Foul Smell in Cabin From Vents / AC

[Mikie1]

So far, so good. To be honest we haven't had to run the AC much since the repair.

The interesting part is that it took about 9 months from the time we got our truck to the time the smell originally developed. We took delivery on Halloween, 2012 so half of that 9 months we didn't use the AC much, if any.

 

[IT.Dave]

Is there anything new on this subject? They want to do the hose replacements next week... I am still not feeling that this is the right thing to do.

 

[peterk9]

Is there anything new on this subject? They want to do the hose replacements next week... I am still not feeling that this is the right thing to do.

Nothing new that I have heard about. Can't hurt to have them change the hoses. At least if it doesn't work, then that is one possible fix you can scratch off the list as the cause.

Peter

 

[yow04xplr]

Is there anything new on this subject? They want to do the hose replacements next week... I am still not feeling that this is the right thing to do.

I have a 2011. Noticed the smell when it was new. Haven't noticed it in the past 18-24 months. It eventually just goes away.

 

[IT.Dave]

Peter,

My experience is this:

Let a dealer work on your vehicle that you purchased new, problems seem to increase with that vehicle.

Do not have a vehicle worked on from the time you purchase it, and it seems to be problem-less longer.

In this case, it does not seem to be a clear fix for a clear problem, and with all of the stuff they say would be replaced, for some reason I have this odd feeling that this is going to cause me more issues than we started with.

I hate feelings like this.

Thanks,

Dave

Nothing new that I have heard about. Can't hurt to have them change the hoses. At least if it doesn't work, then that is one possible fix you can scratch off the list as the cause.

Peter

 

[dragonexplorer12]

Thanks for this information. I've had the TSB for the rotten egg smell done before which involves replacing the radiator hoses and coolant. That "sort of" fixed the problem but to late it is creeping back especially after not using the EX for quite some time. The smell does go away after a few minutes of being turned on.

By the way, I use the A/C every time since I live in the Philippines.

 

[SMichna]

Stinky A/C

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer which I purchased in February 2013. Today I am still dealing with the A/C blowing out a foul smell whenever you start the vehicle. I have had the vehicle into the dealership 3 times and they have done the whole disinfectant thing, etc. The last time I took it in I was 400 mi from my warranty expiration which was about 6 months ago.

Yesterday it started again so I took it into my personal mechanic and in order to actually FIX the problem it will cost about $1500. My mechanic suggested I take this up with Ford even though my warranty has long run out but it has been my experience with EVERYTHING FORD, that they will not nor have been very helpful.

I can't believe that this is just supposed to be "normal" or ok. For the price I paid for the vehicle, I shouldn't have to remember to turn the A/C off and blow the vent out without the circulation on, etc. or whatever. So annoyed.

I will never purchase another Ford anything.

 

[LukerDooker]

..so your warranty is finished?...

 

[wallyuwl]

Because it was documented before your warranty expired you should still be covered under warranty on that particular issue until it is fixed. Also, since it has been there three times you may qualify for lemon law (varies a lot state to state). I'd contact FORD directly since the dealer is giving you the run around.

 

[PMAX6]

This may be a stretch, but I'd give it a try. I once had this problem on a 6 month old Ranger I bought. When it was warm and after sitting for awhile the AC smelled terrible. I noticed while washing the vehicle once that there seemed to be quite a few gnats on the ground afterwards. After thinking about where the little bugs could have came from I decided to spray some water down the outside vents at the bottom of the windshield. What must have been thousands of dead gnats came out while spraying the house at full force. When I bought the vehicle it must have sat underneath the street lamp and the light brought all the bugs out in full force.

Needless to say after a thorough rinsing with the hose and all the bugs washed out the smell was completely gone. From what you are saying I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was your problem. The smell was something terrible like rotting garbage. After the rinse job there was no smell. Thing about AC in autos is there is no way for them to smell unless something is in the duct work or outside air intake the unit itself just cools down coils which outside air is ran over to create cold dash air. You can confirm this by trying recirculate to see if it makes a difference. If something is dead in there though it won't completely eliminate the odor until you get whatever is in there out of there.

 

[FordService]

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer which I purchased in February 2013. Today I am still dealing with the A/C blowing out a foul smell whenever you start the vehicle...

Reach out to me via PM, SMichna; I want to do what I can to help. Include your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership in the message; I'll start my research.

Crystal

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer which I purchased in February 2013. Today I am still dealing with the A/C blowing out a foul smell whenever you start the vehicle. I have had the vehicle into the dealership 3 times and they have done the whole disinfectant thing, etc. The last time I took it in I was 400 mi from my warranty expiration which was about 6 months ago.

Yesterday it started again so I took it into my personal mechanic and in order to actually FIX the problem it will cost about $1500. My mechanic suggested I take this up with Ford even though my warranty has long run out but it has been my experience with EVERYTHING FORD, that they will not nor have been very helpful.

