Broken glove compartment latch

MAZDA PROTEGE
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BOWEASEL
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1999 Mazda Protégé mileage: 59000.

The latch on my glove box has apparently broken, and since the glove compartment can no longer be opened, I'm totally baffled about how to remove it to install a new latch.

I did get the bottom bart of the dash off the hinge, but the top part is still attached, and I'm afraid of breaking something if I try to force it.
Aug 29, 2007 at 12:46 PM
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BOWEASEL
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I did finally get the damn thing off. I was able to get the bottom free, but the top part would not open - the latch was engaged with the metal bar that keeps the compartment closed, and if I tried yanking on the top I would have destroyed the whole glove box area.

What I did was break off the plastic latch cover, exposing a slot leading to the mechanics of the latch. When I inserted a little screwdriver into the slot and pulled down on the screrwdriver the latch disengaged from behind the bar, and the box popped open. Then I simply unscrewed the old, now broken, latch and put in a new one.
Sep 20, 2007 at 2:15 PM