On the 2009-2018 Ram 1500 the cabin filter is not behind a snap-out door like a Honda. It sits in a slot on the passenger side of the HVAC case, and you get to it by emptying and dropping the glove box, then pulling the lower right knee panel. Tool-wise it is trivial: a #2 Phillips, a 7 mm socket on a 1/4 in drive, and a plastic pry tool.
The thing people get wrong is assuming there is a filter in there. Chrysler shipped a lot of these trucks with the slot molded shut, so owners pull the cover off, find solid plastic, and assume they are in the wrong place. If you see a recessed rectangular outline in the cover, that is the factory cutout line, and a sharp utility knife opens it up permanently. After that first retrofit the swap is a five-minute job every 15,000 miles or so.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| LED flashlight or headlamp The filter slot is in a dark footwell area above the carpet. | Required | shop |
| Phillips screwdriver #2, magnetic tip preferred Removes glove box and lower dash trim screws. | Required | shop |
| Socket wrench and socket 7 mm (some trims 8 mm), 1/4 in drive with short extension Many DS trucks use 7 mm hex-head screws for the glove box and kick/knee panel. | Required | shop |
| Plastic trim pry tool set Nylon panel tools Pops the lower right dash trim and door clips without cracking the plastic. | Required | shop |
| Utility knife Sharp new blade Cuts out the molded blank panel in the filter door on trucks that came without a filter. | Required | shop |
| Needle-nose pliers 6 in Helps free the glove box damper arm and stubborn clips. | Recommended | shop |
| Shop vacuum with crevice tool Sucks leaves and debris out of the housing before the new filter goes in. | Recommended | shop |
| Cabin air filter Mopar 68318365AA / equivalent (approx. 9-1/8 x 7-1/2 x 5/8 in) The replacement element; particulate or charcoal versions both fit. | Parts | shop |
| HVAC evaporator cleaner/deodorizer Aerosol with hose Optional spray into the open slot to kill musty odor while the filter is out. | Consumables | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and dust mask Old filters carry mold spores and rodent debris. | Safety | shop |
No difference by engine. The 4.7 V8, 5.7 Hemi, 3.6 Pentastar and 3.0 EcoDiesel all use the same HVAC housing and the same filter slot; only trim level and build date change whether the slot came open or blanked.
| Glove box and lower dash trim screws (7/8 mm) | Snug by hand, roughly 15-20 in-lb; verify in the service manual |
Filter location and the glove box/knee panel screw sizes (7 mm, some 8 mm, plus #2 Phillips) are accurate for the DS platform, but trim level and build date change whether a filter slot is open, blanked, or absent, so inspect yours before buying parts.
Many did not from the factory. The HVAC housing has the filter slot molded in but often blanked off, so you can retrofit a standard Mopar-size filter by trimming the cover open with a utility knife.
On the passenger side of the HVAC case, low in the footwell just above the carpet, behind the glove box and the lower right dash trim panel. It slides in sideways, not downward.
A #2 Phillips screwdriver, a 7 mm socket on a 1/4 in drive (8 mm on some trims), a plastic trim pry tool, a flashlight, and a utility knife if you are cutting out the blanked cover.
The arrow points in the direction of airflow through the housing, which on this truck is downward/toward the blower. Note the orientation of the old filter before you pull it out, and match it.