hood latch won't deploy

[kismetcapitan]

I open my hood, which pops open normally, but all of a sudden, that little tab that pops out...is nowhere to be seen. Obviously, I can't get the hood open without it.

Has this happened to anyone? Is there an alternate way of getting the hood open so I can access this latch and see what went wrong with the tab mechanism?

[MaxRS6]

Yep- BTDT. The latch is probably broken. When mine did that, I had to utilize a coat hanger (PIA and took some effort & patience) to work the tab back out so I could "pop" the hood. I then utilized a zip tie until I could get a replacement latch.

[kismetcapitan]

fished the tab back into place with the hood fully closed, and then pulled the hood handle, and lo and behold, the tab popped out.

turns out that in the grille, there's a guide for the tab. somehow, one side of it broke, so I can see how if there was a lot of vibration, the tab could move to the side a bit, and then fail to exit the slot.

I took a small scrap piece of plastic and superglued it in place as a stop, so that the tab can't escape the slot.

it's just a very strange thing to break, and in the most unlikely of places. the latch mechanism itself is fine.

[MaxRS6]

^That is exactly what happened to mine..

[Chung]

Mine was broken on my car when I bought it as well. I became very efficient at realigning the latch with a skewer but eventually just super glued a piece of plastic to the guide to stop it from slipping.

[kismetcapitan]

Mine was broken on my car when I bought it as well. I became very efficient at realigning the latch with a skewer but eventually just super glued a piece of plastic to the guide to stop it from slipping.

great minds think alike :P