What is it?

I decided to check the cabin air filter in my Taco, when I dropped down the glove box there was a tube like container attached to the right side of the box, what is it? The cabin filter looked fine, maybe due to the fact that I live in Seattle and there is no dust only rain.

 

The tube is like a shock absorber so the glove box opens slowly. It attaches to the knob on the R/H side of the frame surrounding the glove box (middle hole on shock) and the long narrow end of the shock attaches to the knob on the R/H side of the glove box. The top hole on the shock (fat end) doesn't attach to anything (might fit other models.) The shock is a over engineered cheap pos.

 

and is possibly broken on many a tacoma. mine wont stay on and falls off the first time i open after re-attaching