terrible smell from a/c on start up 2013 sienna le

bdwjr968 said:

only on initial start up of day, dissipates rather quickly, any ideas

Click to expand...

You've got some mold buildup in there. Lysol will help. Check out Scotty Kilmer's video on it.

Regards, JC.

A few minutes before I reach my destination, I usually blast the heat on full speed and temp. Open the windows and point the blowers away from you. That usually kills any moisture in there.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App

I have had mice get into the cabin filter area. My oil change place found one dead one in there. He found it before it ever smelled. Great timing.

From what I understand running the recirculate mode a lot tends to lead to mold problems, so I usually don't use it unless I need to.

blasting the heat towards the end of a drive or even just openning up the vents allowing for fresh air would be a good practice

Allez said:

From what I understand running the recirculate mode a lot tends to lead to mold problems, so I usually don't use it unless I need to.

Click to expand...

I have the same feeling. I used the recirculate mode very often before my long trip to Yellowstone. I started to smell a little bit mold at the beginning of our trip (most in the beginning of a/c use). I stopped to use recirculate mode and the smell went away now. I will try Scotty Kilmer's method if it happens again!

I have a 2012 Sienna since last August. The smell happened shortly after having the van, wasn't a problem in winter, then returned again in spring. We just got the 10,000 ml check up and mentioned the smell. The dealer explained what others are saying about mold in the collected condensation from the A/C. They are cleaning it for $65. I thought there should be no charge but the dealer reasonably explained this is common with all makes of cars in humid regions. I agreed to pay and will try the tips I've read online to try to prevent further smells.

I recently had to deal with this on another vehicle, and came up with a simple solution. Our driveway is inclined slightly, allowing a small amount of water to remain puddled in the A/C evaporator box after being parked. I started backing into the driveway so the front end was pointed downhill when parked. It worked, no more "sweaty sock" smell from the vents.