My glove box used to never lock. Took it in for service and now it won't unlock. Any suggestions on how to get in without taking it back to the dealer?

Thanks,
Mike

I would like to join the "my glove box is stuck locked club". Can I be member #2 & do you have a badge made up yet

Seriously I have the same problem. Mine was acting up & taking 3 key turns back & forth & back & forth etc to unlock. I reported it to the dealer last time in & they said it was working fine . Oh well now it is stuck & I haven't a clue how to open it short of drilling the lock out. Since I am so far from the dealer I will probably just wait til something else goes wrong to take it in unless some brainiac glovebox miracle worker here on NAM can tell me how to fix it

I had a similar problem and I thought it was something in the glove compartment that was blocking the mechanism. I took it to the dealership and they replaced the glove compartment door for free (under warranty and so forth).

You really should take it to the dealer and get it replaced.

same thing happened to me and i climbed international mini's frame about it in milwaukee after they told me it was working fine the first time and it wasn't. They replaced the latch on it and it seems to be working fine now, but i have no idea how long that will last.

E. Bruner
06mcs

Mine is in today for this very problem (along with the flywheel problem and 25k service)...

Seems it's jammed shut. I think my g/f closed it with my driving gloves in there, and they may have jammed it all up. Still locks/unlocks, just doesn't open!

We'll see what comes of it when I get the car back.

omg... ive never heard of thta before

I'm having the same problem. Key turns, but door won't open. I've crawled under, nudged, pounded....nothing seems to be coming loose. I keep a couple hats in there, and so maybe something jammed up?

If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

Thanks.

Just an update - to fix, they replaced the whole glovebox door. Under warranty.

With my luck, that would be the time I got pulled over. I can see it now, well officer, here's license, but as for registration and proof of insurance, they're in the glove compartment...

I know! That was my fear, since all my stuff was in the glovebox too... luckily, I was able to print out my insurance info from my insurance carrier's site, and my new registration came in the mail that week... but for the couple of days when I couldn't get to it, my right foot was considerably lighter!

Well I'm the latest member of the Lock Box Club (why did I just hear Al Gore's voice spoofed on SNL?) I have tried everything short of using something to pry it open causing some serious damage. The problem is I have a very important master key stuck in there and my dealer is in Nashville TN!

What am I to do? Has anyone ever gotten theirs unstuck?

Thanx gang

My glove box has both- gotten stuck open and could not close and got locked and could not open. And I don't even have a key for the lock.

Same thing happened to my hatchback lock. Sometimes stuck in open- would not close and sometimes close and lock would not open.

In both cases I took my MINI in for servicing and replacement of the glove box and rear hatch lock. Now things are OK but I hardly use the glove box so I don't wear it out too quickly.

12 gauge with 00 buck.

I got it open, removed my stuff and locked it back. Nashville Mini will replace it later.

My glove box dropped a small piece of plastic (~1/2" square and 1/8"thick with small pivoting "pins" on the side and a small "finger" in the center) when I tried to open it today. Now she won't and I have no idea where the little bugger goes or if it will fix the problem.
The big problem... my dealer is in Buffalo and I'm East of Rochester, NY

Add me to the lock box club, where do I get my pin? Seriously, mine is out of warranty and I won't pay a dealer for the crap work they do. How should I go about getting this thing open? The lock turns but it seems to have no effect on the mechanism.

here's what I do.

Its kind of hard to describe but if you are determined I think you can get it done without too much trouble.

1. get your head down under the glove box, looking up at the bottom of the handle.

2. pull the handle like you are opening the box.

3. use a small pick with a 90 degree bend and a flashlight to reach up behind the handle and pull down the latch to release the door.

4. replace the glove box

It will probably take you a little while to figure out which one is the latch, but just be patient.

Im not even sure if my glove box has a lock...

I don't wear gloves and prefer the skin to skin relationship with my Mini. However, I would like to get into her box but I can't get it open.

Thanks for the upside down tip.

Okay. Reporting back.

I managed to get the glove box open after removing the lock key barrel.

While laying wedged upside down and with good light ideally positioned insert the key while pulling on the chrome handle all with one hand.

In the other hand use a narrow, flat head screw driver to pry off the cap on the barrel. ( the black barrel is inside a plastic chrome cylinder and sticking out on the end is a black cap attached to the barrel that pops off with a screwdriver )

The cap has a function in that the groove around it's edge is used to catch something when rotated by the key in the barrel.

I think this is where the problem lies. Whatever the cap catches on when rotating with the key has disappeared or broken off.

Anyway, now you have the cap off and it's fallen in your eye you can remove the key barrel from the chrome handle.

Note ! The glove box is not ready to open at this point.

The next step is a bit of trial and error. With the barrel and cap removed and the chrome handle held open you can see a black plastic surface which is part of the plastic hook holding the door shut.

The plastic hook has a metal U-clip hodling in place and you can see the feet of the u-clip. ( I used a magnifying glass to get a good look )

This is the part where it get's a little touchy, feely. Use a flat head screw driver to try and push the metal clips back to release the hook. ( The hook will fall out of place but may not fall to the floor ) You can also try pressing directly on the plastic hook to dislodge it.

After this is done you need to jiggle the door and it should open for you.

The bad news is to get the hook and the u-clip back in place appears to be impossible. I removed the whole glove box to get a closer look and found the chrome handle assembly is in accessible but you can see the u-clip lossely in position.

Perhaps someone with more patience can put it back together.

Anyway, whatever part that snapped off so that the barrel and cap will not catch on is gone.

Bottom line you need to replace the whole box or find your own system for open and closing the box.

Good luck !