The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market is projected to increase in the coming years, and fuel cell vehicles will operate in an environment where they coexist with combustion engine vehicles. In this context, the PEM fuel cell will be exposed to significant amounts of contaminants on the roads that will decrease its performance and durability. In the present study the PEM fuel cell is exposed to 100 ppm of nitrogen dioxide in the airflow. Different methods for recovery of performance were tested; recovery during constant current load and by subjecting the cell to successive polarization curves. The results showed that the successive polarization curves are the best choice for recovery. However, recovery at low current density and high potential is also a good alternative.