I'm wondering if anyone has had this issue, or knows anything about it. One thing about my 'new' used Prius that i got exactly one month ago that annoys me greatly, while i love most everything else, is that when i push the button to open the lower glove box, it opens just a crack and then just sits there, and then very gradually, it opens a little more and a little more, until finally i can get to what i wanted inside the box. It's not like i push the button and it gently opens. It opens just a crack and then waits. It's intermittent. It's always on the slow side, opening, but sometimes it's like it's teasing me. It won't open enough for me to get my fingers in for several seconds. Sometimes, i try to gently push it open, i don't want to hurt it or damage it, but i want it to open when i push the button. Today i had it in for a service and i told the service advisor about it, but when he went to look at it, it wouldn't do it. About 20 minutes earlier when i opened the glove box in my garage, it was the worst it's ever been. It took about 5 or 10 seconds to open enough for me to get to the stuff inside. But at the dealer, it opened normally, softly, gently but steadily. The service guy said maybe when it's cold, the lubricant is thicker or something, not sure what words he used, but he was just guessing what might cause it. Up until then, i hadn't thought about it being more common when it's less warmed up. I do notice it when i leave the office and i want to put my ID cards in the glove compartment. But i think it also happens when i arrive at the office, and i want to open the box to get the ID cards out, the parking lot card key and stuff, and it usually takes it a while to open, i think. The top box opens normally. is this normal for a Prius? i'm going to take a video of it with my cell phone; then i can show them what it's doing. I don't know if there's any way of fixing it though.
It's a lot colder where we live, and we don't have that problem. It sounds to me like your viscous damper is a little sluggish. You can either lubricate it or replace the part. Tom
It's just a little air cylinder, and as dirt gradually accumulates inside it its behavior could change in any number of ways. You can either just pull on the glovebox cover to make it open faster, or remove the air cylinder entirely which will make it fall open with a big "klunk" and rattle all the stuff inside. . _H*
If you're going to get it repaired, make sure to do it under warranty. It should be covered under both the 3 years/36,000 miles Basic Warranty and Toyota's best extended warranty -- the Extra Care Platinum Plan.
My glove boxes both seem to move about the same speed as the car, I don't recall having to wait for them to catch up. Sorry I couldn't help myself. I try not to keep speed in the glove compartment, it is the first place TV cops look. On a roll.
