Air Recirculation In the Car Keeps Turning Off Automatically(I Got This Solution!)

The air recirculation button is installed in most cars these days. This button is used to control the flow of fresh air into your car from outside. When you turn on this air recirculation button, it will not use the fresh air from coming in and instead allow existing air inside the car cabin for recirculation.

So, why does air recirculation in the car keep turning off automatically? Air recirculation in the car turns off automatically to keep cabin air fresh, prevent stale air, and maintain comfort. It turns off when humidity levels could fog windows, except in MAX A/C mode. Some cars cycle recirculation on and off during hot weather to improve cooling. Also, defrost systems will cancel recirculation mode.

If your car AC smells like vinegar, you can read my guide on that topic.

Car Ac Recirculation Vs Fresh Air

The difference between a car’s air recirculation and fresh air mode lies in the origin of the air. Recirculation mode recycles the existing air inside the cabin, helping rapidly cool the interior as compared to pulling in fresh air through the dashboard vents.

If your air conditioning fails to perform properly, my guide on intermittent AC clutch engagement may help.

Recirculating already cooled cabin air requires less work from the compressor. With less power needed to lower temperatures, fuel consumption accordingly drops. Introducing warm exterior air instead prompts greater exertion from that internal component.

You’ll click the recirculation button on when:

1. Using the Air Conditioner

A car’s air conditioning depends on the compressor. Drawing energy from the engine, the compressor labors more to chill incoming hot air from outside.

Greater effort equates to greater gas usage for the added power. Rather than expending energy on new hot air, recirculation focuses on efficiently re-cooling air already inside, lightening strain on the system.

However, parking in extreme heat warms interior air. Activating recirculation then feels hotter, being ineffective. Initially deactivate the mode to vent that built-up warmth.

2. Driving Through Pollution

Inhaled pollutants harm health, entering through nose, mouth or lungs as dust, smoke, fumes or chemicals. Crawling bumper-to-bumper amid heavy particulates, engage recirculation to prevent influx into the cabin.

One driver describes its effectiveness:

“Recirculation mode sees wide use in countries with terrible outdoor air quality, filtering interior air for cleaner breathing conditions. Testing it myself, the rotten smells from an oil refinery remained faint with recirculation on. Switching to fresh air, the stench overwhelmed the cabin in seconds.”

Causes of Recirculation Mode turning off Automatically

The automatic setting of the recirculation button turns it off after a few minutes so that the fresh air with a high level of oxygen can be brought into the car.

Moreover, recirculation mode also turns off automatically to prevent windows and the windshield of a vehicle when it is cold outside.

Another cause of automatically turning off of recirculation mode is to ensure the ventilation in the car by replacing the stale air inside the cabin with fresh air having high oxygen levels.

Air Recirculation Button Keeps Turning Off Hyundai

The air recirculation button keeps turning off in your Hyundai vehicle after every 5 minutes when the outside temperature falls below 59°F. This is done so that the windows of the car are not fogged up.

You can disable the automatic turning off of air recirculation button in Hyundai by following these steps:

1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
   position.
2. Turn to the defrost button.
3. Press the air intake control button (recirculating button) at least 5 times within 3 seconds.
4. The indicator on the air intake button blinks 3 times at 0.5 seconds intervals. It indicates that the automatic turning off of air recirculation is disabled.

Note: If the vehicle is turned off, the vehicle will again default to the factory settings.

If your Hyundai car is not equipped with the defroster logic, you can do the following to cancel the automatic turning off of air-recirculation mode.

1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position. 
2. Select Face Level mode.
3. While holding the air conditioning (A/C) button pressed, press the air intake control button (recirculated air position) at least 5 times, and release all within 3 seconds. If the battery has been discharged or disconnected, it will reset to the automatic ventilation status.

Apart from the above steps, also make sure that if your Hyundai vehicle has a sunroof, it should be fully closed. If the sunroof glass is a little bit in the open position, the air recirculation mode will be automatically off and the climate control automatically reverts to outside air after a few moments. 

You should first fully open the sunroof glass and then completely close it. Hopefully, it will resolve the issue of automatically turning off of recirculation mode.

Air Recirculation Button Keeps Turning Off Mercedes

In Mercedes, the air recirculation mode turns off automatically after 30 minutes to bring in the fresh outside air and avoid interior window fogging. In Mercedes, air recirculation turns off automatically after approximately five minutes at outside temperatures below approximately 5°C. In Mercedes, air recirculation also turns off after approximately five minutes if the cooling with air dehumidification function is deactivated.

Air Recirculation Button Keeps Turning Off In Kia Seltos

In Kia Seltos, the air recirculation button keeps turning off to limit humidity and reduce the risk of drowsiness due to stale air. Continued use of the climate control system in the recirculated air position can cause drowsiness or sleepiness, and loss of vehicle control.

To cancel the automatic climate control system in Kia:

1. Turn the ENGINE START/STOP button to the ON position.
2. Press the defroster button
3. While pressing the air conditioning (A/C) button, press the air intake control button at least 5 times within 3 seconds. The recirculation indicator blinks 3 times in 0.5 second of intervals. It indicates that the defogging logic is canceled or returned to the programmed status. If the battery has been discharged or disconnected, it resets to the defog logic status.