My 2003 Passat has a musty smell coming from the HVAC system that just won't go away. Have resealed pollen filter and had airsept treatment (this worked for a while, but now the smell is worse than ever). Two dealers have tried (and failed) to fix this. It's so bad I can't take passengers in the car.
View 5 RepliesI know this has been covered many times before but I know how to remedy the problem. My question is that I have an 09 which is still under warranty, is replacing the cabin filter/charcoal filter due to bacterial odor covered under my bumper to bumper warranty? I found some posts where people said it was but I want to double check before i waste time that I don't have with the dealer since I've been really busy with school.
View 10 RepliesOur 2002 Camry SE V6 incurs a burning odor through the HVAC system after braking from moderate or higher speeds (at low speeds, this does not happen). It can last for a few seconds or a few minutes and then goes away (it does not happen while in motion). I cannot smell anything outside the car.
The car was inspected & serviced two months ago with no issues found. The front valve cover was replaced about a year ago but the back valve cover was OK to leave as is.
I would want to say it is the brakes or the snow tires causing the odor but it is strange it only smells inside the car.
Recently noticed after a hard rain, I get a bit of a musty smell in the car. It clears up after a day or so.
I've check everywhere. Everything is dry. I can't find standing water anywhere.
Any problems with standing water?
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 RepliesTwo related problems:
1) Our 2008 dodge grand caravan's recycled cabin air/exterior air flipper is broken. You know, makes the clicking clunking sound until it gives up?
2) Unfortunately this has made the exhaust smell that much worse.
Usually when you drive above 35mph you don't catch engine fumes, but when its anything less you fear you're poisoning your family into early cancer. Obviously we have a leak in the HVAC system somewhere and anytime we take it somewhere for service on something else they just shrug their shoulders.
How to locate the leak so I can keep the engine compartment out of our a/c?
My 08 B6 wagon has a very foul odor emanating from the HVAC system. It started after my wife washed the windshield with vinegar to get rid of some scaling from the bizarre water we have here. She thought the smell was from some of the vinegar running off the windshield. Well, that was several months ago and the smell is no better. Just recently, the temps have been down enough to turn off the AC switch and the smell is even worse.
View 4 Replies2014 TDI Passat with 66k miles. No unusual problems until this point. Three days ago I began to notice a strong ammonia odor coming through the ac vents. Its become significantly worse over the last 24 hours. The vaporized ammonia is sufficiently concentrated to cause eye and nasal irritation. It occurs rapidly, within 30 seconds of turning on the recirc mode. Turning off the recirc mode can clear the cabin quite fast as well. There is no odor or leak perceptible in the engine compartment, under the car, or in the trunk space.
No check engine warning or alarm that there is a problem with the DEF system. DEF fluid container was last topped off about 5k miles ago. Clearly, this is a significant failure of the emission system. I've done a cursory search but have not seen this exact problem written up before. Wondering why a car would be designed with the HVAC close to the to the exhaust/emissions system that it could capture gasses intended for the exhaust system? Its not so much the ammonia I/m worried about as the odorless and toxic Nox gasses the emission system should be reducing. getting dropped off at the dealer tomorrow.
How do you fix the musty smell from the cabin airbox when it is always on recirculate and must be wet inside? I have a 2011 Camry.
View 6 RepliesWhen 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 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 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 Replies2015 Accent 7K miles 5 months old. I'm getting a musty smell from my A/C when I first turn it on in the morning on my way to work. I'm guessing that my cabin filter is the problem. Why so soon? Is it easy to clean/replace? Under warranty?
View 2 RepliesI've got a little bit of a musty smell coming from my AC. I know I need to clean the drain and shoot some deodorizer in there, but I'm trying to find out the best way to do it. The drain hole is tough to get to (on the fire wall right behind the eng block) but I think I can clean it out if I pull the wheel. How do you get the deodorizer into the evap case?
The truck is a '97 F150 S/C 4x4 4.6L.
Just bought a 2003 rwd V10. I do have a few questions. I've heard ball joints are an issue at some point on the Excursion. Mine has 99K miles, is that the range where this issue might arise? Second, and I have beat around the internet for half a day to find this answer- Does the 2003 Excursion have a cabin air filter? Mine has a musty smell when the a/c kicks in and I'd like to address that issue with a new filter if possible and some de-funkifier. I'm looking forward to hearing from other owners. Funny how many Excursions I see on the road now that I own one.
View 4 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 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 RepliesMy sister has a 2008 Camry. While parked at work about 1 month we had a severe thunderstorm and the parking lot flooded. Water got inside the car and the carpets both front and rear got very wet. Now the car has a musty smell. I washed the carpets with Blue Coral upholstery cleaner with odor eliminator. Though it is a little better the musty smell still persists. What can I do to get rid of the smell?
View 14 RepliesCan't figure out any known issue regarding water leakage that may be causing this musty smell in a Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon). It seems to have started after some heavy rains a few weeks ago. Clogged air conditional drip?
View 9 RepliesEvery 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 Replies