There is a steel rod loop that hangs out of the hood. The hood is now being held in place by the secondary latch. Also, it was delivered in a reasonable amount of time and will be back with more orders. I've been ot there pushing up and down on it for 30 min. This technique works for almost any Bowden-style cable, including heater-control cables, the throttle on your lawnmower and the brake cable on little Suzy's metallic purple banana-seat bicycle. If the cable has come adrift at the handle inside the passenger compartment, you may be able to reattach it. Start by loosening all the bolts that hold the latch mechanism to the radiator core support, and see if the latch is adjustable. Hyundai said a cable for the secondary hood latch can corrode and bind, causing the latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. The secondary re-engages if you wait too long to open the frunk. The cable can also get sticky. Once you have managed to do this, you can easily slide your hand under the hood, and release the secondary latch and pop open the hood. When pulled, the handle is still connected to th … read more (See "") The latch mechanism can then be tweaked to achieve proper function. The cable has started to fail and should be changed after the latch has been freed. After waiting 2 hours for the tow truck to arrive, the owner then watched the truck driver easily open the trunk--by turning the key in the lock--and then change the tire. The driver's side cable pulls the latch to one side, which releases the hood to the secondary latch. Splash the new one with some lubricant now and then to keep this from happening down the road. and it just won't open. You'll need to go to the dealer for a replacement part. 04 ram inside hood release stuck open, wont release latch, how do i open hood? If this occurs on your Accord, simply pull up on the hood and it should pop up for you to release the second latch. It shouldn't be necessary to slam the hood, and it should pop up readily when you pull the release. ! it can be unbolted,but it sounds like your primary latch could be giving you problems. But pull the inside release while someone presses the hood down, and the latch trips. Locating and releasing the safety latch releases its hold on the hood and then the hood is allowed to open. On affected vehicles, a secondary hood latch may get stuck in an open position due to corrosion; this means it may not hold the hood closed while the car is driving. Checking your oil is simple enough--until you attempt to open the hood. My vehicle is 15 years old and happy to know they still make parts for it. Many vehicles in this security-conscious age have remote releases for the trunk, tailgate and even the fuel-filler door. Nissan Motor Co. is recalling more than 1.8 million sedans because the secondary hood latch may get stuck in the open position. This is very scary, damaging, and (depending on where and when it happens) possibly very dangerous. - Electronic release would engage and was audible, hood “popped” about an inch - Lifting the hood by hand revealed it was stuck/locked by the secondary latch - Similar to every ICE I’ve ever owned, using fingers to release secondary latch allowed normal frunk operation. If the vehicle has been in an accident that involved front-end damage, you may have to compromise between an exact fit of the hood and the ability to open and close it easily. Lubricate the latch with a lithium spray lubricant if it's jammed. Don't forget to lubricate the out-of-sight part of the latch mechanism. Now you can reinstall the latch, snugging up the bolts so the mechanism is just high enough to give a quarter-inch or so of resistance before it closes fully. Actually, it may not be your hood. You have no easy way to open the hood, which can make for a long time between tuneups and oil changes. Few people realize that the hood of any car or light truck is actually a somewhat complicated system with several safety features most people don't even notice. Only an inch or two is required to pull the secondary latch away from its position, and then the hood pops open. You may need to crawl into the back of the luggage area to remove the trim panel and open the latch manually to access the mechanism. Mechanic Online--Use Your PC To Help Fix Your Car, Ford Offers to License Its Police “Surveillance Mode” Camera Tech to Other Cop-Car Makers, Top 10 Automotive Tools Every Weekend Wrencher Should Own: Mechanic's Diary, Popular Mechanics User Generated Communities, Anatomy of Toyota's Problem Pedal: Mechanic's Diary. That comes down under the secondary hook and (for full-lock) drops down into the primary catch. We'll talk about electrical issues in a different Saturday Mechanic. Push on the release latch with a long screwdriver. Looking through the grille, you may be able to see the lever that the cable pulls on in the latch mechanism. Or, perhaps you can grab the cable with a pair of pliers and yank on it to open the hood. If your mechanic is neglecting this, you should take 5 minutes and lubricate these parts yourself. Posted on Aug 15, 2009 Help!! After applying the … I can even go under and try to pull the wire a bit. The secondary latch release is broken and I know how to work the latch to open the hood, but I don't know what to do to now that the inside release isn't working. Screw the bumpers up or down until the hood sits correctly with respect to the fenders and grille in a vertical plane. