AC vent won't hold position. How to remove/replace center AC vent on gen3 Prius

Hello,
My center AC vent is loose... it flops down, or when pushed up, stays up as if it were spring loaded in the up position.
Are there any guides on how to go about removing the vent?

This is Toyota part number 55670-47120 for a 2013 Prius Three.

Thank you

 

Before posting here, I searched YouTube for this kind of video... searched Toyota parts sources and Googled in general for this problem. I did not find directions on removing the center vents, that applies to this series of cars. Hoping that someone on this forum has the specific experience with this. Thanks

 

The bezels for the factory info display and audio are well documented by audio installers... and with those out of the way there is visibility under these vents. I have taken those out a couple of times... What's not clear is whether the dash has to come out. Some photos I have seen suggest that the vents are attached to the underside of the dash panel.

 

Here's the answer. A center vent that won't stay where you put it, flops up or down, has a broken link.

There is a 12mm x 3mm plastic link between the vent blade, and another moving vent blade of black plastic at the bottom of the vent. This link fits over pins on the upper and lower vent blade so that they move together. These links are tiny and delicate, and if they crack, for example, if the hole that goves over the pin cracks open, there is no linkage between the vents. The top vent will move but not stay. The lower black vent blade is disconnected and now plays no role in holding the vents in place.

Repair would mean reconstructing this linkage. I tried recreating the link with wire ties tightened around the pins, to accomplish the same push and pull motion. With the damaged part installed in the car, there is no room to do that.

Replacing the part requires removing the center bezels, the radio, and the dash top. The part is a little over $200, and it requires replacement as a whole to replace a 12mm bit of plastic that you'd never find if you dropped it.

A more possible fix might be to glue in a small piece of felt, or leather, over the center divider between the two center vents, so that the vent action has some resistance and stays in place.

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