I can't believe that this is just supposed to be "normal" or ok. For the price I paid for the vehicle, I shouldn't have to remember to turn the A/C off and blow the vent out without the circulation on, etc. or whatever. So annoyed.

I will never purchase another Ford anything.

Welcome to the Forum SMichna.:wavey:
As per my PM, I have merged your thread with this existing one on the same topic. Good luck.

Peter

 

[Jesse T]

I have a 2013 Explorer I just purchased with the same problem

We bought this vehicle three days ago and did not notice any smell. Now that we have been driving it we are experiencing it. The smell is so strong at times that it can actually burn your eyes and throat. I have not started making complaints about this yet but from what I’m hearing I might be sorry I bought this vehicle. Please help!

Hi VinceL,

Send me a PM with your current mileage and preferred servicing dealership; I'll make sure your regional customer service manager is aware of your concern.

Crystal

 

[peterk9]

We bought this vehicle three days ago and did not notice any smell. Now that we have been driving it we are experiencing it. The smell is so strong at times that it can actually burn your eyes and throat. I have not started making complaints about this yet but from what I’m hearing I might be sorry I bought this vehicle. Please help!

Welcome to the Forum Jesse T.:wavey:
Sorry to hear about the issue you are having. I recommend that you see the dealer ASAP and you can also send a PM (private message) to Crystal (FordService). You can use this link;
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=157968
When you PM, be sure to include your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership in your message.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[FordService]

We bought this vehicle three days ago and did not notice any smell. Now that we have been driving it we are experiencing it. The smell is so strong at times that it can actually burn your eyes and throat. I have not started making complaints about this yet but from what I’m hearing I might be sorry I bought this vehicle. Please help!

Hi Jesse T,

As Peter indicated, you should send a PM my way so I can look into ways to help. Be sure to include all the details he listed: full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership.

Crystal

 

[Black Bengal]

There was a strong mildew smell from the AC system in my 2005 T-Bird. I bought the car used, so I'm not sure how the original owner maintained the car. I took the car to a local shop that offered BG services & had the Frigi-Clean service done. The service was about $100 USD. The difference was like night & day. The smell went away & never came back. Amazing results.

http://www.bgprod.com/catalog/climate-control/bg-frigi-clean/#bg-product-1

http://www.bgfindashop.com/bgservices/climate.htm

 

[Ggcrazyboys]

To everyone with this issue here is my story. 2013 Ford Explorer XLT, took it in a total of 3 times, finally 3rd dealership performed TSB, issue vey persistent. Entered BBB Auto line Process, Ford defaulted on mediation, proceeded in to arbitration Arbitrator test drove vehicle smelled the smell. Arbitrator requested technical expert inspect vehicle. Inspector came drove and inspected vehicle. Could not pin point smell, but definetly said that it was not normal. Arbitrator made decision to let Ford attempt repair AGAIN. I am getting an Attorney to start a class action lawsuit. WHY? You may ask, my son has serious breathing/asthma issues. Since I have had this car he has been on his inhaler every 4 hours and has had bronchitis 5 times. Upon research, it is proven that the chemicals in exhaust affect small children and those with lung issues more than anyone. It is very disappointing that FORD does not stand behind their vehicles.

 

[Jesse T]

Oder All But Gone

Well we found out why we had the smell in our new Explorer. The dealer we bought it from told us they added a New Car Smell refresher to the vehicle just before we picked it up, That explains the reason why we did not have the smell on the two test drives but had it on the day we picked it up. We have parked the vehicle in our garage and left the windows for a few days and we have also placed a charcoal Oder absorbent canister in it. The smell had dissipated and is all but gone now.

Hi Jesse T,

As Peter indicated, you should send a PM my way so I can look into ways to help. Be sure to include all the details he listed: full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership.

Crystal

 

[LukerDooker]

There was a strong mildew smell from the AC system in my 2005 T-Bird. I bought the car used, so I'm not sure how the original owner maintained the car. I took the car to a local shop that offered BG services & had the Frigi-Clean service done. The service was about $100 USD. The difference was like night & day. The smell went away & never came back. Amazing results.

http://www.bgprod.com/catalog/climate-control/bg-frigi-clean/#bg-product-1

http://www.bgfindashop.com/bgservices/climate.htm

Actually looking at the shop finder page for this product shows its available at every Ford dealership in my area.
If anyone has had dealer service for this and the dealer is vague but claim to have used a disinfectant etc, is it possible they are really using this,
or not quite? Do they even know they have this service available?

 

[Black Bengal]

Yes, the BG products are available at many dealership service departments, but I doubt they would use them on a car under warranty. The BG products & services are sold to customers who specifically request them & pay for the services themselves.