I cannot open the glove box

As it says in the title I cannot open the glove box. I have tried, with it in the locked and unlocked position, then locking and unlocking a couple of times and finally with the key in every position in between. Has anyone had this problem before?

If worst comes to the worst and you do need to damage it to get it open luckily there are 2nd hand gloveboxes going for only £ 10 plus carriage at the moment

The latch is a zinc die casting & it moved to the left once the left hand button is depressed, how the lock works I don’t know as I’ve never had need to either use the lock or find out.
I would guess that if you were to inset a broad blade (paint scraper) & slide it in to the right hand side of the latch mech” & then move it to the left, providing there is nothing obstructing you should be able to unlatch the “hook” from the latch plate.
Obviously this is all theoretical as I’ve not tried to unlatch the latch, by hatching this ruse.
M

If you can press the button in then my guess would be that something in the glove box is jamming it shut.
Here are some photos of the lock.
Open

Locked
The mechanism

I have never locked the glovebox!!!!

bryan young wrote:

I have never locked the glovebox!!!!

I’ll go one further…….. don’t think I’ve ever locked a glove box!…..on any car ever!

bryan young wrote:

I have never locked the glovebox!!!!

Neither have I but it won't open! I did insert the key and turned it hoping that might have freed it but to no avail. I haven't had the time to go and have another attempt to open it, I will let you all know the outcome.

Maybe something in it is jamming the latch preventing it from releasing

Im probably too much of a troglodyte but I have to confess that if i knew i could get a replacement glovebox for £ 10 I would have just taken a crowbar to it as soon as it wouldn't open: if it survived great, worse case it's a tenner and 20 mins to replace

I could probably save you a tenner but I don't know if I should post how to do it here.

I hope I’m not treading on anyones toes with this thought.
Can’t you pop out the central vent & get your hand in & flick the catch, I’m sure, as most cars are without the passenger airbag there’ll be loads of room.
M

R40MGF wrote:

I could probably save you a tenner but I don't know if I should post how to do it here.

I wouldn’t worry about security issues here, as it’s highly unlikely that too many scumbags would bother to read this forum for tips on cracking open the glovebox of our cars, they’ll just use their tried a trusted destructive methods of smashing the living shit outta it. And surely no one store anything of great value in one.
Indeed that’s why I don’t lock gloveboxes, it saves damage from some dickhead wrecking it to get in, only to discover there is nothing of interest there…….locks only keep out honest people!
But instead of posting the how to, you could send Notanumber, a PM with the details of how to do it.

Back when my dad would travel to pistol shooting competitions, I welded in a small hidden safe into the AMC Rambler Matador he used for such excursions
Whist the whole car could still get stolen, it was much more secure than the guns just sitting in a case that could easily be pinched in a smash and grab.
Of course in a big old yank tank like the AMC there is plenty of room, I couldn’t begin to imagine where you’d put one in one of our cars!