Musty Smell When AC is turned on

[deezx5]

There is a musty/moldy smell for the first 1-2 minutes after the AC is turned on. Sometimes it is hardly noticeable and other times its really strong. Is this normal for Pathfinder? I've never seen this on other vehicles unless they were really old. Cabin air filters are fairly new, no problems with AC cooling.

[webmastir]

i had/still have this problem with my '03 acura tl, and i always kept my cabin filters fresh.
few ideas: you could lightly scent you cabin filters. it does last a little while. another idea is to use bosch cabin filters. they use `microallergen`, which seemed to work better for me. if you run the ac on recirc all the time, you are not helping the problem. let some fresh air go thru the car now and then. another trick is to turn ac off and drive with fan on high -outside air- for ~5 min to dry out the vent system- prevents growth inside. & if all else fails, spray lysol thru the outer vents with system running which should help kill off mold and mildew -- ozium also does the killing and deodorizing

[deezx5]

I searched a little more and this seems fairly common with various Nissan models. Several people said that said you should shut off the ac compressor for the last few minutes of your drive home every day and leave the fans running. Ozium by itself didn't work long, this time I will try Lysol then Ozium in the system and drive 10-15 minutes with the fans on high then blast the heater for a few minutes too.

Its still under warranty but I'm afraid the dealer won't have a much better idea. Will check next month, every other oil change goes to dealer also tires get rotate and balanced.

[valenburg]

the turn off a/c idea sounds like a good one. If you live in a humid/hot climate, it is probably leading to condensation in the vent system which then leads to mold growth.