Air recirculation button
Shuts the outside-air intake so the heating and ventilation system re-uses the air already in the cabin; pressed again, the system draws in outside (fresh) air.
What pressing it does
With recirculation on, no outside air comes in: Hyundai's Tucson manual says air is drawn from the passenger compartment through the climate system, and SEAT's Ateca manual says it prevents ambient air entering. That keeps out exhaust fumes or smells for a while and, SEAT notes, cools a very hot cabin faster if used briefly. Press it again for outside air — the setting both makers recommend for normal driving, because recirculated air gets humid and stale and the windows can mist up quickly, especially with the air conditioning off.
Check your car's manual: makes and models differ in what a button does, which positions a switch has and whether it works with the engine off, and your owner's manual is the authority for your car.
- What it looks like
- A car outline with a curved arrow turning round inside it
- Also labelled
- Recirculated air; Recirc; Inside air; Air intake control
- Standard
- None — a maker's symbol, described here from 2 makers' manuals: Hyundai, SEAT
What to check in your car's manual
Whether your car has one button that toggles between the two modes (Hyundai) or separate settings; whether an automatic mode switches recirculation on by itself (air-quality sensor, reversing, using the washers, tunnels) and how to turn that off.
Where makes differ
Hyundai's Tucson uses one button that swaps between recirculation and outside air, drawn as a car outline with a curved arrow inside, and can switch to recirculation by itself when washer fluid is sprayed and, if enabled, about 7 seconds before entering a tunnel (using the navigation map), closing the windows too. SEAT's Ateca turns recirculation off automatically when you press the defrost button, turn the distribution to the windscreen, or when a sensor sees the windows could mist; its Climatronic version also has an automatic mode that closes the intake when a sensor detects high pollution in the outside air (SEAT says it cannot detect smells), and switches to recirculation while reversing and while the automatic wipers run.
No regulation defines it
Neither the UN R121 table nor FMVSS 101 Tables 1 and 2 lists an air-recirculation control, so its symbol is the maker's choice.
Good to know
- Hyundai warns that long use of recirculated air can raise humidity and fog the windows, can cause drowsiness, and with the air conditioning on makes the air excessively dry; it says not to sleep in a car with the heating or air conditioning running.
- SEAT says never to leave recirculation on for long, and not to smoke with it on, because smoke residue on the evaporator leaves a permanent smell.
Related dashboard pages
Other buttons under “Fans, air”
Sources
No regulation defines this control, so it is described from 2 carmakers' own owner's manuals, each read on the date shown.
- Hyundai 2025 Tucson (general market, English web manual): Manual heating and air conditioning — Air intake control — Recirculation mode and outside (fresh) mode on one button; warnings about humidity, fogging, drowsiness and dry air; fresh air recommended. checked 2026-09-25
- Hyundai 2025 Tucson (general market, English web manual): Recirculating air when washer fluid is used — Recirculation and air conditioning switch on automatically, depending on outside temperature, when washer fluid is used. checked 2026-09-25
- Hyundai 2025 Tucson (general market, English web manual): Recirculating air when entering a tunnel — If enabled, the windows close and recirculation runs for about 7 seconds before a tunnel, using navigation map data. checked 2026-09-25
- SEAT Ateca owner's manual, UK English, edition 06.21 (model year 2022), PDF: Air conditioning — Air recirculation; Heating, ventilation and cooling (warnings), p. 147, 149, 151-152 — Recirculation prevents ambient air entering; switched off automatically by defrost or a misting sensor; automatic mode with pollutant sensor; warnings about misting and fatigue. checked 2026-09-25
Written in our own words; the manuals cover their own models only.