I have the same thing in my car. I'm having the dealership fix it. The already did the deodorizer that did not work. It still smells like dirty socks for about 20 seconds after the vents start blowing. It's going back in Wednesday for more work.
stinky smell from AC at the start
hello,
i am sure many of you have experienced this, stinky (mildew) smell at the start when you start the car (mine is 2013 Fusion Ti), i have been experiencing this on and off for few months now, looked up online and found lots of youtube videos talking about it for various cars. one suggested using lysol nuetra air in the AC vents that suck outside air, which are under the hood. it works for few days and the smell comes back.
but i would like to ask if anyone has found any permanent solution. i have heard suggestions like turning off the AC 5 minutes before turning off the car so the evaporator core doesnt remain damp and doesnt become mildew hotbed. whenever i keep the AC on auto, I can see there is lots of condensation, as even in 5 minutes, while the car is standing still there is a puddle under it.
any help is appreciated. :smiler:
i am sure many of you have experienced this, stinky (mildew) smell at the start when you start the car (mine is 2013 Fusion Ti), i have been experiencing this on and off for few months now, looked up online and found lots of youtube videos talking about it for various cars. one suggested using lysol nuetra air in the AC vents that suck outside air, which are under the hood. it works for few days and the smell comes back.
but i would like to ask if anyone has found any permanent solution. i have heard suggestions like turning off the AC 5 minutes before turning off the car so the evaporator core doesnt remain damp and doesnt become mildew hotbed. whenever i keep the AC on auto, I can see there is lots of condensation, as even in 5 minutes, while the car is standing still there is a puddle under it.
any help is appreciated. :smiler:
1 - 20 of 23 Posts
Having same issue... MMarfan pls keep us updated with dealership solution?
thx.
thx.
i have this problem.. im curious to see what we find out.
I usually remote start my car a few moments before I get in so I hadn't been noticing it. But my car apparently has the same issue.
They are going to take apart the dash this upcomimg Monday to make sure that everything is assembled right. There is also someone else that came in at the dealership that has the same problem. It must be a more widespread issue.
I don't have a smell. (that i can tell) However, when my AC is on very low it sounds like there is water running on the back side of my dash. Anyone else notice this? I'm not going to bother taking it into the dealer because I'm afraid they will take the dash apart and when they put it back together there will be new noises from the reassembly.
I noticed the smell too, it's pretty bad. I've never heard of something like this. I hope some kind of fix comes up.hello,
i am sure many of you have experienced this, stinky (mildew) smell at the start when you start the car (mine is 2013 Fusion Ti), i have been experiencing this on and off for few months now, looked up online and found lots of youtube videos talking about it for various cars. one suggested using lysol nuetra air in the AC vents that suck outside air, which are under the hood. it works for few days and the smell comes back.
but i would like to ask if anyone has found any permanent solution. i have heard suggestions like turning off the AC 5 minutes before turning off the car so the evaporator core doesnt remain damp and doesnt become mildew hotbed. whenever i keep the AC on auto, I can see there is lots of condensation, as even in 5 minutes, while the car is standing still there is a puddle under it.
any help is appreciated. :smiler:
The water you hear is probably just the drain for the condensation build up. They usually drain from under the dash through the firewall or floor near the firewall.I don't have a smell. (that i can tell) However, when my AC is on very low it sounds like there is water running on the back side of my dash. Anyone else notice this? I'm not going to bother taking it into the dealer because I'm afraid they will take the dash apart and when they put it back together there will be new noises from the reassembly.
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We should not have to pay over 20K even 30K for a brand new car that smells like dirty socks. This is completely unacceptable and should be dealt with.
Yeah mine was almost $33 grand. And besides the sock smell I have plenty other issues. I love the car but im also very disappointed as well.We should not have to pay over 20K even 30K for a brand new car that smells like dirty socks. This is completely unacceptable and should be dealt with.
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The dealership now tells me they have 4 cars total with this issue.
We have this problem every year with EVERY vehicle around these parts
I live in a high humidity area, so this problem exists for all makes and models of vehicles if you don't do regular maintenance on it. There is a really easy fix for this.
Put the temperature up high, 80 degrees or higher, and run the AC.
I do it several times when we are having spells of cooler weather to keep it under control. This past summer was so wet around here I had to do it in August, not cool.
I live in a high humidity area, so this problem exists for all makes and models of vehicles if you don't do regular maintenance on it. There is a really easy fix for this.
Put the temperature up high, 80 degrees or higher, and run the AC.
I do it several times when we are having spells of cooler weather to keep it under control. This past summer was so wet around here I had to do it in August, not cool.
my car does this you can really smell it if you turn to cold but dont have the ac button pressed on i though maybe it was the smell of freon
I have never smelt this or ever heard of it, I'm in and out of different cars all the time. And it's a brand new car...I live in a high humidity area, so this problem exists for all makes and models of vehicles if you don't do regular maintenance on it. There is a really easy fix for this.
Put the temperature up high, 80 degrees or higher, and run the AC.
I do it several times when we are having spells of cooler weather to keep it under control. This past summer was so wet around here I had to do it in August, not cool.
The system would have to leak somewhere where it would go through the vents. Freon smells horrible and is really bad to breathe in.my car does this you can really smell it if you turn to cold but dont have the ac button pressed on i though maybe it was the smell of freon
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can you do us a favor and tell us what exactly the dealership does to solve this issue? i would like to get it fixed too, but if as somebody said its common issue for humid climates, then i dont want to ripped apart unnecessarily...The dealership now tells me they have 4 cars total with this issue.
