The smell from my car is coming from the vent...NO QUESTION ABOUT IT! Strong PUNGENT "stinging between the eyes" smell. It's happening about every 10 to 15 mins. JUST a "PUFF" when the air conditioner and recycle air is on. I guess I could live with it...but WHY SHOULD I??? I got the car with 72 miles on the odometer and it sat in the showroom for months. The asst. Service Manager did smell it and thought it was coolant so the heater coil was replaced. This DID NOT solve the problem. Should I ask the dealer to put in a new filter?? You'd think they should know to do this.
Odor problem?
- Thread starter CLachnit
- Start date
Chevrolet Customer Care
New member
Hey there bsg5698,
We're sorry to hear of the smell that comes in your vehicle. We will be glad to contact your dealership on your behalf in regard to this. If our help is needed please send us a private message with your full contact information, VIN, current mileage, and dealership name. We look forward to helping!
Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care
ChicksHateMe
Member
Was going to start a thread, but this seems to cover my issue. Here's my related story.....
A few months back we had some good storms and I hadn't gotten into the car until about 3 or 4 days after the big storms. When I got in, it smelled really bad. Wet. A fishy/urine type smell. I looked and felt around and I found my passenger side floor mat was soaking wet. It was weird because the rug underneath wasn't hardly wet at all. Maybe because I park on about a 15% tilt to the left.
I thought it may have been my fault. I thought maybe I left the window open, but I checked and they were closed tight. I then thought maybe I left my car unlocked and someone was being a jerk and left me a present in my car, because of the smell (there are some weird people who hang around my are). Or, maybe one of the water bottles I carry in the car opened and spilled on the rug. But none were open. I looked for water, traces coming in, but it had been a few days...
I ended up taking the car mat in, washing it off. I had to wash it again in White Vinegar to kill the moldy/fishy smell. After 3 days and some Lysol the car smelled almost new again.
Fast forward to today (Sunday, Sept 7th, 2014). I haven't left my house in 8 days, but we had a bad storm come through yesterday. I went to the store and dropped a paper on the passenger floor. When I went to pick it up, it and the floor mat were soaking wet. I actually took a video of the mat dripping in my shower. It was really saturated.
I went back out to the car and there were absolutely no signs of where the water was coming in.
Is it from the radiator?
Coming in the door? Window? Windshield?
Is it backing up and coming in because the the seals redirect it in?
The smell seems to be the chemicals on the Floor mat getting wet.
I've had too many issues lately. Brakes, and so much more.... Now I have to worry about leaks every storm, and here comes winter....
I hope air can be used to find how it's getting in, and not water. It's weird that it's ONLY soaking the passenger floor mat. But the other rug is a little wet. Maybe that one just lets the water pass through to the metal floor easier. I see premature rusting in my future.
Now I know why I got such a great deal...
A few months back we had some good storms and I hadn't gotten into the car until about 3 or 4 days after the big storms. When I got in, it smelled really bad. Wet. A fishy/urine type smell. I looked and felt around and I found my passenger side floor mat was soaking wet. It was weird because the rug underneath wasn't hardly wet at all. Maybe because I park on about a 15% tilt to the left.
I thought it may have been my fault. I thought maybe I left the window open, but I checked and they were closed tight. I then thought maybe I left my car unlocked and someone was being a jerk and left me a present in my car, because of the smell (there are some weird people who hang around my are). Or, maybe one of the water bottles I carry in the car opened and spilled on the rug. But none were open. I looked for water, traces coming in, but it had been a few days...
I ended up taking the car mat in, washing it off. I had to wash it again in White Vinegar to kill the moldy/fishy smell. After 3 days and some Lysol the car smelled almost new again.
Fast forward to today (Sunday, Sept 7th, 2014). I haven't left my house in 8 days, but we had a bad storm come through yesterday. I went to the store and dropped a paper on the passenger floor. When I went to pick it up, it and the floor mat were soaking wet. I actually took a video of the mat dripping in my shower. It was really saturated.
I went back out to the car and there were absolutely no signs of where the water was coming in.
Is it from the radiator?
Coming in the door? Window? Windshield?
Is it backing up and coming in because the the seals redirect it in?
The smell seems to be the chemicals on the Floor mat getting wet.
I've had too many issues lately. Brakes, and so much more.... Now I have to worry about leaks every storm, and here comes winter....
I hope air can be used to find how it's getting in, and not water. It's weird that it's ONLY soaking the passenger floor mat. But the other rug is a little wet. Maybe that one just lets the water pass through to the metal floor easier. I see premature rusting in my future.
Now I know why I got such a great deal...
