Any motorist who regularly travels between NorCal and SoCal knows the city of Coalinga. A small town in Fresno County with a slightly disproportional cows-to-humans ratio, its name derives from an ancient Greek word whose etymological meaning roughly translates to "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CLOSE YOUR VENTS!"
Having learned my lesson years ago, my mind has long been programmed to hit the Recirculate button in advance. Unfortunately, this FJ Cruiser wasn't programmed to fully follow orders. After a few moments of easy breathing, I soon caught a whiff of the outside world. After 30 seconds, it was a distinct stench, and after a minute my lunch was ready to go back the way it came.
I realize these things happen; the Recirculate mode started fading away at 95K miles on my former 89 Mazda. But at 27K on a year-old Toyota?
Brian Sy, Automotive Editor, 27,300 miles
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