So, I've had the broken-off glove box handle in my car for almost a year. I've read various fixes, including some guy on eBay who sells a machined metal insert for $100. The bottom pivot for my glove box latch broke off, so the latch is no longer held in. Here's how I fixed it.

1. Remove lock cylinder from latch. Be careful you don't lose the springs and tumblers. (Removing the cylinder involves pulling back the four black prongs on the back side.)
2. Find a flat headed nail. Mine was ~3/4 inch long, and slightly more than 1/8" diameter. Drill a hole in the latch at the center of the notch where the missing pivot would sit.
3. Open the glove box door and drill a similar hole at the center of where the missing pivot was.
4. Put the latch back where it goes (remembering to put the spring on the far left side).
5. Insert the nail into the latch and down into the glove box door.
6. Reinsert the lock. This is somewhat difficult because the tumblers want to spring outward. I inserted the key into the cylinder, and that kept the tumblers in.

The glove box works again and looks much better without the missing handle.

One question for others: When I unlock the glove box, I cannot remove my key from the lock. I can only remove the key once I lock the glove box. Is this normal operation.

Darin

 

That is normal operation. Or... That is how mine operates normally!

 

Thanks! It's a strange design because it doesn't let you leave the glove box unlock, and it also requires that you have two keys in order to turn off the passenger air bag, because the first key is dangling in the door and can't be removed in order to use in the switch.

(This is a problem for me mainly because I only have one key to my car.)

 

My latch will allow me to remove the key with the latch unlocked.
When I broke my latch, I repaired it by drilling a hole where the latch pivot broke off and made a new dowel pln out of a piece of plastic and I glued it into the hole I drilled. I then determined the location of the top dowel pin, drilled a hole and created another plastic dowel pin and friction fitted into the second hole, holding the latch in place. I still can't believe how easily it broke. For a car as smartly designed as this, the engineers really blew it inthat design imho.

 

Maybe that is how ya'll broke your handles? Pulling the key out when it wasn't supposed too?

Just kidding, it would make sense for it to come out, but mine doesn't. I can however return it to the lock position with it open to use the key to turn the airbag off/on.