When I pull the hood latch, only the driver's side of the hood unlatches and I can't open the hood. It has been very cold the past few days, but it can't be frozen as the car has not been washed or wet for several weeks now. Any ideas?
Hood won't unlatch and open
- Thread starter grdz4roadster
- Start date
:scratchhead: I thought only the M had dual latches.grdz4roadster said:
... I had a problem with mine one time.
Pull the lever & it just wouldn't pop open.
It was recommended by someone else that had the problem, to just pull really hard until it releases.
I pulled the lever to the point I thought it might break... & then it popped open. (figured if it broke it would be warranty)
In my case it was after I closed the hood gently by letting it down slowly & pushed down to latch.
Since that time I let it drop closed from about 6 - 8".... & no more problem.
I haven't tried to duplicate since, but I suspect that the gentle close didn't fully set the latch;
which made it harder to open.
On an older car, it could obviously be a cable problem or lack of lubrication.
I'm guessing since you have a 2006 model you probably have the late version hood that has one lock on each side instead of one at front.
I had a similar problem as you (on a 2006 model), however my problem was getting the locks to engage once I had the hood open. Even though you did not wash the car (neither had I) it seems the hood mechanism tends to freeze at sub-zero temperatures.
Leave the car in a heated place for many hours and it will probably resolve itself, then put on some grease or lubrication. I haven had the same problem again after since.
I had a similar problem as you (on a 2006 model), however my problem was getting the locks to engage once I had the hood open. Even though you did not wash the car (neither had I) it seems the hood mechanism tends to freeze at sub-zero temperatures.
Leave the car in a heated place for many hours and it will probably resolve itself, then put on some grease or lubrication. I haven had the same problem again after since.
Thank you all for your quick response. It's amazing how helpful the members of this forum are. Yes, I do have a 2006 model. The weather will be in the 40's and 50's in Chicago the next few days, so I'll cross my fingers and try to open it up when it warms up. In the unlikely event that it doesn't open, I have an appointment with the dealer to have a few things checked out anyways. Thanks again for your help!
It will be in the 40s today and 50s on Sunday. Hopefully the hood will pop open. I've tried pulling the latch as hard as I can but to no avail thus far. Coincidentally, since the unseasonably warm weather, the clicking sound from the engine is gone...there was a post titled Engine Noise by Performance on here which I experienced the same problem.
Problem solved! It must have been due to the cold weather. The hood opened yesterday and I sprayed some WD40.
