Can you smell it to !!!!!!!!

[Stan MI]

Is it just the cargo vans ?? I have had an XL and an XLT, both cargo vans. They smell like rotting meat inside. I got them about a month apart from different dealers. Does anyone else have this ?? If you did, were you able to get rid of it ??????

[King Neptune]

I have had my XLT Wagon for a year now. When I picked it up from the dealer I noticed some of the nastiest funk smell ever. Not the usual new car smell. I actually filed a complaint with the Ford Rep. over this (never heard a thing back though). Anyways, after about a year of ownership the smell is mostly gone, unless it sits unused for awhile with the windows up, then I can notice it again. Makes me wonder about the manufacturing process of the interior components and how safe it is to breathe the air in the vehicle.

[Stan MI]

I have had my XLT Wagon for a year now. When I picked it up from the dealer I noticed some of the nastiest funk smell ever. Not the usual new car smell. I actually filed a complaint with the Ford Rep. over this (never heard a thing back though). Anyways, after about a year of ownership the smell is mostly gone, unless it sits unused for awhile with the windows up, then I can notice it again. Makes me wonder about the manufacturing process of the interior components and how safe it is to breathe the air in the vehicle.

Thanks for the reply KN. You are echoing my concern.

My guess is it's something in the sound deadening insulation (I know there's not much). I have sprayed the carpet with FEBREZE and I don't think the plastic trim could emit that much odor.

Anybody else with the smell and any cures ?

[REC]

Due to a recent faux pas by the servicing dealer trying to raise the shop roof with the roof of my TC, I had the opportunity to do two things. First was for them to access the roof to repair it, they had to drop the headliner. I asked them to leave it down since they had to drop it. I wanted to (and have now done so) insulate the roof and kill some ambient noise off. It worked fairly well, and since they figured on breakiing a bunch of the clips, they gave me two bags of them and had ordered 3 more bags I have yet to pick up. I also got the "recall" clips.

Anyway - while the headliner was loose, I noted what smelled like a gym locker full of stinky sweat socks. I took the headliner into the house for the few days while I was working on the insulation at night after work and before it got dark. The smell did not relocate with the headliner, and oddly enough, it wasn't the same odor the interior had when the TC was new. It was different and far worse. I did the insulation and last Saturday morning, I put the inside of the van back together. With the headliner back in place, the smell went away. When I first got the TC back after the repair (I was present while it was done by a paintless dent removal guy, who by the way, was VERY good.) I thought that maybe someone was pulling a joke on me, but I searched every conceivable spot and found nothing (other than the smell!)

End result - I have the same concern over what the "hello" is in this vehicle in construction that would create such a hideous odor. It is apparently in the body, as the trim panels and seats have all been out at one point or another for access to modify stuff. Nothing individually stinks when removed, but the smell with everything out remains. The "new car" odor went away pretty quickly, and the TC has never smelled anything other than clean until the headliner removal, and with it back in place, there's no more odor and we're now back to clean normal smell.

This is an oddity and as the only thing left to do is to make side trim for the rear interior, and finish the floor insulation up front, I hope never to have to smell that again!

Still Happily Transiting

Roland C.

(New was 8/28/09 - 26K miles now)

Edited November 14, 2010 by REC

[Mr Downsize]

Thanks for the reply KN. You are echoing my concern.

My guess is it's something in the sound deadening insulation (I know there's not much). I have sprayed the carpet with FEBREZE and I don't think the plastic trim could emit that much odor.

Anybody else with the smell and any cures ?

bought my t/c in 2/10 stunk until 8/10 still not shure what it is

[Connect owner UK]

We have a saying in the UK when anything smells bad, "smells like a Turkish brothel".

Errr, remind me, where is the TC made???

[STxFarmer]

My floor liner had the bad smell and as soon as I replaced it the van didn't stink anymore.

[ncranchero]

There IS a TSB on Rubber Mat Offensive Odor. It doesn't specify rotting meat, locker room or Turkish Brothel odor.........

TSB 10-1-10

Publication Date: January 15, 2010

FORD: 2010 Transit Connect

ISSUE:

Some 2010 Transit Connect Vans may emit an offensive odor to the customer, coming from the black rubber cargo mat, in hot ambient temperatures.

ACTION:

Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

To reduce the odor until it dissipates naturally, we recommend the following:

Place about 1 lb. of charcoal briquettes in an open, shallow container.

Place the container in the middle of the cargo compartment.

Close all of the doors and windows of the van and keep them closed for 24 hours. The charcoal will absorb a great deal of the odor.

After 24 hours, dispose of the charcoal as required by local regulations.

