Question: How do you replace a cabin air filter?
Answer: First you have to find it. The cabin air filter is usually located behind the glove box or at the base of the windshield in the cowl area over the HVAC inlet duct. The exact location can be found in the vehicle owner’s manual or a filter reference guide.

On most Fords, the filter is located under the hood in the cowl area. On Chrysler models, it is located under the dash. On GM products, it might be under the hood (Impala, Lumina and Monte Carlo), under the dash (Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe) or behind the glove box (Venture). On Toyota, Lexus, Nissan and most Honda models, you’ll find the filter behind the glove box.

On vehicles where the cabin air filter is mounted under the cowl at the base of the windshield, some disassembly may be required to replace the filter. This may involve removing a plastic cowl cover. The area around the filter usually collects debris, so this area should be cleaned to remove any leaves, bugs or other debris before the old filter is pulled out. This will prevent any contaminants from falling into the HVAC inlet duct.

On vehicles where the filter is located behind the glove box, the glove box may have to be removed to replace the filter. On others, the filter can be accessed from under the dash and pulled out of a slot in the HVAC unit.

Most cabin air filters are flat-panel filters, but some have unusual shapes, so the...