[swhtech]

I've had the 'X for about 3 weeks now.....and my wife has been complaining the last few days that when she opens the back door to put something in the back seat, she can almost choke on the smell she gets from the back seat! It's not as bad in the front....it's a slight new car smell, but it seems to be getting less and less the more we sit in the front seats. Does anyone know if it is coming from the back seats because they are not being used, or is it from the rugs?? I know a lot of people have used Fabreeze with good success, and I may try it, but I was wondering if anyone else had this problem, and if so, what did they do??

Thanks!!

 

[MDXMom]

I experienced something similar, but I always blamed the two kids in the back seat...

 

[ifeldman]

I've had my MDX for 3 months now and still smell that new car odor, but not as strong. Its different than any other new car Ive been in. I dont know where its originating from. I keep my rear seats always down. Maybe I should keep it up to air out. I dont know if its the seats, the carpeting, some adhesive smell?

 

[swhtech]

I don't know either.....in most cars the smell doesn't last very long, and it's not that strong to begin with.....I think I'm going to pick up some fabreze or Meguiars odor remover stuff and see if I can lessen the smell with that.....If it just smelled like leather, we wouldn't mind, but it really does have a much stronger smell than that! Anybody else try anything to lessen the odor??

 

[rliggayu]

I had that smell also but after 2 months it's gone. I just kept vacuuming my car every week, I guess it help.

 

[4-3-53]

I have the SAME problem. I have health issues to begin with, but I am having an auto-immune reaction to that car. The smell isn't typical "new car smell" - it's different, and it's way stronger. It took 5 months before I realized the car is the culprit making me sick. I can't even drive in the car, it's terrible. I don't want to use deodorizers because they just mask the odor. I have a feeling it's formaldehyde, because one of my symptoms is burning skin and itching - through my research I've found that is one of the key symptoms from formaldehyde exposure.

It's so strong it comes out the AC vents too, with a vengeance. I don't know how to get rid of it! It's not just my car either. If I walk by a newer MDX with the windows, I stick my nose in and get that same whiff. I complained to the dealer and they insinuated I was crazy (maybe I am, but my kids are complaining too and my son gets a horrible rash everytime he gets in that car!) and I am the ONLY person who has had this problem.

I know they changed the leather seats over the years. My hubbie has a TSX which also has a strong "new car smell" but more of a chemical-type smell, not this noxious sweet, powdery smell. I'm driving the TSX until we figure out what to do with this 45K hunk of useless toxic metal.

 

[Bill_de]

Must be the diet they give the cows. If you haven't done so yet, clean and treat the leather.

 

[nsxtasy]

Bumped after nine years! Is that a record?

 

[slipkid]

awesome bump!

i bet those cars smell worse now if you never installed all weather mats...

chemical guys Stripper scent. best air freshener scent ever.

 

[4-3-53]

I actually came to this site and did a search on strong smell - that's why the bump after so long. I am literally sick over this whole thing. Wish I could drive this car Has anyone else had this issue, and if so did anything help the odor go away (besides adding more deodorizers, which are also toxic!).

We have the windows open whenever we can and have vacuumed everything and wiped down the seats several times. NOTHING helps. Wonder what toxic crap they used in this car. It really doesn't smell like "new car" - it's in a whole new class of smells. The car is assembled in Canada, which I don't understand. It's a Japanese company, right? Wonder if the leather came from China. Chinese use formaldehyde to treat their leather and sometimes also use an extremely toxic anti-fungal agent in the seats. Can't get any answers from Acura.

 

[lion9mdx]

Do you have a garage? If so, I'd consider leaving two windows open and running a box fan to continuously ventilate the car when it's parked.

You seem very focused on the seats. Have you considering trying to shrink-wrap the seats with plastic and then put some kind of seat cover on them so that they're reasonably comfortable? It may not look great, but you could just consider this an experiment at first.

I've read about ozone generators being used to remove smells, but I'm not sure if that's something that might work in this case. You could look into that.

 

[hondacuraplanet]

It's due to the outgassing of the plastics. Technically, it's engineered to smell new for a period of 3 years. Best thing to allow it to dissipate is sun exposure with the windows cracked. Another thing that does help to a degree is using 3M Scotchgard on the carpets. This seals them up, and helps prevent staining as well.

 

[rickston69]

Had my new '11 MDX for a week now and no issues with the new car smell. Also had a '10 TSX for a year and never had any issues with smell or skin rashes either.

I seriously doubt that Acura is using anything more toxic than other auto manufacturers. The irony may be that manufacturers, in an effort to go "green", are using things that you have not been exposed to before now.

It is possible you and your son share an allergy to something used in the manufacturing of the car. Have you tried getting in other car brands with leather seats to see if there is any difference? My suggestion would be to get tested for any allergies and go from there.

You may need to have a thorough cleaning & detailing by a professional to get whatever it is out of the car. If this were some fault of Acura, I would suspect you would see more posts about this issue than this.

 

[4-3-53]

Hondaacuraplanet...3 years?!? Omg. Anyone wanna buy my new, hardly driven MDX? Ugh. Beautiful polished steel color, taupe interior, with tech package!

 

[Tsturbo]

No issues here either on my 2011 MDX or our 2006 TSX. Maybe you should smoke it it with the windows rolled up.:29:

 

[Legault mar]

Since I bought my Acura ILX,I have been getting terrible rashes all over getting progressively worse,I am extremely allergic to fromaldehye .
Does anyone hava had a similar problem,if so what do you do?