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Glove Box stuck closed

36K views 39 replies 17 participants last post by  Snoop G 
#1 ·
Hello, I went to grab my USB cable out of my glove box this morning and it wouldn't open. The handle swings free and is not attached to the latching mechanism anymore. I have a 2012. Has this happened to anyone? Is there a good diagram somewhere of the latching mechanism so I can try to jimmy it open? I tried prying at all sides of the door but that latch keeps it tightly closed. I was running late for work so I only gave it 10 minutes or so, I'll give it more effort tonight. Thanks :)
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the comments. I worked on it some more but ran out of daylight. That spring must be really strong... plus there's a metal subframe in the door that supports the latch. The entire latch mechanism is obscured by the internal plastic pieces, even when you take that garnish piece off. I may have to cut some small holes into the plastic just to be able to get access to the mechanism.

I also looked into removing the glove box entirely. The problem with that is two of the screws attaching the glove box to the car are only accessible from inside the glove box!

I just want to get my registration out of there haha
 
#6 · (Edited)
You really ARE between a rock and a hard place! If you think the only way out--in--is to drill a small hole, here's a couple of pictures of the inside latch.
First pic, you can see a place, just to the right of the latch where you can drill an ⅛" hole (to the left of the latch is a metal plate.) Measure 8" from the right edge of the glove box door, and ½" down from the top of the door edge with an ⅛" or slightly larger bit. The second pic shows an ⅛" allen wrench that you can maneuver up into the hole, and like magic--in theory--your in! Good luck.
...and I forgot to tell you how far in to go with your allen wrench before twisting it counter-clockwise--put a mark or tape about an inch up the allen from the 90º bend, that'll get you close, but you may have to feel around to get it behind the metal bar that the latch latches to.

 
#9 ·
Alright, I got in. Litz, I wasn't able to get it with an allen wrench but your instructions led me in the right direction. Thanks again it's much appreciated!

So I drilled a few holes and tore back some plastic. I ended up inadvertently cutting into some of the inside glove box door as well. In the end I tore out more than I should have because I started in the wrong place and I wasn't familiar with how the actual latch worked. Now it seems dead simple haha. I'm going to do a quick write up with instructions showing that a 1/4 hole in the right place will be all you need.

The prognosis: The handle is indeed detatched from the mechanism, I would have to take apart the glove box door to get a better view of what is actually broken. To be honest I'm just happy to get my registration out. The entire glove box can be found on Majestic for $132 which isn't as bad as I expected. Winter is coming so this may have to be a spring project. Once I take a few measurements I'll put together some instructions in case this happens to anyone else in the future. thanks again for the help :)
 
#10 ·
Alright, I got in. Litz, I wasn't able to get it with an allen wrench but your instructions led me in the right direction. Thanks again it's much appreciated!...
...I'm going to do a quick write up with instructions showing that a 1/4 hole in the right place will be all you need.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:Sounds good--glad it helped get you in the right direction--and I think I can see now, where the ¼" hole needs to be to get straight at the latching mechanism.... Looking forward to your write up. Oh, and once you get the new glove box in, don't just throw the old one away--it may have some good parts and pieces that could be useful in the future.
 
#15 ·
Ah, a glimpse into the abyss, that gaping chasm between stupid and the rest of us.

When the cops show up, the game is over. Do what they say.

And if you're using your phone to record a movie, TURN IT SIDEWAYS.

As society's sled ride to hell picks up another ten knots.
 
#17 ·
Damn that's pretty bad luck!

I promised to explain how I opened the glove box. The first step is to remove the piece of trim above the glove box and below the two vents. It's held on by clips from behind as well as some under the two-vent trim. You may need to take the two-vent trim off as well.

Once you have that removed, you'll see there are still some plastic pieces in the way. If you choose the correct spot and drill through, you should hit the metal latch. At that point you can stick a screwdriver down through and push the latch. The hole will go through the plastic trim you see, through the glove box door and into the mechanism. Here's a picture of the location



If you hit the right spot, you won't need to tear up all the plastic like I did. Luckily the trim piece covers it all up, so you can drill a fairly large hole to eliminate error without leaving any lasting damage to the interior (glove box is a different story)

The next picture shows the latch engaged (door closed) on the left, and the latch disengaged on the right. In my case, the left position became permanent because the handle somehow disconnected from the mechanism. The latch just moves up and down, so you need to press down to free it from the stud. The photo shows the door open, so you need to do this blind because it's stuck closed. But this should help you visualize how the latch works.



The "drill a small hole" note references the hole from the first picture. If you get the position spot on you should only need one hole drilled.

For me it wasn't worth investigating the problem further because it's very possible it's broken plastic, and even if it's not and I fix it, it could possibly happen again. $130 for a new working glove box and peace of mind is worth it to me. Hopefully this is helpful, as you can see I kind of went in blind and tore up a lot of plastic. Come spring I'll probably replace it.
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the update, rygar. I didn't think about accessing it by removing the trim piece in the dash, but it makes perfect sense now. Go figure! Wish I had your old glove box so I could dissect that lever mechanism...see what really makes it tic, and why it's the weak link.
My old Insight has a locking glove box, so I was a little bit surprised the CRZ didn't have one too (seems to me, it's the only thing they didn't improve upon, if you compare the CRZ with the 1st generation Insight and see all the other improvements.)
 
