What is the bad smell coming out of the air conditioner of my new car?

Question

The car won't smell unless I turn the a/c on! It makes me sick...

Answer 1

One way to get rid of it is to turn on your vent full blast and drive with the windows down.  When you do use the AC turn it off a block before you reach your destination so all the cold air blows out of the vents.  The cold air causes condensation and that moisture creates mold which creates the smell.  Turn off the AC beforehand and you prevent the smell and even save a little gas.

Answer 2

mold in the a/c evaporator.

Answer 3

its probably mold inside of the vents, or extreme mucky gunk build up. however...listen to this...my nasty story is..

once i had this horrid smell in my car everytime i turned on the air, and i ended up taking it to the shop and guess what? a dead rat was inside of it, it crawled in because of the heat from the engine and died, and so dead rat stench was being blown in my face when i turned on the air.

Answer 4

You didn't say what make/model/year.  If it is a recent vintage, its probably the cabin-air filter.  That gets moldy and has to be replaced every few years.  Your dealer can do it.