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I just went to open my fridge and the door just fell off. The reason appears to be that the bottom pin that the door swings on had worked its way loose from the frame it's normally screwed into and is now stuck in the door:

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It's totally flush with the surface and I cannot get this thing out. It's a Frigidaire and they're totally unhelpful. There's no tech support on the phone. I can pay $169 for a service call, but I can't see how the tech will get it out either, and I don't want to pay if the answer is a whole new door.

What to do?!

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    Almost this exact thing happened to me a few years ago - I think it was also a Frigidaire. Why anyone would design a hinge pin (by definition subject to repeated rotational force) which is attached to the frame by screw threads and without any kind of locking mechanism is a mystery. In my case, I was a bit luckier than you in that the pin just fell out. You could try holding the door vertically (might require a 2nd person) and banging it a few times to see if gravity will be your friend.
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 14:26
  • I was thinking the same thing! The rotation of the door acts against the integrity of the screw, which is nuts.
    – Joshua Frank
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 15:52
  • I would use a dremel to cut a deep slot, then use the biggest flat-head screwdriver you can find to drive it out.
    – Kyle B
    Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 16:33

2 Answers 2

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As the hinge pin appears to be flush with the plastic bushing, the first attack would be to pry at the edges of the bushing. If you can wiggle it out, the pin becomes more exposed, allowing for more prying directly on the pin.

If you can get a tool between the bushing and the pin, there's another wedge pry point.

If you have access to strong magnets, you may be able to secure an attachment to the pin and tap on the frame while applying exit force. If the pin is stainless steel, it may have minimal or no magnetic attraction.

Along the lines of a last resort, using a rotary tool such as the one frequently called a Dremel™, cut a slot into the center of the pin and use a straight blade screwdriver to rotate the pin and pry it out.

But wait, there's more, also along the last ditch effort concept. Thoroughly scuff up the surface of the pin and clean well. Apply an epoxy product suitable for the surface. There are some paste/clay looking epoxies I've used, specifically for steel, as well as the tiny tubes of epoxy known as JB Weld™ that would provide for a sufficient grip. Go one step further and epoxy a grip of some sort, perhaps a keyring type, to make it easier to ease out the pin.

It would be necessary, of course, to grind away the epoxy once the pin is extracted, unless you are able to purchase a replacement pin.

If the pin is threaded into the mount, consider also to use an anerobic adhesive such as Loctite™ or similar, to prevent a repeat complication.

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    I like the epoxy idea. You maybe could start with duct tape and then try superglue and a screwhead before going the full epoxy route.
    – Willk
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 1:32
  • If doing what @Willk says, superglue is brittle enough to come away with a sharp tap, or failing that dissolves in acetone (nail polish remover)
    – Chris H
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 15:00
  • Accepting this answer because it got closest to what eventually worked. It turns out that the white cap is just the exposed portion of a cap that goes into the door frame and fully contains the pin. I reached an appliance shop who reassured me that this should come out with prying, so I had the confidence to really go at it with a thin steel blade until I got it out. Once it was free, the pin came out and then I was able to rehang the door.
    – Joshua Frank
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 15:57
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Drill and tap it. If it is not threaded you can use a slide hammer to inch it out. If it is threaded in the hole use a cap screw and tighten a nut down on the face of the pin and try to rotate it out. Possibly try and bottom the bolt out in the hole you tapped and then spin it out.

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  • If it is threaded, it may be worth buying a sunken stud extractor. That's a reusable self-tapper with a left-hand thread (so it tightens itself into the remnant stud as you're removing it).
    – Toby Speight
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 9:04
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    I'm willing to bet that it will be impossible to drill as it is the axle of the door hinge. As such, the door pivots on this pin. Now that the pin is in the bushing, it will spin under the force of the drill. One can hope that it's not going to get pushed in, out of reach. If it's stainless steel, drilling would be more challenging.
    – fred_dot_u
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 10:28
  • @fred_dot_u agreed - being a pin it should be at least somewhat hardened too.
    – Criggie
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 12:56

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