This is an age old problem. Some cars experience it worse than others. Some climates aggravate it more than others. Some users have more trouble than others.
One of the causes can be from things left behind in the car. A dirty sock smell may be from dirty socks or smelly gym clothes, so make sure you do you part by removing them.
The most common cause is from a growth that get into the under dash A/C components. An algae type growth on the evaporator core can happen in a worst case situation. The conditions can be prime for such growth from dust and moisture. Moisture being the biggest issue.
A few years ago the engineers for some automakers install "afterblow" programming that turned on the blower for a few minutes to finish drying things out after a few minutes of engine shut down.
Anything you can do, as a driver, to help dry out that area may help. Shutting off the A/C a few minutes before engine shut down while keeping the blower on helps. Turning the heat way up a few minutes before shutdown does nearly the same thing.
Keeping the cabin filter clean helps, if your car is equipped. Sometimes that is the main solution.
There are cleaning systems that help to kill and clean out the algae growth. Some work better than others. Some are easier to use than others. Loading the area up with rubbing alcohol or even Lysol often helps, but some say that cure is worse than the problem until the Lysol wears off.
In the most severe cases, the dash needs to come apart, the evaporator core removed, and wash in a bleach solution.
The automaker cannot control the environment in which you drive that tends to aggravate the situation, but they certainly can do a better job of designing around it. If the car is still in warranty, it most certainly should be returned to the dealer for them to deal with. With enough history of the problem, the automaker should eventually respond with a more robust answer.
I can't tell you how many evaporator cores I've seen removed for cleaning. Very many.
One of the causes can be from things left behind in the car. A dirty sock smell may be from dirty socks or smelly gym clothes, so make sure you do you part by removing them.
The most common cause is from a growth that get into the under dash A/C components. An algae type growth on the evaporator core can happen in a worst case situation. The conditions can be prime for such growth from dust and moisture. Moisture being the biggest issue.
A few years ago the engineers for some automakers install "afterblow" programming that turned on the blower for a few minutes to finish drying things out after a few minutes of engine shut down.
Anything you can do, as a driver, to help dry out that area may help. Shutting off the A/C a few minutes before engine shut down while keeping the blower on helps. Turning the heat way up a few minutes before shutdown does nearly the same thing.
Keeping the cabin filter clean helps, if your car is equipped. Sometimes that is the main solution.
There are cleaning systems that help to kill and clean out the algae growth. Some work better than others. Some are easier to use than others. Loading the area up with rubbing alcohol or even Lysol often helps, but some say that cure is worse than the problem until the Lysol wears off.
In the most severe cases, the dash needs to come apart, the evaporator core removed, and wash in a bleach solution.
The automaker cannot control the environment in which you drive that tends to aggravate the situation, but they certainly can do a better job of designing around it. If the car is still in warranty, it most certainly should be returned to the dealer for them to deal with. With enough history of the problem, the automaker should eventually respond with a more robust answer.
I can't tell you how many evaporator cores I've seen removed for cleaning. Very many.
If it's common in high humidity areas I don't know. I live in NJ and its gets very humid in the summer bit dry during the winter. I also work at a body shop and I have never smelt any mold smell like this car. Some can smell some even moldy but this is horrible at least in my car and it's only a few months old. It goes away after running the a/c for a couple minutesThis is an age old problem. Some cars experience it worse than others. Some climates aggravate it more than others. Some users have more trouble than others.
One of the causes can be from things left behind in the car. A dirty sock smell may be from dirty socks or smelly gym clothes, so make sure you do you part by removing them.
The most common cause is from a growth that get into the under dash A/C components. An algae type growth on the evaporator core can happen in a worst case situation. The conditions can be prime for such growth from dust and moisture. Moisture being the biggest issue.
A few years ago the engineers for some automakers install "afterblow" programming that turned on the blower for a few minutes to finish drying things out after a few minutes of engine shut down.
Anything you can do, as a driver, to help dry out that area may help. Shutting off the A/C a few minutes before engine shut down while keeping the blower on helps. Turning the heat way up a few minutes before shutdown does nearly the same thing.
Keeping the cabin filter clean helps, if your car is equipped. Sometimes that is the main solution.
There are cleaning systems that help to kill and clean out the algae growth. Some work better than others. Some are easier to use than others. Loading the area up with rubbing alcohol or even Lysol often helps, but some say that cure is worse than the problem until the Lysol wears off.
In the most severe cases, the dash needs to come apart, the evaporator core removed, and wash in a bleach solution.
The automaker cannot control the environment in which you drive that tends to aggravate the situation, but they certainly can do a better job of designing around it. If the car is still in warranty, it most certainly should be returned to the dealer for them to deal with. With enough history of the problem, the automaker should eventually respond with a more robust answer.
I can't tell you how many evaporator cores I've seen removed for cleaning. Very many.
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The amount of stink coming from the vents is rediculous. No offence but I'm not running the vent on longer or turning the temprature up. This is a brand new car and shouldn't smell. I have a 100,000 mile CX7 that doesn't smell like this.
Anyone every hear of the issue? My boss has the issue with his Titanium and I do not have it with my Titanium. He's about to have our tech tear his car apart, so I thought I'd check here first.
Nothing yet. If I don't hear from my dealership by the end of the month I'll have them year the car apart.
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