ChicksHateMe
Member
Probably, but that's where my parking spot is. Just one more problem with my car I guess. Starting to be a POS. Now I have to only park on flat spots?
I think it's more related to the pounding rain that came with both storms it happened in.
I'll try to find it with an air compressor first then a car wash, then I guess it's sitting in the car during the next storm until I find it.
I am starting to think something happened to my car before I Got it. Once I found one problem I started to look closer at things, and there were a few things that just weren't right....
ChicksHateMe
Member
Just an update on this, as far as MY odor Smell. It's STILL being worked on.
There's a bulletin. # PI0826 That addressed my problem. Here's some quotes from it.
"This condition is most prevalent when the vehicle is parked on an incline and the right front of the vehicle is elevated"
"This condition may be caused by water intrusion through the HVAC fresh air inlet assembly, located in the plenum at the base of the windshield. The water may be flowing along the edge of the front windshield glass and dripping into the fresh air inlet. If the water intrusion is in this area, the passenger compartment air filter may also be
saturated".
The problem is it's a BULLETIN, and not a recall, so until AFTER we have the problem, or complain about it, it doesn't get addressed.
I thought it was something I did, like leave the windows down until it happened a 2nd time. The fishy smell for me was definitely from the plastic mats on the passenger side being left wet too long.
Once I found out about the bulletin I took the glove box out, and then the filter, and looked up to see where it came from. I was surprised at how I could look right up to an opening. Below the opening is an air filter and right below it is the fan. So, water drips in, wets the filter, then the fan, then the passenger carpet.
I have brought it in once for the bulletin fix to be applied. You can tell where the work was done by the scratched up plastic. It worked, but not totally. The dealer is waiting to hear back from GM for the next step.
I am thinking I could do a better job building a dam myself, but they can't make it any worse than what's been done, so I will let them try again. Maybe they can learn something to help someone else. Until then, I have to park "Backwards" at home, and watch where and how I park elsewhere
Unbelievable!!!
I don't think an opening directly above the fan is all that smart if ANY water can get in. That opening should have a high edge and a covering. Poor design for sure.
Damn, I love a lot about my Sonic, but between my brake issue and this, I just wonder "what's next?".
Any way, IF you live in a hilly area that can get lots of rain, don't park with the front-right higher than the rest of the car until you get it fixed. Hopefully, before you smell fish.
There's a bulletin. # PI0826 That addressed my problem. Here's some quotes from it.
"This condition is most prevalent when the vehicle is parked on an incline and the right front of the vehicle is elevated"
"This condition may be caused by water intrusion through the HVAC fresh air inlet assembly, located in the plenum at the base of the windshield. The water may be flowing along the edge of the front windshield glass and dripping into the fresh air inlet. If the water intrusion is in this area, the passenger compartment air filter may also be
saturated".
The problem is it's a BULLETIN, and not a recall, so until AFTER we have the problem, or complain about it, it doesn't get addressed.
I thought it was something I did, like leave the windows down until it happened a 2nd time. The fishy smell for me was definitely from the plastic mats on the passenger side being left wet too long.
Once I found out about the bulletin I took the glove box out, and then the filter, and looked up to see where it came from. I was surprised at how I could look right up to an opening. Below the opening is an air filter and right below it is the fan. So, water drips in, wets the filter, then the fan, then the passenger carpet.
I have brought it in once for the bulletin fix to be applied. You can tell where the work was done by the scratched up plastic. It worked, but not totally. The dealer is waiting to hear back from GM for the next step.
I am thinking I could do a better job building a dam myself, but they can't make it any worse than what's been done, so I will let them try again. Maybe they can learn something to help someone else. Until then, I have to park "Backwards" at home, and watch where and how I park elsewhere
Unbelievable!!!
I don't think an opening directly above the fan is all that smart if ANY water can get in. That opening should have a high edge and a covering. Poor design for sure.
Damn, I love a lot about my Sonic, but between my brake issue and this, I just wonder "what's next?".
Any way, IF you live in a hilly area that can get lots of rain, don't park with the front-right higher than the rest of the car until you get it fixed. Hopefully, before you smell fish.
hammrdwn510
Member
hmmmmm
passengers have been complaining of the same type of smell in mine the last couple times they've gotten in. I'll have to check my floor mat next time it rains. I haven't noticed anything different, so haven't given it much thought till I came across this thread... You'd figure by the third year run of these cars, they'd have some of the minor known flaws fixored
passengers have been complaining of the same type of smell in mine the last couple times they've gotten in. I'll have to check my floor mat next time it rains. I haven't noticed anything different, so haven't given it much thought till I came across this thread... You'd figure by the third year run of these cars, they'd have some of the minor known flaws fixored
ChicksHateMe
Member
I agree. I'd think after a year, with the 2012's, the problem would have been seen and remedied. It doesn't seem to be though, not in my 2013 anyway. In the right situation, it will probably happen to anyone. If it's just occasionally, people will probably think it's their fault, leaving the windows down or something, like I did.
