Well, it looks like my mom has an entirely new issue with her washer. It seems that without excessive care after every wash day, mildew will quite easily build up in the unit. The problem (and the smell) is so bad currently that she's starting from scratch and having a technician simply replace the part.

According to some owners of this model, the washer will also leak out the front during the wash cycle. Apparently Bosch's only solution to this is something out turning the water off when the washer isn't in use.

I've never heard of anyone doing either of these things with their washers. My parents owned a front loader in the old house for about 10 years, and they NEVER cleaned it out, and it smells just fine. And here's this new, supposedly high-end washer that smells so bad I had to leave the laundry room when the door was open. Yikes!