Chrysler Repair: 05 300 : air bag warning light/ cabin air filter, windshield wiper motor, highway traffic safety

Question
1.  Where do I find the cabin filters?  2. The dummy light on the dashboard for the passenger airbag (looks like somebody sitting on a chair with a beach ball in their lap) is on.  I took it to the dealer 3 times before the warranty expired and each time they "fixed" it.  But it came on again about 6 mos after the warranty expired now I don't know what to do with it.  Is the passenger airbag really off and what would be causing this problem?

Answer
Hi Anita,
The cabin filter is located under the hood so you have to open that to find it. It is located on the far end of the passenger side of the air intake for the heating/ventilating/air condition system which is just in front of the windshield wiper motor area. There is a screen on top of the wiper motor area which when removed will show a narrow wide 'door' which hides the filter. The filter is in the air intake plenum, simply wedged in place vertically so you only see its edge which has an arrow that points toward the rear of the car. Simply pull it up and out to remove, and slip the new one in its place, again with the arrow pointed rearward. Replace door and replace the screen. That should do it.
On the air bar light, I would check the owner's manual to verify whether the passenger safety restraint system might have a longer warranty than the balance of the car. I think that it might have under federal law. You could also check with the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA.gov) to see what that says about the warranty requirements.
Unfortunately, the system can only be diagnosed by means of a plug-in diagnostic readout box and repairs based upon a diagnostic fault code are spelled out in the shop manual. I would also check the service dept paperwork to see what is documented about the earlier repairs. They may have inserted a new component whose warranty is supposed to be longer than the time that has elapsed between when it was installed and today, so again a free warranty replacement might be available to you. I believe that the dealer will likely have to do the repair, so the best you can do is find out what you rights are for a free repair and fight for it. The NHTSA site should also be checked for any recalls on the airbag system of your car which would also get you a free repair. Look at the home page to find the section on recalls and click on that. If the prior service work on the bag shows any fault code information (4-digit number) I can tell you about that problem and how the manual says it should be fixed.
Roland