'07 Es350: On-dash Fresh Air/recirculate Button Wont Stay

[Larry_A]

I cant seem to keep my on-dash button from changing to 'fresh air'. I like it to recirculate instead, expecially when i'm driving behind city buses

[AZ08LexusES]

Do you have it set to Auto?

[Larry_A]

Do you have it set to Auto?

Auto, Non-Auto, It doesn't matter.

[cduluk]

If you set the button to "recirculate inside air", after a few minutes it might mysteriously switch back to "outside air". It's so annoying!

Apparently there's something called a "smog sensor" in the system that thinks it knows how fresh the outside air is. If it senses the outside air is clean, it will switch the settings to "outside air".

If you keep switching it back to "recirculate inside air", i think the computer gets the hint and won't switch it for you anymore... At least that's what i've noticed in my Rx400h and Rx300.

Also, if you hit the AUTO button, it resets everything, and you'll have to go a few more days having to correct the system every time, until it learns you don't like it <_<

[peteanello]

If you press and hold the auto button, you will get a display on the Nav screen and can adjust how sensitive you want the recirc/fresh setting. It will then adjust accordingly. And, I think that when in the recirc mode you are circulating 90 percent of the cabin air and 10 percent of outside air.

[Ultralux ES350]

It also won't let you keep the recirc on indefinitely due to the build up of stale air and potentially carbon monoxide. Lexus is know for being overly protective, the lawyers and engineers definitely think we are incapable of safely operating the cars they build.