Musky odor from the vents

[blackbeagle]

We got 3500 on our Smart so far and everything has been great. But lately, I've been smelling this musky odor coming from the vents. I smelled this smell before on a previous car but it has over 50K on it. It came from mildew. Now my question is how can a car get mildew in the vents that quickly? It sucks because that 'new car' smell is gone replaced by this odor.

Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions? On my other car, I just sprayed Lysol in the vents to kill the mildew. That seems to be a temporary fix.

[curtis]

It's weird but it really wouldn't take too long to get mildew if your system is not running correct and moisture got built up maybe from an AC freeze up or something..?
that smell is gross, reminds me of when a tree fell on my Toyota Matrix and it filled up with water, the insurance wouldn't put in new carpet, they would only clean it and I have never been able to get rid of that smell.

[16d @ 4]

Originally Posted by blackbeagle

We got 3500 on our Smart so far and everything has been great. But lately, I've been smelling this musky odor coming from the vents. I smelled this smell before on a previous car but it has over 50K on it. It came from mildew. Now my question is how can a car get mildew in the vents that quickly? It sucks because that 'new car' smell is gone replaced by this odor.

Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions? On my other car, I just sprayed Lysol in the vents to kill the mildew. That seems to be a temporary fix.

I have the same problem and I only have 1300 miles on my Smartie. I usually smell it after using my AC a while at low. I would have to turn the AC back on, but this time at high for about 2 minutes. That should get rid of the smell.

As to what's causing it, I suppose it could be from built up moisture in the AC system.

[Dean Smith]

I too think its the AC. The owners manual mentions that the AC automatically cuts out when you call for more power to the engine. The smell is temporary.

[Smart Car Geek]

Most new cars have built in dehumidifiers built into the A/C, so it shouldn't be moisture. However this doesn't mean that you don't have mold of some kind in your vents.

[Old smart]

This most likely concerns 450s, but the theory is the same: Evilution - Smart Car Encyclopaedia

As is this: Evilution - Smart Car Encyclopaedia

[rawlus®]

i agree with the A/C drain tube blockage - that is commonly the cause of most of the odor problems in my experience.

[Smart Car Geek]

Yeah Smart should really make that drain have easier access. They should have used a wider tubing too. Get in a habit of checking that drain on a regular basis.

[VinceLA]

I have that odor even at 800miles.

[SmartyPants25]

I too have this oder, I only smell it with the vents open, and air conditioning off. I noticed my friends saturn has the same smell when her vents are open.