it's designed to come out so you can flip it over so the plastic side is facing up or you can slide it down into the lower setting in case you have taller items you want to fit back there or need the additional space.
I get why it is that way but every time I go to open it.. it falls in the compartment, with everything behind it falling in. Its such a hassle and I use it all the time!
I open mine daily and take things in and out. If you lift it and keep forward pressure towards where the hinges would normally be, it works fine. The reason it's like that is so you can easily slide it into the bottom of the compartment to get it out of the way. The nice thing is if you have wet stuff, you can now have the floor of the compartment with the hard plastic side up. Or if you have tall things you can have the carpeted side up and they won't slide around.
I guess you didn't look carefully when you purchased your Pilot.
I found the ability to drop the cover to produce a well is an advantage, as is the ability to turn it over to have a resistant surface.
While I agree the armrest could be a little more substantial (I am not a small guy), I find I have adapted well to it by trial and error for the best vertical position and my arm position.
While I have found a few minor irritants with the vehicle, it is in my opinion far superior to my previous Highlander and to the 2015 Highlander I test drove while deciding on the 2016 Pilot. Since towing my boat with the 2016 Pilot I have become even more happy with my decision.
I just leave it in the bottom of the compartment (plastic side up) and have the bin dividers installed, great for groceries or anything else you don't want rolling around or falling over.
the floor storage cubby thing is sooooo cool, soooooooo handy. I store all kinds of very handy things in it that otherwise I would not bring or would have to be stored less conveniently.
My advice to U is learn about your vehicle. It's got some cool features, quit focusing on the negative and DRIVE IT LIKE U STOLE IT !!!