Center console door fix?

[Pyrite]

My 2007 Solara convertible center console door just quit. We got back from a trip and it just went out. It's the door under the radio that you push gently to release and just close it with a gentle push. Except NOW it has to be WHACKED open and WHACKED closed. There's some movey gizmo on the top of the opening that seems to be involved but I'm not sure if there's a fix. Anyone know? Thanks.

[Gadgetjq]

Originally Posted by Pyrite

My 2007 Solara convertible center console door just quit. There's some movey gizmo on the top of the opening that seems to be involved but I'm not sure if there's a fix. Anyone know? Thanks.

Pyrite,

I can't tell you exactly what's wrong but do have a suggestion. Remove that panel and you can easily examine the mechanism that operates the door. If you can look at the "gizmo" straight on the solution might be obvious.

The center console panels just pop off, no screws. Remove the shift knob first (just makes things simpler) then lift the center console top panel beginning at the rear. Lift the entire panel away (sliding it over the shift lever which you'll probably have to take out of park so have your key handy). Once the center panel is off you can gently tug on the door panel (not the door itself). Pull toward the rear of the car. Once the panel is loose you can unplug the accessory socket and take the panel out of the car for inspection/repair. If pictures help you'll find some on my website here: http://www.gadgetjq.com/solara/audio_aux.htm Scroll midway down the page and you'll see how the center panels lift off.

It's possible some little piece of plastic/material/other that you had in that storage space got caught in the mechanism or, when you weren't around, someone forced the door in some way. The good news is worst case scenario the "gizmo" is broken and you have to replace the whole panel. A replacement should be simple to find at a wrecking yard.

Cheers