We have a 2009 Sienna, and the glove box locking/closing mechanism doesn’t function right. When you close (not lock) the glove box, it sticks shut. Taking out the mechanism (pops out pretty easily), it appears to be a design flaw where the “doohickey” (technical term) that engages is too small and if it gets a bit misaligned, can’t engage the part inside the dash to release the door/flap. However, we can’t build up the doohickey, because there barely enough clearance for the rest of the mechanism–anything we built on would then jam the thing from another direction. I’ve done some scoping out of other forums online, and there are quite a few posts asking this question but no one seems to be answering it. Thoughts? Anyone seen this?
2009? Should still be under warranty. Take it to the Toyota dealer.
Warranty is a no-go. We hit 39K…go figure, this becomes a problem right after the 36K warranty expired.
We have a 2009 with the same issue, would buying a new latch on EBay be the best solution?
Ask the dealer’s parts department to print an “exploded view” drawing of the glovebox installation for you. With this visual to guide you, you shold be able to determine how to realign the glovebox such that the “dohicky” properly engages the latch. Elongating a hole or two should not be a scary task if necessary. Nothing you can do to the glovebox will render the vehicle unusable. Just be sure when you drill that you know what’s BEHIND the part you’e drilling. You would not want to drill into the ECU, which in most cars is behind the glovebox.
Sometimes with latches like this, which must align, you can loosen the screws/bolts, reposition the part that is missing its mate, and retighten. If you experiment, you may be able to realign this yourself.