Soak a piece of cloth with Pine-Sol® cleaner (do not dilute the Pine-Sol® cleaner with water) and wipe a very thin coat of Pine-Sol® cleaner on the mat.

Allow the mat to dry and air vehicle out for another 24 hours.

WARRANTY STATUS:

Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage

IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME

MT100110 Use SLTS Operations If Available; Claim Additional Diagnosis Or Labor Performed As Actual Time. Actual Time

DEALER CODING

BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE

7013000 42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2010 Ford Motor Company

Edited November 18, 2010 by ncranchero

[Stan MI]

There IS a TSB on Rubber Mat Offensive Odor. It doesn't specify rotting meat, locker room or Turkish Brothel odor.........

TSB 10-1-10

Publication Date: January 15, 2010

FORD: 2010 Transit Connect

ISSUE:

Some 2010 Transit Connect Vans may emit an offensive odor to the customer, coming from the black rubber cargo mat, in hot ambient temperatures.

ACTION:

Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

To reduce the odor until it dissipates naturally, we recommend the following:

Place about 1 lb. of charcoal briquettes in an open, shallow container.

Place the container in the middle of the cargo compartment.

Close all of the doors and windows of the van and keep them closed for 24 hours. The charcoal will absorb a great deal of the odor.

After 24 hours, dispose of the charcoal as required by local regulations.

Soak a piece of cloth with Pine-Sol® cleaner (do not dilute the Pine-Sol® cleaner with water) and wipe a very thin coat of Pine-Sol® cleaner on the mat.

Allow the mat to dry and air vehicle out for another 24 hours.

WARRANTY STATUS:

Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage

IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME

MT100110 Use SLTS Operations If Available; Claim Additional Diagnosis Or Labor Performed As Actual Time. Actual Time

DEALER CODING

BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE

7013000 42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2010 Ford Motor Company

Thanks for the post !!!! I'll give it a try !!

[GioDiGreek]

There IS a TSB on Rubber Mat Offensive Odor. It doesn't specify rotting meat, locker room or Turkish Brothel odor.........

TSB 10-1-10

Publication Date: January 15, 2010

FORD: 2010 Transit Connect

ISSUE:

Some 2010 Transit Connect Vans may emit an offensive odor to the customer, coming from the black rubber cargo mat, in hot ambient temperatures.

ACTION:

Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

To reduce the odor until it dissipates naturally, we recommend the following:

Place about 1 lb. of charcoal briquettes in an open, shallow container.

Place the container in the middle of the cargo compartment.

Close all of the doors and windows of the van and keep them closed for 24 hours. The charcoal will absorb a great deal of the odor.

After 24 hours, dispose of the charcoal as required by local regulations.

Soak a piece of cloth with Pine-Sol® cleaner (do not dilute the Pine-Sol® cleaner with water) and wipe a very thin coat of Pine-Sol® cleaner on the mat.

Allow the mat to dry and air vehicle out for another 24 hours.

WARRANTY STATUS:

Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage

IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME

MT100110 Use SLTS Operations If Available; Claim Additional Diagnosis Or Labor Performed As Actual Time. Actual Time

DEALER CODING

BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE

7013000 42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2010 Ford Motor Company

This is BIG B.S. All is about taxes.

When the Transit comes here in the US in a local facility warehouse, (No Factory) they are taking apart all the rear seats and windows and installing this recycled el chipo rubber mat that truly stings like gym shocks. And seriously what dealer is going to place a box with charcoals for 24 hours and clean with Pinesole. Let's be serious. Just remove the black rubber mat and replace it with a mat from Home Depot for $90 and forget about the smell. I guess if the charcoals are King FORD maybe the dealers getting them for free.

Here is the full story.

How Ford Motor Beats The "Chicken Tax" Importing The New Transit Connect

Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1253...DDLETopStories

By MATTHEW DOLAN: The Wall Street Journal

BALTIMORE -- Several times a month, Transit Connect vans from a Ford Motor Co. factory in Turkey roll off a ship here shiny and new, rear side windows gleaming, back seats firmly bolted to the floor.

Their first stop in America is a low-slung, brick warehouse where those same windows, never squeegeed at a gas station, and seats, never touched by human backsides, are promptly ripped out.

The fabric is shredded, the steel parts are broken down, and everything is sent off along with the glass to be recycled.

Why all the fuss and feathers? Blame the "chicken tax."

The seats and windows are but dressing to help Ford navigate the wreckage of a 46-year-old trade spat. In the early 1960s, Europe put high tariffs on imported chicken, taking aim at rising U.S. sales to West Germany. President Johnson retaliated in 1963, in part by targeting German-made Volkswagens with a tax on imports of foreign-made trucks and commercial vans.

