so awhile ago my passenger punched the cup holder in on dashboard so its stuck in, i've tried taking off the lower dash cover clips but it seems it's still held in on the lower right of the dash and the top left beside the cup holder square. any tricks to taking off the lower dash? i don't want to force anything and break the plastic like every other part of the interior..

 

Cup holder has a single 10mm bolt in it, must be removed to get that section of dash off. PITA to get to the bolt , the holder must be halfway out to be able to get to it.

 

mine is stuck too, it would be nice to use it but i cant get it out to get to that bolt

 

You can take the whole holder out. Makes it a lot easier to get to the bolt.

 

i have to punch the dash to get the holder out, except it only comes about 1/4 way out. i can see the bolt but its at the same height as the top of the cup holder so i can't get a flat wrench in there, not even a needle nose.

 

I yours is like mine was (sounds eerily similar), you'll have to forcibly remove the cup holder (break it even worse) then buy a new one for replacement.

 

well at least i know its not fixable, thanks sparklecityhop. Good thing i made a cup holder for the center console out of wood today at school haha.

 

^LoL. I bet that works great, and looks...... Horrible!
Any pic's?

 

^ +1 i need one to hold my big gulp with out spilling before I even get out of the parking lot

 

fixed my jammed in dash cup holder today
this is how and why your cup holder becomes jammed

The metal piece slips behind the plastic stopper and prevents it from coming out causing it to be jammed
http://youtu.be/sgQFW3vq9wc
watch the spring that slips over the plastic stopper when fully compressed

after bending the piece of metal with needle nose pliers it functions normally in this video i am locking it and unlocking it
http://youtu.be/_TnhDsAjJBc

 

That helps a ton Realist Alive, except for the fact that i can't seem to get my lower dash panel off. I heard it's only held on by clips but it won't come off on the bottom right and the top left by the cup holder. Am i supposed to just rip the dash part off or is there some trick to it?

 

Screw on the lower right, bolt on the upper left inside the cup holder

 

^ he is right. screw on right and bolt behind cup holder. if you can get the front plastic off of the cup holder by unscrewing the screw below it then try and force it out enough to use a 10 mm socket on an extension, or the whole cup holder is held on by two screws on the back of the plastic dash cover.... they are not easy to get to and it was easier for me to force the cup holder out a little then use the socket. i will try and make a video of how to do this tomorrow. it took me about an hour to do it all with no guidance and with it raining

 

Finally got some time to get it apart today, and managed to bend the wire from the spring back into place. Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

I know this is an old thread and a problem from day one! I've gone through the threads on the subject, but can't find specific instructions on how to remove the assembly when it's stuck in the dash. I can't get mine to move at all.

Any help is appreciated!

 

Reviving an old thread, maybe it will help someone.

After 2 times of my cup holder malfunctioning (1st time it was open and got clipped by my backpack when braking, 2nd time it was stuck closed for no apparent reason - I didn't "punch" it as many people seem to do), I know how to get the lower dash panel off with not too much effort.

Remove the lower kick panel as described in this and other threads. Once that panel is out, there is a 10mm bolt behind the cig lighter and another (pain in the butt bolt) behind the stuck-in cup holder that need to be removed. I was able to remove the screw and the cig lighter bolt with ease. Once I removed those two and GENTLY popped the clips and pried on the lower dash panel a bit (again gently and not recommended when cold outside), I was able to reach behind the panel to the back of the cup holder and with one hand on the front of the cupholder and one on the back side of it, I was able to push in from the front to "unlock" the cupholder and then with the hand behind the dash panel, push forward. This allowed me enough room to get a small 1/4" drive 10mm swivel socket on a 6" extension on the bolt to loosen it. Once I removed the bolt, the panel was easily removed. After that, follow others' directions for adjusting the spring(s) as needed on the cup holder.

Can you take a guess which bolt I will not be putting back in place? You guessed it. The one behind the failure-prone cup holder. Any future repairs of this piece will be a piece of cake from now on.

YMMV based on the extent of the failure of the cup holder.

Good luck and I hope this helped someone.

 

I just replaced my cupholder also. Thaks to the advice on this thread. One thing i learned.
Once the cupholder is opened fully, insert a flat screwdriver into the groove on top. There is a release clip hiding back there. Gently press it and the cupholder slides right out allowing easy access to the bolt!