Moldy a/c smell

[Skier167]

Like, you don't manually turn it on? Or you turn it off when the truck turns it on? Im forgetting exactly which way it goes (No A/C here since September and still off), but if you change what it's doing with recirculate, it will get a musty smell. Have you tired just letting it do it's thing?

Hey no I don’t manually turn it on. If the truck turns it on/off I let it run as is. The truck has been running the a/c on its own but it hasn’t been hot enough outside for it to run all the time.

Sponsored

 

[Hammertime]

any resolve for this issue?

 

[apMechorse]

any resolve for this issue?

Also wondering as mine has started this as well: mildew smell for only about 3 to 5 seconds right after start. Will check a/c drain tomorrow, but mine does leave puddles while running so not overly hopeful about that fixing the issue.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

any resolve for this issue?

Hi there. This A/C smell concern doesn’t sound like something we want you to experience with your F-150. Could you please send us a PM with your VIN and the name and location of your Ford dealer? I'd be happy to look into how I can assist you on my end.

 

[Kshort62]

My 22 Limited Powerboost smells when the A/C first comes on .. having the dealership check the drain line while they are replacing the right bank CAT. My first Ford and I’m less than impressed.

 

[pwatkins13]

I have this same issue in my 2020 F150. The condenser was moldy and had to be replaced. Less than a year later the smell is back, but its been driven over the 12,000 warranty so Ford wants 4k to replace it again. It seems to be a common issue with newer Ford trucks.

 

[ctomk]

Has anybody seen or heard anything from Ford on this? I have a 2022 F150 Crew Platinum 4x4 with the same issue. With all the complaints, clearly something is not right. My wife complains of the moldy/musty smell whenever she gets in the truck and its somewhat embarrassing when I take clients to lunch, etc. My previous F150's (same features) did not have this issue (2019 & 2015).

 

[nikon858]

Happens to mine every few months. I bought an ozone generator on Amazon, let it run with the a/c on recirc and the smell goes away.

 

[swill]

I have the same problem with my 21. Took it to the dealership and they used a deodorizer and it came back the next day. The dealership acts like they have no idea why its happening. Its such a pain to bring it in for anything these days

 

[staying_tuned]

I’d second the ozone generator, a nice unit can be had for $50-ish on Amazon and they are useful well beyond this scenario. Just run it while it sits on the center console, windows up for about 30 mins. Then open the doors all the way and let it air out for a good 10 minutes. Initially it will smell like oncoming storm but dissipates after a few hours. It destroys odor causing bacteria, mold, etc. anything organic down to small bugs if you leave it in there long enough.

I’ve ran A/C just after a treatment to force it into HVAC but you gotta be quick as ozone is not safe to breath at all but man it clears up smells. I’d do this every few months on our Jeep for the same reasons.

 

[edavis4798]

I had this same issue with my past truck, 2020 Ranger. Thankfully I was still under my extended warranty but they had to replace almost all the A/C components the main one being the fan housing as they found mold throughout the entire system. About 5 months later after my extended warranty went out, the same thing started to happen and that was one of the reasons I decided to dump the Ranger for my current F-150. Hopefully you are still under warranty because if not, you should be prepared for some expensive repairs, they were enough to justify me not wanting to keep my old Ranger. The first time it got repaired it was in the shop for 5 weeks, but that could be due to my hometown dealer just being horrible. I live in FL so driving without A/C in July was not an option?.

 

[Kshort62]

While I understand the idea of the Ozone generator, it’s complete crap on Ford to put a system out there that does this.

 

[Texas2022XLT]

Was there ever a fix for this? My 2022 just started this and only smells in the first few seconds when the AC is on. I see water under the truck so I don’t think the drain is clogged.

 

[Kshort62]

My 22 Limited Powerboost smells when the A/C first comes on .. having the dealership check the drain line while they are replacing the right bank CAT. My first Ford and I’m less than impressed.

Here’s an update , just picked up my truck today .. all the dealer did was use a deodorizer and new cabin air filter .. we will see .. I don’t have much faith as this is the second time with the deodorizer ..

 

[Texas2022XLT]

Ok, thanks. I think I might have a different issue – smell only comes at the start of a cold A/C cycle on a hot day.

Here’s an update , just picked up my truck today .. all the dealer did was use a deodorizer and new cabin air filter .. we will see .. I don’t have much faith as this is the second time with the deodorizer ..

I changed my cabin filter this afternoon so we’ll see as I’ll probably have to have the deodorizer done as well.

Sponsored