The 1960s went the way of love beads and sitar records, but the chicken tax never died. Europe still has a tariff on imports of U.S. chicken, and the U.S. still hits delivery vans imported from overseas with a 25% tariff. American companies have to pay, too, which puts Ford in the weird position of circumventing U.S. trade rules that for years have protected U.S. auto makers' market for trucks.

Since cargo doesn't need seats with seat belts or to look out the window, those items are on the list. So Ford ships all its Transit Connects with both, calls them "wagons" instead of "commercial vans." Installing and removing unneeded seats and windows costs the company hundreds of dollars per van, but the import tax falls dramatically, to 2.5 percent, saving thousands.

When gas prices spiked, Ford saw a market among small-business owners in the U.S. Prices start at $20,780, much lower than would have been possible if Ford had to cover the chicken tax. Sales are off to a fast start. In August, Ford sold more than 2,200 in the U.S.

"It's great for city driving," said Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and star of Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. "It's shorter, smaller and has really good fuel economy." He bought a black Transit Connect last month. Since he doesn't carry passengers, his van has no windows or seats in the back.

[GioDiGreek]

Real Smelly Business!!!!!!!!!!!

Cut and paste from the link above.

The vans leave Turkey on cargo ships owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. Once they arrive in Baltimore, they are driven into a warehouse, where 65 workers from the shipping company's WWL Vehicle Services Americas Inc. convert them into commercial vehicles amid the blare of rock music and the whirring of industrial fans.

On a recent afternoon, a handful of vans passed through the warehouse unmolested as passenger wagons. But the vast majority were lined up to have windows pulled out, and they all had their rear seats removed.

In one lane, supervisor Robert Dowdy watched as two workers removed the rear side windows. They cut out the rubber seal with a special knife and popped out the glass using suction cups. The space is plugged with a metal panel that cures for 15 minutes before being tested outside for waterproofing.

At the start of that same lane, Mayso Lawrence unhooked a rear seat belt as easily as he would pop the top off a soda bottle. Using a drill, he quickly unscrewed six bolts to free the seats. Workers at the other end dump the seats into cardboard boxes, which are hoisted onto an open tractor-trailer and shipped to Ohio. Ford says the shredded seat fabric and foam become landfill cover, while the steel is processed for other uses.

"I never thought about why we take out the seats, but if that's what the customer wants, that's what we'll give them," Mr. Lawrence said.

With the seat removed, Mr. Lawrence puts in a new floor panel to cover the holes, toots the horn to signal he's finished, then gets to work on another van. The whole process takes him less than five minutes.

Rob Stevens, chief engineer for Ford's commercial vehicles, says the auto maker decided against shipping the seats back to Turkey for use in the next wave of vans for the U.S.

"We thought going through the recycling process was best," he said. "The steel is valuable."

[Crossfire]

2011 TC Wagon XLT

I have an extremely strong chemical smell in the van. After sitting for the weekend, today it was so bad, my nose is burning and I could taste it in my mouth at the first job today.

I think it is coming from the seats.

Does anybody else have the same thing? There's only 8600 miles on it.

[Andreas]

Hi! I have a transit custom with exactly the same issue. Driving me crazy. Did you get rid of the problem? Please let me know or i have to sell the car. 

/Andreas

[Andreas]

On 6/21/2011 at 5:12 AM, Crossfire said:

2011 TC Wagon XLT

I have an extremely strong chemical smell in the van. After sitting for the weekend, today it was so bad, my nose is burning and I could taste it in my mouth at the first job today.

I think it is coming from the seats.

Does anybody else have the same thing? There's only 8600 miles on it.

 

1 minute ago, Andreas said:

Hi! I have a transit custom with exactly the same issue. Driving me crazy. Did you get rid of the problem? Please let me know or i have to sell the car. 

/Andreas

 

[Beta Don]

Andreas  -  The last post to this thread was more than 7 years ago.   Pretty unlikely you'll get a reply from any of those who discussed this way back then . . . . doubtful any of them still own their TC's

 

Don

[Andreas]

True! But there might be others with same peoblem that happens to read it?

[WillMartin]

For what its worth, I just bought a 2010 TC.  It was built in November 2009, so it's maybe a 2009 if it was in Europe even though it was sold as a 2010 in California when it was new.  It is a cargo van, and has a rubber mat in the back.  The van doesn't smell great inside.  The closest smell I can think of is the smell of rubber and other parts in a motorcycle dealership.  I'm absolutely sure that the smell is the rubber mat in the back, even though it is now nine years old.  I have not had the van long enough to decide if the smell bothers me or not, but I'm 100% sure it's the rubber mat.