Paul's Travel Pictures

Toyota Prius HVAC Cabin Air Filter Replacement Guide
How to clean or change the A/C system's cabin air filter element in a 2nd generation 2004-2009 Toyota Prius hybrid.

Main Menu            Home           Digital Cameras

Misc. Pictures            Articles            My Blog

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-001
2006 Prius Glove Boxes
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-002
Open Lower Glove Box
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-003
Damper Arm On Right Side
This automotive maintenance tutorial was specifically created to assist owners of the 2nd generation (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009) Toyota Prius hybrid in cleaning or changing the HVAC system's cabin air filter element in the blower motor housing.

Owners of other Toyota or Lexus vehicles such as the Corolla, Yaris, Camry, Sienna, Tacoma, Avalon, RAV4, Tundra, FJ Cruiser, Venza, Highlander, 4Runner, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, IS 250, ES 350, and GS 350 may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible replacement cabin air filters with their part numbers are as follows: Purolator C35516, TYC 800005P, Mahle LAK 131, Mann Filter MCF 1005, Wix # 24875, Denso 453-1013, Champ CAF1766, Beck Arnley 042-2014, Premium Guard PC5516, Hastings AFC1310 and Pentius PHB5516.

No tools are needed to replace the filter. A wet/dry shop vacuum can be useful for cleaning and re-using the OEM filter and the bottom half of the air box.



 
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-004
Pull Damper Arm Off Prongs
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-005
Push In Side Walls
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-006
Release Plastic Side Stops
The first few steps are to sit in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, open the lower of the two glove boxes and empty out the contents.

Then pull the plastic damper arm on the outer right side of the glove box off the two prongs on the mounting peg.

Firmly push the two side walls of the glove box in towards each other until the plastic side stops can be released from behind the dashboard.

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-007
Lower Glove Box To Floor
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-008
Blower Motor Housing
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-009
Push In Release Tab
Gently lower the glove box down to the passenger floor mat.

The plastic hinge at the bottom of the glove box may separate, but it can easily be re-attached later.

Once the glove box is out of the way, you'll be able to see the white plastic blower motor housing and the rectangular filter access cover.

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-010
Push In Right Side Tab
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-011
Slide Out Filter Tray
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-012
Cabin Filter Tray Removed
Gently push in the tabs on both sides of the filter access panel to release the retaining clips.

Slide the white plastic filter tray straight out of the slot in the blower motor housing.



 

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-013
Pull Filter Out of Tray
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-014
Insert New Filter In Tray
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-015
Clean Slot In Blower Housing
Pull the old filter out of the tray and inspect both sides of it.

If the old filter is relatively clean, just tap out the large debris and remove any fine dust with a vacuum.

If the old filter is dark grey or black and clogged with dirt, dust, leaves, insects, twigs, pollen and hair, it should be replaced with a new element.

I recommend purchasing the Purolator C35516 cabin air filter since it has excellent reviews on Amazon.

The new cabin air filter may have an "Air Flow", "UP", or "DOWN" direction arrow. If it has an "Air Flow" direction arrow, it should be pointed down towards the floor mat.

Install the new filter in to the plastic filter tray with the arrow pointing in the correction direction.

If you have a crevice attachment for your shop vacuum, clean out any visible debris such as sand, leaves or pebbles inside the filter slot in the HVAC blower motor housing.

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-016
"UP" Direction Arrow
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-017
Slide In Filter Tray
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-018
Re-Attach Glove Box Hinge
Slide the filter tray back in to the slot with the "UP" arrow pointing in the correct direction.

Push the tray until you feel or hear the two retaining clips click securely in to place.

Line up the plastic hinges on the bottom of the glove box and gently push them back together.

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-019
Raise Glove Box
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-020
Push On Damper Arm
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-021
Push In Side Walls
Raise the glove box towards the dashboard.

Push the damper arm on the right side over the two prongs on the mounting peg.

Firmly push in the two side walls of the glove box towards the middle.

2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-022
Re-Insert Side Stoppers
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-023
Glove Box Re-Installed
2004-2009-Toyota-Prius-Cabin-Air-Filter-Replacement-Guide-024
Close Lower Glove Box
Re-insert the plastic side stop on each side of the glove box in to place behind the dashboard.

Replace the contents of the lower glove box and close it to complete the job.

Be sure to record the filter change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, please check out my 2004-2009 Toyota Prius Rear Window Wiper Blade Replacement Guide and 2004-2009 Toyota Prius Engine Air Filter Replacement Guide.

If you have a 3rd generation vehicle, please visit my 2010-2014 Toyota Prius DIY Maintenance Guides.
 

If you found this guide to be helpful, please consider making a small donation by clicking on the PayPal.com "Donate" button located to the right of this paragraph. Thank you!
(Note: I am not a registered charity. Donations are not tax deductible.)

Main Menu       Home       Digital Cameras

Misc. Pictures       Articles       My Blog

 

Copyright 2024 © PaulsTravelPictures.com
 All Rights Reserved ®

Paul's Travel Pictures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Privacy Policy     About Paul & Author Contact Info