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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If the hood is sitting cockeyed in between the fenders, you can realign it by loosening all the bolts at the hinges a half-turn. Nissan is recalling more than 1.8 million sedans globally due to a problem with the secondary hood latch. donald donald. Jockey it around until it sits square in its intended place and tighten the hinge bolts. if you get it open spray all moving parts with wd40. If so, remove the mechanism. The hood on my 2002 Passat is stuck between the primary and secondary latch points. All rights reserved. Readjust it appropriately. Step 2: Find the secondary release. Most cars have a secondary hood latch so once you pull the hood release, the hood will pop up by a couple of inches. If you can reach that release by getting around the rear seatback, you can pop the trunk. Open this box and make sure the cables aren't disconnected. The primary and secondary disengage when you pop the frunk. See how to open the hood on your 1997 Chevrolet Astro 4.3L V6 Extended Cargo Van with this free video. All new cars have an emergency cable release meant to prevent a child from getting trapped inside a locked trunk. Dealers will make repairs free of charge. If the bolt doesn't retract enough, look for an adjustment for length at one end of the cable or the other. At the front of the vehicle, a safety latch retains the hood. If you have compressed air available, you can use a blast of it to force the lube deeper into the sheath. Once it does, feel around under the edge of the hood for the secondary release. The recall for hood latches includes 437,400 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs from model years 2013 to 2017. Should You Warm Up Your Car When It's Cold? If this is the case, try inserting a long screwdriver or other implement into the gap and tripping the latch. How we test gear. The recall for hood latches includes 437,400 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs from model years 2013 to 2017. The cable comes from under the hood splits into two cables at the box next to the fender. There are usually a couple of things, happening concurrently, that cause this. • The latch mechanism is sticky from corrosion and/or dirt. If the cable feels gritty on operation, try lubricating it. (We use a small mirror with a swiveling, extendible handle.) The secondary cable then rocks the assembly back to the other side, and the hood opens. It popped the hood, and then I could access the latch behind the grille and open the hood fully. If the cable is gritty or sticky, try lubing it with the shop towel/spray lube trick mentioned earlier. Check to see that it fits correctly in the hood opening, with even gaps along the fenders and grille. When I pull on the latch it clicked but now it has allready released whatever and when I pull on the latch .. (you can hear the latch motor when it does) If you look down the striker, you can see both latches.--Carlos V. What's binding up and making you pull too hard and overstress things? Sometimes, especially on older Accords, you may … It often breaks or gets stuck due to rust. the T-handle is released and forward but does not release the hood. I've even resorted to fabricating a special tool from a piece of flat steel. There's an urban legend about the owner of the high-priced luxury car who got a flat tire and was unable to open the trunk and access the spare because the remote-control trunk key fob had dead batteries. Now lower the hood until it sits firmly on its rubber bumpers. Like the hood, the trunk should be adjusted on its hinges and rubber stops to close with a proper fit. You might need to exert some pressure. Sticky or hard-to-operate latches usually need nothing more than lubrication and adjustment. If your sedan has a balky trunk lid, you may need to fold down or remove the rear seat to get anywhere near the mechanism. Shine a flashlight through the grill at the front of the car to help you see the hood latch better. The recall totals 161,074 vehicles. Moral: Don't make this any harder than necessary. FAQ - Updated Privacy Policy. Get the sheetmetal to fit properly, and then adjust the latch and striker for proper function. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 2021 Chevy Suburban Diesel—First Test Drive. The Best Accessories for Off-Road Driving, One Simple Tip for Faster, Safer Winter Driving, HR Email Tries to Car Shame Employee, Backfires. A majority of the … The hood latch fit and works like a charm and the quality is fine. Most of the time, when there is a failure of the latch mechanism, it's a plastic component that has broken. A. Then you'll be able to access the other end of the cable and replace it. Nothing happens and there is no click and the hood doesn't move. What is the possible effect of this condition? Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. The secondary hood latch may prematurely corrode at the latch pivot causing the striker to get stuck out of position, preventing it from properly engaging the hood latch. Find a similar car, open the hood, and figure out how to bend the steel and then how to thread it into the latch and trip it. Actions Check the owner's manual for hints about emergency access to the trunk--there may be a simple cable to pull in case of major failures. Try moving the latch manually with a screwdriver. If the driver inadvertently releases the primary hood latch (ex. • The cable that leads back to the interior release may be stretched or frayed. Legal Statement. Interior Hood release won’t work. Sometimes all it takes to loosen things up is a healthy hosing down with penetrating oil while the mechanism is worked back and forth. If the failure is at the hood end, check with a flashlight and a small mirror. The classic Volkswagen Beetle, Porsche Boxster and the Toyota MR2 are among the few models with the trunk up front and the engine located in the back or between the wheels. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. There is a secondary latch. 2001 Taurus. • If all else fails, it may be necessary to drill a hole in the hood sheetmetal to trip the latch, but this is a last resort. Corrosion and dirt have made this hood latch difficult to operate. Hood slammed shut while jump starting with a compact portable jump starter unit. Fold a clean shop rag over the confluence of the straw and cable, and pinch tightly with your fingers. Currently I'm running low on oil and can't open the hood. • If the cable is starting to corrode and has little steel threads poking out, it has already started to fail. Check the vehicle's shop manual for insight into opening the hood in the event of a cable failure. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The only feature many people are aware of is the secondary latch on hoods that open from the front. Although it has a very simple mechanism, it can be quite a task trying to prop open the hood (unless of course you want to use that crowbar that’s been lying around). Fuel doors usually have a simple bolt-based latch, with a simple cable to operate it. Purchase a spray lubricant—ideally lithium-based—with a bendable straw at the nozzle at least 8 inches (20 cm) long. Sometimes, the hood on Hondas gets stuck and won't pop up after the interior latch is released. Swap it out for a new one immediately. Once you get the hood open use some wire or a … Lube the hinges as well, and make sure the spring isn't broken or loose. One important part of a tuneup is to lubricate the door, hood and trunk hinges and latches. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Namely, the hood can get stuck in the open position after being opened and then shut. Try not to do this where the local police might take an interest in your activities unless you have your ID and the registration handy, especially late at night. 2 Answers I just bought this truck. Components of a Hood Latch System If there's a keyhole, you should be able to open the lid or hatch with a key. Follow up the penetrating oil with spray lithium grease to keep things moving. Once the hatch or trunk is open, you can clean and lube the parts to free things up. Your Mercedes-Benz hood latch may get stuck or sticks due to lack of lubrication. Hood is now jammed shut, cockeyed. Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Secondary hood latch is stuck on a 2016 Ford escape. Hyundai will also recall 2015-2016 Genesis and Sonata sedans to fix a warning light that alerts drivers the parking brake is engaged. When you depress the nozzle on the aerosol can, lubricant will be forced between the cable and sheath, making the action of the cable much smoother. Our most common scenario: Pull the hood release and the hood doesn't budge. The latch is stuck in the open position. If this secondary latch fails then there is nothing that will stop the hood from flying up towards the windshield. I only needed to use a little mirror (one of the $5 dental mirrors from the … But a couple questions remain, and TIA to anyone who can answer them: I see no way to shorten and attach the wire on the inside cabin hood release tab - it seems mysterious as to even how to remove the wire and the metal thing that attaches it to the tab off. Hood came down on unit. The Tesla Model S does not have an engine, therefore it has front and rear trunks.For the sake of most car owners, we’ll assume your engine is located up front and you’re havin… But if you can hear the actuator clicking and the latch doesn't open, you've got a hardware problem. I'll see if wedging it up first then pulling the latch will get it open. SOURCE: 1998 astro van secondary hood latch will not release. Fiero Hood System. With older cars, the hood release is most likely located outside the car either just above or below the front bumper. No and the secondary release seems to be stuck There is damage to - Answered by a verified Ford Mechanic We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. This is often seen after a minor fender bender or after a fender or grille has been replaced (for instance, for an engine swap, a radiator swap or major engine work). 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The hatch or trunk is open, you may … SOURCE: 1998 astro secondary. Is adjustable your secondary hood latch stuck when it 's a keyhole, you can a... Happening concurrently, that cause this the fuel-filler door could access the other,! You Warm up your car and apply it generously to the interior latch is released tripping. Can even go under and try to pull the hood fully latch could giving... Clicking and the hood may earn commission if you have no easy way to open the lid or.. To see that it fits correctly in the open position now lower the hood, trunk.