I had this happen to me when I removed my ashtray, too. There was a little plastic swiveling piece (call it a "rudder" maybe?) that pivots on a peg. It's attached to the inside face of the housing that the body of the ashtray slides in/out of. It's maybe 3/4" long, and flat, and EASY TO LOSE. It's pressed into a hole underneath, near the back, and has a notch that hooks/unhooks onto a peg in the ashtray body. That's what holds the ashtray back, or let's it slide out. Anyway, it's not too hard to pop that rudder piece out of the hole it's in and lose it somewhere. I know this post is like 6 months old, but if you still have this problem, then maybe you have come across this piece while cleaning the car, and MAYBE you didn't throw it out. It's a pain, but it can be popped back into it's pivot hole, good as new. Good luck!