#19 ·
Help please

Hello rygar,
I have the same issue with my CRZ & am part exchanging it in 6 days so need to get the manual & my personal belongings out before I hand the car over..
Is there any chance you have the details of how to drill in there pretty please?
Thanks so much,
Ruth
 
#23 ·
really grateful for rygar's writeup! mine is also stuck as of today ? not exactly eager to drill into the dash although i just happen to already have the dash trim pieces off anyway.. i found a few vidz on youtube about other honda models with dashes getting stuck and a couple different methods for getting in, so i might try those first then if all else fails i wil go with the drill in method. really sucks we cant order the latch as a separate piece. not even sure if ours unscrews from the inside but if it does i may try to fashion a latching mechanism..beats paying close to 200 for a new glovebox. worse comes to worse i will keep my eye out for a totalled crz in the junkyards..
 
#24 ·
So I was able to use a small screw driver and get in behind the handle and pry the latch open to get in mine. Very frustrating that this is not a serviceable part, there are indeed screws in behind it that hold it in but can only be accessed by removing the skin of the glove box, which can be removed without damage if you're careful.
 
#26 ·
Removed the glove box and ordered a new one yesterday:
Box Assy., Glove *NH167L* (GRAPHITE BLACK)
77500-SZT-A01ZB

Price online was about $200 for the black, but the grey one for previous model years was a bit less. I forget exactly what the dealer said the new glove box would be, but it was something over $300, but they dropped the price for me to $250 with no additional shipping/handling fee of ordering online. Since the part didn't come in yet, and the fact that I have another CR-Z that may have the same broken latch problem in the future, I decided to dissect the sealed-unit box to see what broke.

Here's the main box after the door was removed...


Removing the door was simple, by releasing the string looped around the door-opening regulator, then pulling out the plastic hinge pins...


The door can be pried apart in order to get to the latch mechanism without breaking or distorting the outer panel in any way if you are patient and use a spanner tool to break it away from the plastic weld locations around the perimeter until everything is freed up except the part around the middle, at the locking mechanism. You can see the three strips of plastic in the center that were separated from their welds by pushing the spanner tool in next to them and prying right to left until they break free...


Here's a pic of the latch, which looks like a piece of the plastic pin that slips into the spring broke off (and you can see it left in the spring,) but I don't think that was the cause of the problem with the broken latch...


What actually broke was the other side of the latch, which has a groove/hole in it to allow the handle to open/close the mechanism. That little piece that broke off can be glued back on and that's probably what needs to be fixed if you have the same problem with a broken handle. I didn't get a clear picture of the handle that has a "finger" that slips in that slot to open/close the door, but at first I thought that the "finger" had just worn down and needed to be fixed--but it looks like you can save yourself $200-$250 buy fixing the broken part(s) and gluing the weld joints of the two pieces back together.
 
#28 ·
Thanks Jamie! I got the new glove box in the other day, but made sure to brush a little Shin-Etsu grease on the latch, where it contacts the striker. I'm thinking that since I've never greased that part before, it'll be a good idea to start doing it now. Maybe it won't break again if it has a little lube on it so it doesn't have as much friction as it's hitting it as I slam the door shut.:grin2: I'll be repairing the old/broken latch to standby as another spare--don't want to buy another new complete glove box for just one, small broken part.
 
#29 ·
So I had the same thing happen to mine. I'm trying to open with a small screwdriver. I found the spot where the screwdriver goes in. Now, do I pry down or up? I've tried both ways and can't get it open but was looking for some feedback before I try again. From the looks of the latch I would pull the handle which would cause the spring to go down, correct? Help please? Thank you!
 
#30 · (Edited)
It released for me, relatively easily, without as much prying up/down, but more like a pushing in and twisting of the flat head of the screwdriver while tugging outward on the broken handle. Good luck. :)
...and yes, you're correct by wanting to pry down, but twisting the screwdriver in the right place will force it away from the latch enough to pop it open.
 
#37 ·
Glovebox has been stuck closed for years now.I don’t even remember what’s in there. Nothing important if I haven’t broken into it by now.


I’ll have to try one of these methods.
After you open it with the screwdriver method, will it be able to open or close or is this a one time open and close?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#38 ·
From my understanding the latch has broken and this method gets you in, then you have to decide if you are going to repair the latch( see Litz's details) or replace.


Glovebox has been stuck closed for years now.I don’t even remember what’s in there. Nothing important if I haven’t broken into it by now.


I’ll have to try one of these methods.
After you open it with the screwdriver method, will it be able to open or close or is this a one time open and close?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#39 ·
See my post yall. You can 3D print the latch for less than 10 bucks. Just message me for the CAD file.

 
#40 ·
Pm sent. ^

Sent from Samsung S10+
 
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