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This is something that occurs on every vehicle I've driven in the last 15 years, so it's obviously not a malfunction but a design choice.

When you turn the selector to blow either on the floor or the defroster there is always some air blowing from the dashboard vents. If you don't want it to blow there you have to close the vents (which in some vehicles you can't really do or it whistles).

I find it annoying to have the heater blowing in my face in the winter. It's my feet that need the heat (I drive 300+ miles a day so it's kind of frustrating).

Why do the car makers do this? There must be some reason for it.

Tom
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This hasn't happened with any of the cars I have owned over the last 22 years - which is a pity, because one of the things I would have liked is designed functionality to do what Erik vanDoren mentions - setting the selector between positions to try and get this to happen.

In my more recent cars (last 10 years or so) it is impossible to get this to happen as the vents/baffles are motor controlled so when I select one all the others close fully.

So I'm guessing the ones you have had are designed to allow it to happen, because a number of the customer base will be like me and want it to happen. And it's easier (probably) to allow it than prevent it unless you use fully closing vents.

Rory Alsop
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Use the Recirculate feature, without the fan blowing, and you should get complete sealing of the cabin, such as if you go past a feed lot for cattle in the U.S.

Heat/cold will still slowly leak from the evaporator/heater-core radiators under the dash, but no noticeable blowing air.

Steve Wyatt
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