.

 

The only time my TCH smells is after washing the cloth floor mats. If I don't allow the mats to completely dry, they smell like old gym socks after a while As long as I let them sit in the sun and dry completely, there is no odor.

 

Surprisingly I have the same issue. I have an 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid with 65k miles on it....Still got that "new car smell" and people still comment ask is this a new car. I have no possible idea where this smell is coming from.

 

If the smell is like mould/mildew, dirty gym socks, then checkout the EED at airsept.com.

If it's like sewer gas then the 12 volt battery may be being overcharged and boiling the electrolyte. Bad battery charger inverter or even a shorted cell in the battery. With a shorted cell you have a 10 voltt battery that the charger is trying to charge to 12 volts, BOILING the electrolyte.

 

Lay off the chillie and Bushe"s beans and you will be fine lol!

 

Is there any update to this?

I sat in a Prius and was like WOW it smells like horse crap or the 'circus' as previously mentioned.

Now---my camry for some reason has this smell. I have a new cabin air filter. Do I need to try ozium or lysol in the air inlet?

Or--is this something to do with our hybrid batteries? 12v batteries in the trunk?

Any insight appreciated.

-Mike

 

I think I can name your problem: Cleaning products.

Many cleaning products contain solvents that evaporate over time. The solvents in those products make exactly the same odor as the VOC's in new vinyl. Lay off the cleaning products, especially the vinyl/fabric/leather "protector" products.

Generally, those cleaner/protector products should not be used more often then about once a year... and that assumes a normal amount of driving.

The great majority of the time, all that vinyl and leather needs is to be wiped off with a rag. If it is very dusty, use a slightly damp rag to pick up the dust, and then dry with a towel.

Fabric also does not need to be sprayed with anything very often -- just vacuum it.

Dirty vinyl and leather can usually be cleaned with just water -- but use distilled water to avoid discoloring the leather. (Regular tap water in many areas has minerals in it that will discolor leather.)

When you do buy cleaning products, for the RARE occasion when they are necessary, look for "Low VOC" products. The VOC's are the solvents that make the odors.

And, always be sure to let it dry thoroughly, before you close it up and park it for any extended period. Towel-dry the areas where you used water. Then operate the air conditioner until the humidity is gone. In high-humidity areas, a car can take a few hours to dry completely. Several trips of a half hour or longer might be needed, over a period of a few days.

 

My car was like that with a bad smell had to go on oxgen for a few weeks quit riding in it 2012 pruis. now i have traded it. Not good