But it will open. So doesn't sound like a motor to me. How difficult is it to access the vent on the right side in the middle and what's a possible fix?

 

You can turn the auto vent open off in the vehicle settings menu if it's bothering you.

Removing the vents isn't too difficult. Your vent is either rubbing or there may be a broken component in there. You'd have to pull it and see what is going on. The wood trim piece with the buttons under the screen is held on by clips. You can pull it away and it will come right off. There are bolts under that which you can remove to pop the entire vent/cover out.