A/C mildew smell

[KeysF150]

Hey everyone, looking for some help. Tried looking up this topic and didn’t find much. I imagine I can’t be the only one.

I have a 2021 XLT with 12k miles. Shortly after being new it developed a mildew AC smell when the truck is first started. It lasts about a minute or two when started and seems to go away. I’ve changed the cabin air filter, sprayed Lysol into the vents on the wiper cowl, and have tried turning off recirculation more often. Nothing has gotten rid of the smell.

This is my third F150 with the same climate and AC use and the first time experiencing this issue. I live in South Florida so my AC is usually on the lowest temperature.

Let me know if anyone has any ideas or solutions!

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[Rshmm]

Check to see if you have water/mold/mildew under your carpet on the passenger side front well area. I had an ac component that broke and leaked into the cabin.

 

[KeysF150]

I’ll check that. Just seems weird because I only get the smell coming out of the AC for the first minute or two of starting the truck, then it goes away completely. The inside of the truck smells fine otherwise.

 

[Insman1515]

Hey everyone, looking for some help. Tried looking up this topic and didn’t find much. I imagine I can’t be the only one.

I have a 2021 XLT with 12k miles. Shortly after being new it developed a mildew AC smell when the truck is first started. It lasts about a minute or two when started and seems to go away. I’ve changed the cabin air filter, sprayed Lysol into the vents on the wiper cowl, and have tried turning off recirculation more often. Nothing has gotten rid of the smell.

This is my third F150 with the same climate and AC use and the first time experiencing this issue. I live in South Florida so my AC is usually on the lowest temperature.

Let me know if anyone has any ideas or solutions!

I have a 22’ Platinum powerboost and am having the same issue. The smell I get is immediately upon starting the truck. Probably the first 2/3 minutes of air coming out of the vents has a moldy/ musky odor. Honestly, I’ve had 4 f150s since 2011 and they all have done the exact same thing. I was checking here to see if it was a known issue and if there was anything that could be done about it.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

I didn't run into that issue with any of my F150s but I also never use recirculation for cooling. There are a/c vent cleaners that you can buy that basically get bleach-like stuff into the vents that'll eliminate the mold.

 

[surveyor]

I also don't use recirculation, and still get the smell on startup for a few minutes, like @Insman1515 described. My local shop removed the filter and panels and scoped it, but didn't see any mold. Also confirmed AC drain was ok. They sprayed anti-bacterial cleaner, but it hasn't really done anything.

 

[ThyDayWalker]

Man... same thing here. 2021 PB and whether I recirculate (or not), crank the heat right before I get home to dry to dry it... Lysol (does actually take the smell out, but not sure if it's masking it or actually taking it out... lasts a few weeks?). Had drain checked, and no leaks into cabin (not expecting it, since it's the same 1-2 minutes of smell then it's gone). One dealer said "it's normal" and the other says they don't know what/if something is wrong.

Oh well.......

 

[FLPB]

Having the same issue. Notice after a rain more though.

 

[FirstFord]

I live in Missouri where it gets hot and cold. Have used recirculate and non-recirculating. 2022 Lariat with 10K on the clock, and mine does it too. VERY disappointing. I just assumed that it could be "fixed" by replacing the cabin filter, but learning now from other posts that that doesn't do it. I hate to have to spray everything down with Lysol. I'm an old coot, so I've had a ton of vehicles in my life. I've never had one start to smell musty and moldy in the A/C until they were about 10 years hold and had 150~200,000 miles on them.

 

[ThyDayWalker]

Damn shame... Lysol smell stays strong for a few days if not longer after spraying the cahoots out of it... And have to repeat it every few months, to boot. Almost literally the only undeniably bad thing I hate about this truck! Disappointed, Ford!

 

[FLPB]

There's another thread on here that pointed me to the black mesh wind fairing for the pano roof. That is the culprit for me. Hit it with some febreze, so tbd if that works. I guess it sits in the drain track or gets wet and just gets sour. -1 for the moon roof.

 

[TexasTruck]

I have 6600 miles and have it too. It ain't from rain (Central Texas hasn't seen rain in months) and I don't have a pano roof. I checked the cabin filter and the passenger side floor and it's dry as a bone. My 2018 and 2020 had the same thing after 4K miles or so.

The A/C defaults to recirculate every time I start the truck. I turn off recirculate to let fresh air in as others said. I'm wondering if when I turn the truck off does it close the baffles (back to recirculate) and trap some amount of moisture.

 

[Calson]

I had a rodent make a nest in my truck and the smell in the cab when it was hot was horrendous. I bought a spray bottle of Fabreze and it removed the smell after one application. Even with the truck out in full sun with the windows closed the smell did not return.

 

[ThyDayWalker]

There's another thread on here that pointed me to the black mesh wind fairing for the pano roof. That is the culprit for me. Hit it with some febreze, so tbd if that works. I guess it sits in the drain track or gets wet and just gets sour. -1 for the moon roof.

I got the pano roof so I'll have to give this a look! Pretty sure mine is (mainly) from the A/C since it mainly smells strong when I first turn on the A/C...

Won't hurt to add to the list of things to look out for!

 

[Kshort62]

Get this smell in 22 Limited PB . Had the dealership look at while they had for another issue. Tech said he couldn’t find anything .. but put some kind of fragrance in my system and is not appealing to me and my family.. the smell is still there . So now I’m not sure what to do . I refuse to shut my AC off or not run it in Auto … this system isn’t new and should work as it supposed to.

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