Heating and air conditioning -> Air recirculation for Your Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

The air coming out of the vents flows through the passenger  
compartment and out through vents below the rear window. Do not  
cover these slots with clothing or other things.  
Air recirculation  
¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and  
heed the WARNINGS  
General information  
There are different types of air recirculation:  
ž
The left indicator light under the button comes on: manual  
air recirculation is switched on.  
The right indicator light under the button comes on: auto-  
matic air recirculation is switched on.  
The air recirculation mode ž helps prevent outside air from entering  
the vehicle interior.  
In very hot outside temperatures, temporarily switch to air recircula-  
tion in order to cool the vehicle interior faster.  
For safety reasons, air recirculation is switched off if you push the  
button  
.
Switching manual air recirculation on and off ž  
Switching on: Press the ž button repeatedly until the left indicator  
light under the button comes on.  
Switching off: Press the ž button repeatedly until the indicator light  
under the button goes out.  
Automatic air recirculation ž  
In the ž setting, fresh air enters the passenger compartment. If the  
system detects an increased concentration of pollutants in the outside  
air, it automatically switches to air recirculation. As soon as the pollu-  
tant level is back in the normal range, air recirculation is switched off.  
Unpleasant odors cannot be detected by the system.  
Air recirculation is not automatically activated under the following  
outside temperatures and conditions:  
The air conditioning is on (indicated by the light in the !‡# button)  
and the outside air temperature is colder than about +38 °F (+3 °C).  
The cooling system and the windshield wiper are switched off and  
the outside air temperature is cooler than about +50 °F (+10 °C).  
The cooling system is switched off, the outside air temperature is  
cooler than about +59 °F (+15 °C), and the windshield wiper is  
switched on.  
Switching automatic air recirculation on and off  
Switching on: Press the ž button repeatedly until the right indicator  
light under the button comes on.  
Switching off: Press the ž button repeatedly until no indicator light  
under the button is on.  
It is not possible to activate automatic air recirculation when the out-  
side air temperature is colder than about +38 °F (+3 °C).  
Temporarily deactivating the automatic air recirculation ž  
Press the ž button once to switch to air recirculation temporarily  
in the event of unpleasant odors. The left indicator light comes on.  
Press the ž button again after more than 2 seconds to resume  
automatic air recirculation. The right indicator light comes on.  
WARNING  
Stale air causes driver fatigue and reduces driver alertness,  
which can cause accidents, collisions and serious personal in-  
jury.  
Never use air recirculation mode over an extended period of  
time, since no fresh air will enter the passenger compartment.  
When the air conditioner is off and recirculation mode is on,  
condensation can quickly form on the windows and greatly re-  
duce visibility.  
Always switch off recirculation mode when it is not needed.  
NOTICE  
Do not smoke when air recirculation is switched on. Smoke  
drawn into the ventilation system can leave residue on the evap-  
orator and on the dust and pollen active carbon filter, resulting  
in permanent odors whenever the air conditioner is switched on.  
When backing up and while the automatic wiper/washer is oper-  
ating, air recirculation is briefly activated to help keep exhaust fumes  
from getting into the passenger compartment.