It's pretty easy to check.
First, smell the rug itself. I think I looked crazy, so I made sure no one was around, but I started sniffing everywhere. I found it to be the floor mat. I took it out and smelled around some more. Without the mat, the smell was pretty much gone. I checked again after leaving the mat out a few days and it was gone. Luckily for me, the mat caught all the water and the rug itself didn't get wet much.
Second, if you clean out the lower glove box and pop it out, then find the filter cover and un-clip it and put that out, you can look at the filter itself and see it if got soaked. Mine was pretty wet, but I checked the day after a storm.
The service dept applied the Bulletin's fix, but it still happened. I just heard back from them. They talked to GM and now they want the car for a few days so they can check some possible faulty seals, check that the Bulletin was done correctly and to run some tests with water, to see if they can re-create it.
ChicksHateMe
Member
UPDATE:
My dealer ordered a new plastic trim piece, with the rubber that sits at the bottom of my windshield. It seemed like mine had a slight bend, and they thought that might be where the water was coming in, so they replaced it Thursday.
I got it back Friday, so I came home and parked as I would with a "Normal" car. It's on a slight incline with the right side up about 10-15 Degrees.
It rained today so I JUST went out to see if anything got in. RUG WAS WET AGAIN!!! I am so ticked off.
Apparently there's another line that has a similar recall, but with a part made to deflect the water away. I think it was the Cruze.
I am so ticked, I am going to start writing posts and letters anywhere I can to get this resolved. AG's office, Consumer Protection, nhtsa, etc....
I should be able to park this vehicle in any normal position and parking space without worrying I am wetting my air filter, damaging the fan unit below it, having the floor get wet and having it soak through to the floor panels and padding where it would cause premature rusting and possible mold problems...
I don't blame my service dept. They seem to be trying what they can. It's just a crappy design with no solution.
I love driving my car, but I shouldn't be limited on how and where I park it.
My dealer ordered a new plastic trim piece, with the rubber that sits at the bottom of my windshield. It seemed like mine had a slight bend, and they thought that might be where the water was coming in, so they replaced it Thursday.
I got it back Friday, so I came home and parked as I would with a "Normal" car. It's on a slight incline with the right side up about 10-15 Degrees.
It rained today so I JUST went out to see if anything got in. RUG WAS WET AGAIN!!! I am so ticked off.
Apparently there's another line that has a similar recall, but with a part made to deflect the water away. I think it was the Cruze.
I am so ticked, I am going to start writing posts and letters anywhere I can to get this resolved. AG's office, Consumer Protection, nhtsa, etc....
I should be able to park this vehicle in any normal position and parking space without worrying I am wetting my air filter, damaging the fan unit below it, having the floor get wet and having it soak through to the floor panels and padding where it would cause premature rusting and possible mold problems...
I don't blame my service dept. They seem to be trying what they can. It's just a crappy design with no solution.
I love driving my car, but I shouldn't be limited on how and where I park it.
Last edited:
ChicksHateMe
Member
Going on two and months since the first attempt to resolve this issue, and over three since I noticed it. I worry with winter coming it will be harder to solve, and cause more long-term damage with the water freezing.
3 more months and I lose my lemon law protection, so I am starting the process....
Between this, my brakes and the lack of care shown by the dealer techs when I have it worked on, I am regretting my purchase.
Isn't anyone else having these issues related to water coming in?
1. Fishy Smell. Nose leads you to passenger area floor mat?
2. Water on the passenger side floor wet?
3. Musky smell from Wet air filter behind glove box?
Ticks me off cause I really like how the car drives and handles, but I've had lemons like this, where the problems keep coming and that outweighs the good.
3 more months and I lose my lemon law protection, so I am starting the process....
Between this, my brakes and the lack of care shown by the dealer techs when I have it worked on, I am regretting my purchase.
Isn't anyone else having these issues related to water coming in?
1. Fishy Smell. Nose leads you to passenger area floor mat?
2. Water on the passenger side floor wet?
3. Musky smell from Wet air filter behind glove box?
Ticks me off cause I really like how the car drives and handles, but I've had lemons like this, where the problems keep coming and that outweighs the good.
Last edited: