So its been really cold here in UT the past few days and i have been running my heat but i have noticed that when i have it on recirculating my windows start to fog, then i change it to the outside air and they 'unfog'... whats up with that? I have the AC on, shouldnt that reduce the amount of moisture in the car regardless of what setting is selected? The reason this bothers me is when i have the outside air coming in i get all the exhaust smells from every vehicle in font of me which gives me a headache This will suck if i have to deal with with this all winter!!!
It is normal. All the cars make like this... Recirculation is not made so you can travel all day long with it...
This should be no different from any other vehicle, though it's possible that the Prius uses the AC compressor less in cold weather. Make sure you don't have any leaks leading to damp carpets or whatever. Honestly, in the long run, you're breathing outside air anyhow.
Your breath is moist, so recirculate makes the windows fog. Fogged car windows? How to defog car windows fast fogging up, how to stop this? - beyond.ca car forums community for automotive enthusiasts
You should see how fast my windows fog up when I pickup the kids from swim practice! Recirculation is not your friend in the winter...
wow.. guess i never had this problem... then again i have been driving a big 4 door F150 for the past 6 years...
Pushing the AC button does not turn on the AC because you have the heat on. In order for the AC to run, you have to push the defrost button for the windshield.
At very low ambient temperatures AC compressor will NOT work (this is done to protect the AC system from being damaged) even if your AC button is pushed and illuminated. There is a temperature sensor in the freon line that measures the temperature. - Alex
