Toyota RAV4 Forums banner

Repair advice: glove compartment

51K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  rkbchiefs3 
#1 ·
Howdy!
Wondering if I could get some repair advice:

I was struggling getting the glove compartment open and somehow ripped the handle off. Toyota wants $550 to fix it.

Can anyone point me to a replacement part for the latch and how to install it?

Thanks in advance!
 
#8 ·
I have a 2013 also with the handle newly ripped off.. any idea the best way to open it without ruining any parts I will need when I install the new glove box?

IE.. I have a prybor, but I do not want to ruin the latch that will still be attached to the dashboard...

Thanks in advance...
 
#9 ·
Not2lucky. First see if you can still rotate the remnants of the handle with a needle nose pliers or similar to open the door. Take the next part with a grain of salt.

It appears you can't just buy the latch handle and have to buy the whole box. On my 09, the door handle is attached to two spring loaded pins that move into a hole in the door jamb on each side of the door. Check another rav4 in your year and see how that door latches.

If the door latches the same way, I would approach the problem by carefully drilling or cutting a large hole in the face of the glovebox door. Don't drill or cut too deeply or you will damage the jamb behind the door. Remove the spring and pull the pins in towards the handle area with pliers to release the door.

Please note this is not a proven method, just my approach. If you don't feel comfortable with this approach, you can always take your car to a shop.
 
#11 ·
i got it open with a large screwdriver I used as a prybar. The latches are on the sides, not near the handle where I thought. Once I had the glove box off, there was a rotating colar in there that I tied a string to and I can pull the string down, while pushing the glovebox in and it opens. That will have to do until I can find some 2013 models in the junkyard.. they want $230 for a new glovebox, but they are not going to get that from me.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top