So I've got a pretty random issue.

First, a tiny bit of back story. I bought my '07 August of last year. It only had 24,000 miles on it and was in such great condition that the previous owner had left the peel-off plastic on the front floor mats. Needless to say, they were pristine.

About six months ago I took the plastic off because I got tired of looking at it. The underlying carpet was perfect, just had some sticky residue left from having the plastic on it for more than two years.

The sticky is gone, but I've got a new issue. Every time it rains after getting in the car with wet feet, the floor mats begin to smell something awful. Its only after you get in the car with wet feet/shoes and gets the carpet floor mats wet. It smells a lot like mold, but I don't see how that could be.

Is this a mold issue or something else? Should I just replace the mats or is there a fix if it is mold?

 

Pull the mats and get them cleaned. A good detailer can do it. Tell them the problem and see if they can fix it.