The cabin air filter on your 2002 Toyota Solara is designed to keep bad odors out of your climate control system. It doesn't need to be regularly maintained, but if you're ever driving down the road with the heat or a/c on and notice a pungent odor, it might be time to swap out the filter for a new one. Fortunately, they're inexpensive and easy to install.
Open the glove box and empty the contents onto the floor or the driver's seat. Remove the screw on the right hand side that holds the glove box stop in place, then push the sides of the glove box to let it hang all the way down.
Locate the white box revealed by the removal of the glove box. Push in the sides of the box and pull out the filter frame from the dashboard. Pinch the filter inside of the frame to remove it.
Place the replacement filter into the filter frame, then push the new filter into the cabin filter hole. Push the glove box back up, reinstall the glove box top using the Phillips-head screwdriver and reinsert the contents of the glove box into the assembly.
