Every time I get in and start up my GX it omits a moldy / musty smell out of the vents, it stinks! It goes away in a matter of seconds but it seems at every start up I get that smell again, it's kind of embarrassing.
View 14 RepliesI have a 2013 and after it sits for a day especially when it's warm the AC vents put out a moldy smell when starting. I've heard all the ideas of Turing off AC before shouting down engine but that shouldn't required for a Lexus of all cars. The dealer ran a refresh we thru the systems that worked for a few days but that was it. I've never had this problem with my 2004 RX. I also replaced the cabin filter with a charcoal based one. Seems a $45,000 vehicle shouldn't have this type of problem
View 14 RepliesI bought a new 2013 ES 300h. It only has 7K miles on it. When I first start it up for the day there is a moldy smell coming out of the vents for a few minutes. I've not taken it through any deep water.
Does it just need some new vent filters? What filters would be involved?
Getting a sour, moldy, or musty smell when the car starts and the air is pushed out the front vents. I know its getting hot and humid here in midwest but kind of started before and smell got gradually worst with humidity. It goes away in like 15 seconds but its a pain to have a new/used care and it smell like a 16 year boy when you start up. Though the AC filter might be moldy or has some funk on it.
View 14 RepliesMy wife's RX has had this weird, what I'd call a moldy/mildewy smell when you open the hatch. Cleaned everything out, check spare compartment for moisture, emptied out everything in the hatch, had the car detailed, and it's still there.
View 2 RepliesAfter 1 year and 9000 miles, I have the dreaded moldy smell through the AC vents. Thought this would be covered by warranty but Toyota says "NO" and will cost me$120. That is unacceptable to have to pay $120/year for a problem that should NOT happen. I have had too many cars in the past to count and have never had this problem. It has to be a design issue (poor drainage??) 2012 PIP.
View 16 RepliesI enjoy your show and newspaper column. Here's my situation. I have a 2008 Grand Prix with a stinky problem. There's a terrible musty, moldy smell that comes out of my vents (any vents, i.e. dashboard, floor, defrost) after I shut off my air conditioning. When just the fresh air from outside is coming through the vents, everything is just fine. When I turn on my air conditioning, everything is just fine. When I turn off my air conditioning is when the funky smell starts.
Mechanic number one cleaned out the drain hole, sprayed anti-mold spray and foam through the air intake vents with the recirculation switch on and the windows rolled up. But the mold is still there. Mechanic number two shared with me that the only way to get the mold out is to disassemble part of the A/C unit, physically clean out and disinfect the unit and then add some other part that drain or dry the unit so moisture never sits in there and starts the molding process. Is that the best way to deal with this problem?
So, at 14k it looks like I have that musty smell coming out of the AC vents. I've seen a TSB on here that addresses it. Hopefully my first trip to the dealership for anything other than an oil change doesn't present me with any other surprises.
View 8 RepliesMy bride reports a musty smell, possibly coming from the A/C vents, in her new v5. I've been away from home for six weeks and have not driven the car since we brought it home from the dealer on Sept 2. In years past we had a series of Ford Tauruses that had this problem. Apparently moisture from condensation builds up somewhere in the system and mold/mildew results. We used to have to spray Lysol into the HVAC air intake to alleviate the problem for a while.
View 19 RepliesI few weeks ago noticed musty smell out of my air vents but didn't mind it thinking it something temporary. Mind you that this only occurs when i have just the fan running without the AC or recycle feature. I opened up the filter and cleaned it out of debris. Looking at the filter it seem like it got wet because of color change that occurs on it, brownish(muddy). I bought the car pre-owned almost 10 months ago, had one service done but unfortunately Hyundai dealer scheduled the service hour before closing down and i think they didn't mind checking the filter, let alone checking tire/brake tread and no car wash.
View 9 RepliesI got my first Toyota couple months ago, Camry xle i4 38k. Everything is fine except for the not-so-smooth tranny, but I get used to it. The thing annoys me is the moldy smell from the vents. I usually turn on fan (A/C off, inner circulation on), when notice the smell, I changed the cabin air filter (the old one has tons of dirt!!). the smell goes away, but whenever I put on defroster, it comes back.
View 11 RepliesMy a/c vents smells musty/moldy when A/C is turned on, searched the FTE site and everyone says to check the A/C drain tube to make sure it is not clogged, I have searched all over top and bottom with a flashlight for the drain tube and swear there isn't one. I think it should be on the bottom of the condenser box but just do not see it. Where it is located? The vent smell is Awful!
2000 F350 Super Cab 7.3 Diesel
My 2012 corolla has got about 7500 on it, and recently whenever I turn off the A/C, and keep it running on fan, it smells like old socks or really bad B.O. through the vents. Stays like this for about 5 minutes and goes away.
I heard of spraying Lysol through the air intakes, is it the one right below the windshield wipers? I know I should probably take out the cabin air filter and give that a thorough cleaning as well. Is there anything else I should do to eliminate the smell?It's getting to be pretty bad..
I have a 2012 Toyota Corolla LE. When the A/C is first turned on, a strange, musty smell comes from the air vents. As the system cools, the smell changes slightly but never goes away. It has done this since shortly after I bought the vehicle. Dealer has checked cabin air filter and says it is OK.
View 5 RepliesIn the last week the I've noticed a moldy metallic smell when I turn my ac on. I've tired to come up with what I would liken it to. Almost as it the ac hadn't been turn own in months or it was almost out of freon. It's only a month old so I wonder what it might be.
View 5 RepliesI get a musty odor from my vents from time to time. It usually happens on days when it is damp out and often on startup but sometimes it happens later in the trip. Its quite strong, unpleasant, and terrible for allergies.
I read something about this a long time ago but cannot find the posts. Found a TSB summary on VW's site but Dealer pulled it and says its for Passat. Thinking its something in the A/C or ventilation system.
I did read the most recent thread on this, and while those lessons would be good if I was out of warranty, I'm about to go in for the 5k service after 2 months on the road.
View 19 RepliesWhen starting the RX, I smell something I would describe as "burning insulation". It happens only first 10-20 seconds after the air comes out from the vents, and then the smell disappears. The smell is stronger after prolonged parking. It is the strongest in the morning and less noticeable after I start the RX 2-3 more times ( I usually make 6-8 short trips during the day). The smell was very strong when I started the RX first time after it was parked for one week (while we went on vacation).
There are no warning lights, and the vehicle runs just fine. I pulled out the carbon cabin filter (changed about 3 mo ago) - it did not smell and was very clean still. I am hesitant to go to the dealer-afraid they will rip apart the dash, which they probably will not be able to put back together without having rattles and noises after.
The smell comes from the inside - there is no smell under the hood after I start the RX.
When I start my car after its been sitting overnight, I get a musty smell arising from the AC/fan exhausts.... it dissipates shortly but it happens almost every time.
View 1 RepliesI bought a used a 2008 LS600hL and noticed that when I run the fresh air setting with the AC off (like in winter) I get a musty smell in the cabin. I had Stevens Creek Lexus (Santa Clara Ca.) check it out and they tried to put a fragrance on it but that wore off after a few days. I have no problems with the water drainage (they checked) but wonder if I need to pull the AC coils and replace or something like that.
View 6 RepliesSo I've been noticing this winter that pretty much after every cold start a weird smell comes through the vents. To me it smells like natural gas, like the type found in some gas heating systems. It tends to go away after about 10mins. It may have also faded in and out once or twice when the car was running for an extended period of time.
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