Chosen Solution
No matter the air temperature or fan speed, there’s some bad smell coming from the vents whenever I have my heater on. It kind of smells like burning plastic, but not that bad, and I haven’t seen any indication of melting or burning anywhere else, but I haven’t looked deep and thoroughly yet. I’m guessing it’s just the air filter that needs replacing, but might it be the heating element or something?
@chrishnaw , Christian, Ford Escape mildew/musty smell from vents would be common sign of moisture/debri/dust build up in lower HVAC duct work, uasually caused when the drain tube for AC plugs. If the heater core is leaking coolant and you put it on defrost you will notice the windshield gets a film/residue over it or you will notice the coolant dripping from the heater/HVAC box/ductwork, etc. onto the carpet, you can have the cooling system pressure teted to verify leak or not. A burning smell could be a sign of faulty heater resistor, wire/plug melting, or the blower motor burning out and should be checked sooner then later.1st Link below will show how to access the wires and resistor to the heater motor. 2nd link will show cabin filter replacement. Good luck. I hope this helped you out, if so let me know by pressing the helpful button. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLtPIUjs… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK4cyKS_…
You know what I don’t like about Ford. It’s their insulator, it’s emitting a foul smell. Go ahead take a piece and sniff it. It is located under the carpet flooring, it is also inside the door casings. The solution for this is to have your dashboard pulled down, remove all the insulators from Ford and replace it all with a different brand of thermal insulator. After this have your interior detailed.
Most likely heater risistor that needs replacing or has been replaced previously by a cheaper none genuine
