New 2017 and AC smells.

[ssMichaelss]

The car only has 900 miles on it so far. Noticed the AC smells mildew in the first week but not every time. I tried different AC settings while driving and finally able to replicate the smell everytime if I turn on recirculate for a while and turn it off. The smell can last between 30 seconds to a min and then go away. Is this something under warranty?

 

[Summers22]

Inspect your cabin air filter, see if it has mold/mildew on it. Here is how to get to it:

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

Just a word of warning, be careful how much you let the glovebox "drop" as mine now has an issue with one of the "claw" connectors that are in the dash and clamp over the rod and the box is now temperamental and has to be very firmly closed to ensure even closing ... really frustrated on this as I did this .... but Ford designed this weak part....

 

[kmarnes]

Where do you live? Are you in some Eastern area like Florida or Georgia where there's tons of humidity?

I've had lots of cars over the years and have pretty much lived in dry climates on the west coast. I've always kept my AC on at all times even in winter, because it prevents the mildew from accumulating and defrosts faster. The trade-off is that it worsens your fuel economy. AC works fine with heat. I also found that when AC is not on, your windows tend to fog up more with increased humidity inside the car in cold mornings. My wife keeps turning her's off because people are programmed to think you should only use AC in hot weather. It's usually people with older cars that keep the AC off for the entire winter, and then when they need it finally, it blasts that nasty mildew smell. I think most, if not all newer cars, automatically turn on AC when defrosting.

That said, 900 miles seems like something is really wrong... I don't think that should happen and the dealer should fix it for you.

 

[ssMichaelss]

Arizona.

Update:

The issue still persists. I took it dealer two weeks ago and seems they just spray something in the air vent(smells like air fresher when turn on the AC/vent).

The smell occurs every time when I turn off the AC but leave the vent on. It lasts for about 15-20 seconds. Anyone else having the issue?

 

[thefranchise713]

This might be normal and inherent to all AC units. You may wish to try turning off the AC for the last mile or so of your drive for the condensation to get blown off the AC hardware before the vehicle shuts down. It's that condensation sitting that causes the smell. If it goes away, that should speak to it being a problem vs. a characteristic. It's not an Explorer-centric issue, all cars deal with this.

Keep us posted!

 

[ssMichaelss]

This might be normal and inherent to all AC units. You may wish to try turning off the AC for the last mile or so of your drive for the condensation to get blown off the AC hardware before the vehicle shuts down. It's that condensation sitting that causes the smell. If it goes away, that should speak to it being a problem vs. a characteristic. It's not an Explorer-centric issue, all cars deal with this.

Keep us posted!

That's what I'm doing. Trying to turn off the AC a couple mins before I park; and that's when I start to smell it. I don't smell anything If I leave the AC on all the time.

 

[sheltonfilms]

I bought a carbon activated filter and it has gotten rid of my A/C smells.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005R4IINK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_JzAzzbDA373CZ