I have a 2021 Rx 350 that I have had less than a year. Around 2 weeks ago I started noticing an odor like something had died somewhere. It started out faintly but now its worse. I searched everywhere I could inside the car and found nothing or any evidence of anything that had been inside the car. The cabin filter had a some of dead grass, small crushed leaves but the filter or the grass did not have the odor that was in the car. I put in a new one to cover the bases. I shut and covered all the air vents, defrosters, and where the heat blows on your feet in the car with painters tape to seal them, the odor still comes back. When you peel the tape back to smell the vents, it smells normal inside the vent area. I cant believe the issue is in the ventilation system. When driving you can't you cant smell anything bad with the heat or AC on, within an hour or two of parking the car the odor starts to work back in. I checked the the air intake filter to see if any critters were in there and it looks brand new. I'm almost suspecting the aniline leather seats. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated, Thanks

 

Have you looked under the seats for an old fried shrimp? LOL
Can you smell it in the engine bay after it sits?
Is the passenger foot well damp or wet? This could indicate a plugged a/c drain.

 

No shrimp LOL. Engine bay does not have the odor at all. Everything is dry by the foot well as far as I can tell, car is garaged every night, so rain entering somewhere shouldn't happen either. Being winter in New England AC has not been used much but from what I remember the drain has always worked judging by water on the garage floor that I have seen in the past. Had the vents closed and taped up all night and the odor was still there this morning but not as bad as it has been, peeled back some of the tape and no odor inside the vents, if there was something dead in there i would think the odor would be overpowering, Thanks for you suggestions

 

Our 2019 developed an acrid smell from the vents almost like dirty socks. The wife always operated the AC in the recirculate mode. I switched it to bring in outside air, and the odor gradually went away. When the condensate puddle on the garage floor dried up, there remained a pink colored stain. This may not apply to your situation as you reside in CT and would not be using the AC this time of year, except for defrosting. You may want to turn off the Auto mode and make sure the AC function is off until you need it.

 

I would open the hood and check all the air passages / grills below the windshield for any damages. Grass and leaves should not get to cabin air filter. Make sure you don't/didn't have a mouse or other animal nesting there.

 

Please let us know what the cause was when you find it.

 

Don't forget to look under the back deck where the spare tire is. Lot's of room in there for a dead animal or a long forgotten meat loaf sandwich. Pregnant women have a keener sense of smell. See if you can find one that will help you sniff out the source.

 

Replace the cabin filter. Smell will be gone.

ps. It is perfectly normal to have particles of leaves and other stuff in old filter. That’s what is for.

 

Nice video. But, the OP stated he replaced the cabin filter and the smell remained.

 

Ha! Your post brought back a (smelly) memory.....went grocery shopping while in Florida (snow bird), brought it up to the condo. Unpacked everything but couldn't find the package of chicken. Figured they forgot to pack it at the store. Well, two 90 degree days passed until I went out to go somewhere. I got about 10 ft from the car and couldn't stand the smell. Found the package of chicken in the back of my RX350. Took a looooong time to get rid of the smell!

 

I stand corrected

 

Dead mouse somewhere . Under seats under carpet could be anywhere .Get your nose in there real close and you will find it .
Speaking from experince on this one .

 

Still haven't resolved the odor issue, seems to be concentrated in the front of the car, checked the spare tire area and clean as a whistle, taking the car to the dealer tomorrow, will report back if and when issue is resolved. Had some warmer weather in NE today and it seems worse. AC came on today and water was draining from evaporator so I guess its not plugged. Hard to believe a dead mouse can smell for almost 3 weeks now. Thanks for the suggestions

 

Sounds too long for a mouse. Must be a rat!

 

Don't know if you've tried going to the car wash and have the under carriage washed. You may have ran over something since the smell is under the front part of your RX.