Lexus RX 2010-15 :: AC Vents Put Out Moldy Smell When Starting
Oct 4, 2013
I 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
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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.
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I 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?
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My 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.
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After 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.
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I 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?
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My 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
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In 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.
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When 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.
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Over the last few days, noticed immediately after starting car with AC on - slight mildew smell from the vents. Seems to last a few seconds then clears.
My Gen 3 is just over a year old with 10K miles. Live in Central Florida so the air has been on for plenty of those miles. Most times my HVAC is set Auto/75/AC on, and use no special procedures to vent the evaporator with non/cooled air prior to shutting off the car.
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So I thought the smell had been taken care of last year by the dealership (which I had to pay for) but that was not the case. As soon as the temp's outside started getting hot out, I notcied the mold smell starting to come back. Had the pollen filter replaced again this year at my expense and once again, the smell is still there. It happens after the car sits a while and only when I'm running outside air. It also happens as soon as you turn the air on whether its the A/C or just outside air. I plan on calling the dealership again today because to be honest, it's a bit embarassing when I have other people/clients in my car. Is there anything that I can do on my own to cure this?
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I have a strange (musky) smell coming from my air vents when i turn on the air. I was told by the dealer that this could be mold growing inside the vents because I use the AC a lot. Is there any cure for this besides going to the dealer? they told me that they can partial get rid of this by spraying a chemical into the vent but they cannot guarantee that it will work.
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If I turn off my AC while driving but leave the fans running, I get a distinct sour/stale smell from the vents.
This also occurs when I turn on the AC. What might be causing this?
Is there a pan or something that needs to be cleaned? There is a fresh Cabin filter installed.
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I've been having this funky smell from vents lately. It doesn't exactly smell foul or corpse-like, but rather more of an old unwashed sock....
The smell seems to come out after a bit of driving with the AC off. When I turn it on, it goes away after a little while.
This has been happening everyday, and I'm thinking that it's condensation, or maybe I just need to change my filter... Is there a way to get rid of this smell without changing anything?
I've read that I can spray Lysol at the bottom of the dash board (where the driver's and passengers feet are) with the AC on at the coldest setting with the recirculate button on. Doing that will flush out the vents and kill whatever is in there.
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I am experiencing a strange rubber burning smell coming through their vents.
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I noticed a bit of funky smell coming from the vents when I first turn on the AC and after turning off the AC. So I am trying to locate the air conditioner evaporator drain hose and make sure it's not plugged.
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My 2010 Dodge Caliber has been leaking anti-freeze very slowly. I notice it when I start the car up and for the first minute I can actually smell the antifreeze coming through the vents when I have the air on. If I park the car and go in to the grocery store for a few minutes and start it up again the smell doesn't re-occur. I imagine I have a leak somewhere that is dripping onto the engine and when the car starts up from cold it burns it which is sending that smell through my vents.
I was told a while ago it could be the heater core, however I would assume that if it was the heater core I would have had a fog up on my window or a constant smell, not one that dissipates after a minute.
I had this problem last year except I was losing a lot of antifreeze (about a whole reservoir in 3 - 4 days. The problem was found to be a broken clamp on one of the hoses. This time however I cannot find any broken clamps or a source of the leak for that matter. I did notice that when I shut the car off the one time, and checked under the hood of the car I seen one air bubble spring up from the reservoir tank. I cannot see any signs of a leak from under the hood. However under the car I can see it is dripping from the frame, but not where it is coming from.
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So 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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When I started my car, there was this fishy smell coming out from air condition for about few seconds and then it was gone. I parked my car outside all the time and I was wondering if it had anything to do with the heat or because of exposing the car under the sun for too long? I just changed my air filter about 3000k miles ago.
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I have a Corolla XLi 2010 (1.6) which from the moment I bought the car it had this problem with the AC (I bought it used and was informed about the issue so I got it with a good price).
The AC sometimes starts and sometimes it doesn't I thought it was just lacking of freon gas but wasn't that, and except this problem the second one is that sometimes it smells like mold coming from the AC. May be are related or maybe not, but I really want to resolve these issues asap.
I'm adding some more info, when the AC isn't working I don't hear the AC sound, and of course when it's working I hear the classic AC sound, and another "thingy" is that when I push the car around 120km/h the AC keeps working more , and also some times if isn't working and I hit the turbo increasing the RPM and making the car scream like a sport car , suddenly the AC starts (but I don't do thsi all the time) and it's just my impression of daily-use.
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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.
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