Moisture smell after rain

Has anyone had an issue with smell after a rain day. I have a 2019 Tacoma and every time it rains it smell like moisture inside truck. I check and there are no leaks

 

Like a mildew-y smell?
Are some surfaces like steering wheel and shifter wet/slimy?

 

humid air can get into the fresh air intakes
check the cabin filter for smell

 

Nothing mildew. I will check the cabin air filter

 

Not sure if 2019s were affected by the leaking 3rd brake lights, but my 2016 was. Rain water was slowly seeping in for months and caused mold growth in the carpet and headliner. Toyota covered the cost of replacement of the carpet and headliner, and cleaning of the whole interior. My truck was out of warranty at the time. I found the leak because the cubbies behind the rear seat would sometime be wet after heavy rains.

 

I have purchased extended warranty. I wonder if they will replace it if need be

 

You have a double cab? Pull the plastic panel behind the rear seats. Check for water intrusion through the flapper vents.

 

Update us with the source when you find it.

 

Did you have the 3rd brake light fix done to the truck? My 2019 was part of the fix Although I never had an issue I had the fix done. Check the headliner behind the 3rd brake light to see if it’s damp could be growing some mold in there. Also if you run the ac quite a bit you need to turn it off and I believe it’s run uncirculated air for 30 seconds before you shut the truck off. This helps to keep moisture out of the system plus cuts down on the stink.

 

Did anyone ever resolve this issue. Every morning when I get into my 2017 Toyota Tacome dobule cab, I smell a strong mildew odor. It goes away after the AC is on a few minutes. i had the third brake light fixed at the dealership. No moisture or smell there. I replaced the cabin filter a couple of months ago. When it rains or I go through a car wash, my front passenger floormat (Weather Tech) has a small puddle of water in it. I have seen water drip from behind the dash, just about center of the glove box. I took it the the dealership yesterday. I explained everything including the dripping water. They blew out the AC drain and got a little debris out of it. It still smells. Nothing feels wet inside the truck. I can't determine the source of the smell. I appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

2nd Gen owner here. I’ve dealt with this exact issue...

That musty odor you're smelling is likely mildew from water intrusion in the cab at some point. I know it sounds strange, but the best thing you can do is really sniff around the interior. Check the floorboards, footwells, and under the seats to track down the source.

In my case, the culprit was the passenger-side carpet under the glove box. I removed the carpet, used Griot’s Odor Neutralizing Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, and pressure washed it. After that, I let it dry in the sun for a few days since UV exposure helps kill mold and mildew.

Once everything was completely dry, I reinstalled the carpet and placed a bucket of DampRid in the back seat to help control moisture.

I’m from the South and have dealt with mildew in both cars and homes after flooding. Mildew can hide even when everything feels dry. When humidity rises, the smell can return. You can’t just cover it up. You have to find and remove the source, or it will keep coming back.

Hope this helps someone out. It made a huge difference for me.

 

Thanks for the information and advise. I will give it a try.

 

If you have a moonroof, check the drains. If you had the windshield replaced, have someone check the seal. Also clean the debris from under the hood, by the plastic cowl where the windshield wipers rest.

GL

 

One more thing to try run the heater or AC with the fresh air setting (not recirculate).

Sometimes my dog and I will be wet and I have to have the back window at least slightly open with the fan drawing in fresh air.

 

On hot days when I am using AC, I turn the AC off for the last 2 minutes of my drive and leave the fan blowing. I feel that might help dry out the system before i shut off my truck.

 

You have a water leak somewhere getting into in the cabin. The mildew smell is a heads-up warning. You have to find/identify where it is soon and dry it out, or you'll end up with a permanently ruined interior. Check the floor under the rugs on the floor asap.

 

Thanks everyone. Gave me several things to check. I will use them all. Smell is pretty bad first thing after being parked all night. Smell usually goes away after a few minutes driving with ac blowing. I also leave windows down during the heat of the day. No sun roof to check.

 

Maybe you need to clean your ac coils?
This is the Toyota version but there are cheaper generic versions

I find if I turn off recirculation before shut off the truck the smell is lessened. My theory here is it allows the wind to blow in fresh air instead of bottling up all the humidity

 

I also do this and it works on my truck

 

My 2023 lives outside because new houses have garages only big enough for smart cars.

When it rains, I’ll get a slight mildew smell sometimes but never any water in the cab. I’ve already identified it to be the outside felt that rests against the windows.

Easy way to test, next time roll down the window and smell the sill where the window drops down into the door. I know, sounds weird but solved it for me.