[ChryslerCares]

So somehow a DVD got trapped on the outside of the rear console drawer (that faces the 2nd row) and now it won't close. I suspect there is a release somewhere, but couldn't find it. I imagine this is not the first instance of this happening in the Pacificaverse. Help (and thanks).

Hi dcpacifica,

I saw your PMs but thought I would address this publicly since others are asking about it as well. Unfortunately the console drawer is not removable by the customer. It requires removal of seat side shields and 4 screws that hold the console down. My contact advised me that they will keep an eye on this issue and determine the occurrence and impact to future development. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Andrea
Chrysler Social Care Specialist

 

[cbjb]

I have this same issue of a DVD having fallen behind the drawer and now the drawer will not close. I followed the instructions earlier in this thread and removed every screw I could find around the console and popped the top off the cupholder top. I can't get access to the cavity behind the drawer?

I even went to the dealer and they said it would require an appointment to drop it off to have them remove the console to get the DVD out. Before I pay to fix this, has anyone else actually removed the DVD?

 

[Joyxpac]

If you are talking about the top compartment with the roll-top door then that one is easy. The black bezel around the entire super console top (see thumbnail) just pops straight up and off. Use a plastic pry-tool (or screwdriver with tip covered with tape) to avoid scratches and you can start inside the cupholder region if you like. No screws, just pry up and it pops off.

Can you get in behind the big drawer that opens to the 2nd row by prying off the top cup holder/covered cubby?

Sorry, I should have read further on before posting this question.

 

[BrettP]

...I even went to the dealer and they said it would require an appointment to drop it off to have them remove the console to get the DVD out. Before I pay to fix this, has anyone else actually removed the DVD?

Oh yeah, twice. If you remove the console completely you just flip it upside down and let gravity do the work. While upside down the DVD case "falls up" to where you can reach in the upside down open drawer and grab with your fingers. I'll bet that's what the dealer does.


The second time I made a vacuum attachment with a small windshield NAV/Phone/Radar Detector suction cup with a hole drilled in its center then glued it to a flexible hose that won't collapse under vacuum. Any vacuum cleaner or general vacuum pump can put enough vacuum on that hose to lift a DVD case. Just fish it over the end of the drawer and down and it will grab the DVD case well enough to lift and get fingers on it.

 

[Joyxpac]

Oh yeah, twice. If you remove the console completely you just flip it upside down and let gravity do the work. While upside down the DVD case "falls up" to where you can reach in the upside down open drawer and grab with your fingers. I'll bet that's what the dealer does.


The second time I made a vacuum attachment with a small windshield NAV/Phone/Radar Detector suction cup with a hole drilled in its center then glued it to a flexible hose that won't collapse under vacuum. Any vacuum cleaner or general vacuum pump can put enough vacuum on that hose to lift a DVD case. Just fish it over the end of the drawer and down and it will grab the DVD case well enough to lift and get fingers on it.

Can you post a picture?

 

[BrettP]

Can you post a picture?

I'll be happy to find it and post a picture of the suction cup glued to a hose. It worked fine on a DVD case because of the large area but I don't think it would generally work on any little thing that could fall back there. I originally made it work with a regular vacuum cleaner but later revised it to work either with my oil extractor and/or the cheap Harbor Freight vacuum pump I use to pump down auto AC systems after repairs.

 

[BrettP]

Can you get in behind the big drawer that opens to the 2nd row by prying off the top cup holder/covered cubby?

No. If the DVD goes over the back wall of the long drawer it is caught in a totally sealed off volume inside the drawer assembly which itself is a subassembly of the general console. A box within a box. Removing the top bezel doesn't allow you to see into the "boneyard" where the DVD has dropped although there's probably an optimal place to cut a large hole in the drawer subassembly such that removing the top console bezel would allow simple access to that space. Without trial and error I didn't know where to cut and at that time cheap sacrificial super consoles weren't on Ebay so I was afraid I might make an $800 mistake. Of course now my family is pretty good at avoiding overstuffing the drawer in the first place which was the root cause of the problem.

 

[BrettP]

Can you post a picture?

Here's a few pics of what I have used. It's pretty easy to do this.

