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I just bought a (new to me) 2007 RX 350. Love the car. The only problem is that the previous owner had kids and he let them do whatever they wanted inside the car. I got the car detailed and cleaned but I noticed that the centre console doors towards the back don't open and close. When I press the open button it opens ever so slightly and when I press close I can feel that the spring is trying to close the door but nothing happens. Has anyone had anything similar happen to them? Does anyone have any ideas on how I can fix this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Welcome to CL. Worse case you may have to replace the entire assembly. I have not heard of this kind of failure, you are the first. Sure there is nothing lodged in between?
Can't even imagine the nastiness a bunch of rugrats might have stuffed in there. If you are handy you might remove the console and try to go in underneath. Does the cup holder door work on the front of the console?
Yup, the car was filthy when I took possession. I drove it straight to a detailer. Yes the front cup holder opens and closes just fine. I think someone may have tried to move the doors manually. Would that break any of the internal components?
Oops just noticed the thread title, should have proofread that first!
Last edited by jhanbhaia; Jan 2, 2015 at 01:51 PM.
The mechanism can't be too complicated, its just a mechanical lever. The button pushes an arm on a cam to open ans the other button does the same on a different lever. You can feel a kind of counter weight at work.
The kids may have tried to force it but I'm betting on a prehistoric french fry or something.
I think the best bet is to try blowing some air in there to dislodge whatever is making it stick. If you are handy, you can take apart the console and clean it. Otherwise, buy a new one.
It's not really stuck, the buttons just don't do much. When I press open, it opens the doors halfway and stops. When I press close, it tries to close but doesn't move much. I'm going to take it apart when it warms up a bit outside.
On the passenger side, there is a plastic cover. This is easaily visible when you move the seat all the way forward and the console all the way back. When you remove this cover, you will see a cable that is attached to a blue pulling mechanism. Make sure that this cable is in properly and that the mechanism doesn't have anything lodged there. I just swapped out the wood grain pieces to the brushed aluminum pieces on our console so I saw how this thing functions. I also have an extra door mechanism (from the console I used the brushed pieces from) if it is damaged I can sell to you. Good luck!
I don't mean to hijack this thread, but my daughter recently came to visit and used my wife's 2004 RX330 for transportation. She bought a Sonic Slushy and tried to jam it into the center console where my wife keeps all her hair clips and other misc. items. Short story, the whole slushy basically exploded into that center console. I can slide the console to and fro, but I don't see how to remove it, since my next course of action is to take it out and completely steam clean the entire assembly. >>>>How does it come out?<<<<< This may be the OP's only option as well.
Just an FYI to everyone who was following this. I removed the center console and I found that one of the gears was worn out. From what I remember the right door is connected to a spring and it is responsible for bringing both doors up when you press the close button. In my case the left door's gear was stripped. Oh well, not going to replace it.
I recently purchased a 2005 RX 330. The close button worked fine. The open button took several times to (typically 3 or just press and hold) for it to open.
That was the last 4 days. today it decided to take the holidays off and I barely got it open. SInce we're wearing masks now (I'm in Cali) I put my mask somewhere else as I cannot rely on the console to open.
I find consoles very usesful and I want to be able to use mine. Taking it into my usual mechanic for a once over next week. I'll see what he says. I'm not sure they are the right guys for the job. If it's too expensive, I will just leave it open (which I hate).
Center Console Doors not work
