Apparently a lot of xc90s have leaky evaporators, causing this really foul smell to come from the vents. It's really bad because we're breathing all this in. Get your evaporator replaced under warranty.

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leaky evaporator?....an evaporator is a sealed unit that is part of the sealed a/c system and refrigerant and under pressure. Once it " leaks" ,it leaks no more, plus it's a gas that escapes, no odor. If the condensate drain line however is plugged, mildew, mold, and trash can accumulate on and around the evaporator and cause a persistent odor.
To the op...maybe the evaporator can be reached for cleaning after removing the cabin filter....

 

Yeah, that's what I was hoping. Before taking it off, I was hoping somewhere here had experience.

 

The XC70 had a feature that removed moisture on the evaporator.
When moisture was detected, I believe some 20 minutes after the car was shut-down,
the fan started to blow full force to remove it. Doesn't the XC90 have this "afterblow" feature?
If it has, then there shouldn't be any bad smell coming out of the vents.
Four years seems a long time for the filter. How many miles is it in?

 

I have this exact problem in my 2016 Xc90. It is a vinegar smell that comes from the vents only when ac is activated while starting the car. I live in Houston, TX, and it's hot and humid. The smell gets worse with hotter and more humid weather and is barely detectable in the winter. I have tried:

• having dealer do a clean of the vent system ($100-$200). It worked for 1-2 weeks but smell came back gradually.
• used Armor All FreshFX. It worked for maybe 5 days and then smell came back gradually.
• changed cabin filter. No impact.

Next possible steps:

• thinking of using ozone generator for the next step. Thoughts?
• If only i could activate an after blow function on the car...

I desperately need help to get rid if this smell that I believe is coming from unwanted growth of some biological material in my ac system (evaporator?).

 

I have the exact same problem with my 2018 xc90, has 10K miles in 3 yrs. Also, live in Houston, tx, which is hot and humid at this time.
I changed the cabin filter (previous one not really bad since it was changed 6-8 months back and less of driving), but cabin filter change had no impact.
I am wondering how to clean the evaporator coil. Dealer is expensive, since we don't know if that cleaning will help, so just wondering if someone has done it and can post a video on the same, as I cannot find it online for 2018.

 

My vents smell awful for the first few minutes, even with the heat on. Is there any way to spray the evaporator?

First noticed it last year toward the end of summer and this year, it's even worse. I've tried those odor bombs without the cabin air filter and that just masks the smell.