Drill a hole in a suction cup. The small kind that attaches a radar detector to a windshield is fine.
Glue or just jam a pex tube in the hole. The tube used nowadays as a refrigerator water supply line works well (or the next smaller size).
Use almost any source of vacuum. I duct taped to a hard vacuum attachment (crevice tool) the first time. Now I connect to the vacuum produced by my Harbor Freight oil extractor but any little vacuum pump from Sears or Harbor Freight or Home Depot will do fine.
The pex tube easily goes over the back wall of the drawer and your fingers can bend it sharply in small radius without collapsing.
There's plenty of suction to hold a DVD or game cases.
You just need to lift the DVD enough to get fingers or needle-nose pliers on it.

 

[jhopster]

I'm not gonna lie about it. The center console in Pacifica nearly had me looking at the Caravan. That T&C removable console with plenty of storage along with the dual glove box and hidden power ports, was an option I didn't really want to loose. Not to mention all the overhead storage bins for 2nd and 3rd rows. Storage in the Pacifica has been a huge disappointment. Hearing these horror stories of things falling in the back of the drawer and no easy way to recover them, just confirms my initial thoughts. I pray my kids don't overstuff the rear drawer. I know I have stuffed the front drawer. Huge design flaw. Hopefully they fix that in the upcoming models and at the very least let you remove the drawer.

 

[dcpacifica]

For those with stuck items, I'd strongly recommend opening a case with Chrysler and taking it to the dealership to get a quote on how much they will charge for the labor to remove the driver and passenger seats in order to access that "box within a box" area. Not all dealerships are even aware of what's involved to get back there. Also, the more people file complaints the more attention this gets. Not a problem, until it happens to you - then it's all #&-$#@-+(_$$$!!

 

[SteveK]

So I had the same issue happen last week with a DVD falling behind the drawer. And I really ran into an issue when I went to the store yesterday to buy some 8 foot long pieces of wood and couldn't fold the seats down because the drawer wouldn't retract fully to allow the storage covers to fully open.

I tried the suction method. Wouldn't work. I tried to figure out how to unbolt it to shake it out - I couldn't find the rear bolts. So I ended up taking off the plastic around the drawer out which gave me some more room on the sides to get a long screwdriver back there to fish it out and eventually grab it with a needle nose pliars and my fingers. Here are some pictures of it without the the plastic on - excuse the rotations. They are rotated correctly on my phone and laptop, but get rotated differently after I uploaded them.

This is a major design gap with Chrysler. Can't imagine how they let this one slide.

 

[BrettP]

...So I ended up taking off the plastic around the drawer...

Cool! Where did you pry to get the plastic around the drawer to release? Are there screws to remove or is everything snap fitted?

 

[SteveK]

Everything is snap fitted. Just a little pressure and it popped right off.

 

[rwatkins278]

Hello we have the same problem. Our VIN is 2C4-RC1GG0HR-657602.

DVD in case dropped behind the drawer but drawer wont come out.

Thanks!

 

[jessichristian]

Same thing just happened to me.....ugh I need help. I don't want to have yo take it in. This should be something they fix.

 

[mickeyboat]

Can someone from Chrysler Customer Care check on this, there has to be an easy solution. It has happened to almost everyone. We now store everything in this drawer to plastic boxes with lids to keep things in the drawer and not under it or in front of it.

 

[BrettP]

I think Chrysler Care did check on it a few months back and there isn't a simple Chrysler secret. SteveK's post above may be your best bet.

 

[kingyip]

Remove object falling behind the console drawer

Has anyone removed the top ring around the console, remove the roll top compartment (easy to do) and then drilled a hole thru the plastic coming out behind the drawer extended. The hole then made bigger to be able to grab and stand up the problem item so that it can be taken out over the back of the drawer. The hole will be covered when the roll top compartment is reinstalled. Can't see why this won't work. Think a flexible line with grabber fingers could be used to get the object.
THIS IRRITATED THE **** OUT OF ME, so I tried my idea as too impatient to wait for a reply. It worked for me by the way. I drilled, cut a 4 x 3/4 inch slot under the roll top compartment as proposed above. Then with a light in the drawer I was able to see the problem and with a home made length of wire, and flexible tube with duck tape on the end was able to move what also turned out to be a CD case to where I could grab it over the back of the drawer and remove it. The slot I made is completely hidden when the roll top drawer is reinstalled. Can't tell I did anything.
Feeling great about this also.

 

[scoobitu]

So I also took off the plastic around the drawer out as suggested by previous posts.
Its just a matter of gentle pulling without breaking it.
The added room on the sides allowed me to slide in a leaf grabber back there to fish the dvd box out and eventually grab it with my hands on the top . Here are some pictures

 

[scoobitu]

worked for me . thank you Stevek. I uploaded my own pics as well.