BigBlueToe

I've had similar problems with my bar-ends and they were usually my fault. If you don't get the pieces lined up properly, things like this will happen. Take it apart and examine all the pieces carefully. It's a little like a jigsaw puzzle. There are different ways to put them together but only one that's right. Check how the raised sections on one piece fit into the indentations on the adjacent piece. With a little fiddling, I've always gotten my bar-ends assembled correctly eventually.