I have realized my mistake here. All the VHSs I used were rewound all the way to the clear leader. Apparently this VCR doesn't like that. I tried moving the reels as a shot in the dark but it worked.
My father has an Acer Chromebook and had the same problem, being that he is a machinist he bent 2 tabs of metal into clips and put them on. It doesn't interfere with closing and has never had that problem again
