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So your car hood won’t close properly? It is most likely to be caused by hood latch corrosion. Yes, that is the most common reason why a car hood won’t close. Notwithstanding, an object might also be restricting the hood from closing up well.
If your car hood is not well closed, it’s something to be worried about, because it leaves your engine at great risk. Fixing hood closure issues can be done as DIY, or you can engage a mechanic if the situation looks complicated.
Interestingly, this article explains everything you need to know about car hood latches and why your car hood won’t close.
Why Car Hood Won’t Close
The hood assembly of every vehicle comprises the hood lock, release lever, safety catch (hook), and secondary components like a hood striker and pull handle. Now, here are the reasons why your car hood isn’t closing well.
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1. Corroded Hood Latch
There’s a latch installed in car hoods, it helps to hook the hood to the designed hook (lock) in the engine bay. However, just like every other component in a car, the latch is liable to corrode, or even get physically damaged.
Once the latch is affected, it’d be difficult for the car hood to clip to the lock in the engine bay; thus, the hood won’t close properly when you try to close the hood. This is the most common reason why car hoods don’t lock.
2. Lack of Lubrication
If the hood lock mechanism lacks lubrication, it’d be difficult for the latch to fit in perfectly. However, this is a rare cause of the issue being discussed. So, lubricate the lock mechanism and try again.
3. Something Blocked The Lock Mechanism
Probably something is sitting in the way of the lock mechanism, and that’s why the hood is refusing to close properly. So, you should look into the lock mechanism to check if there’s an obstruction there.
4. Faulty Latch Handle or Cable
The hood latch handle could go bad, or the cable damaged due to pressure and stress. When either of these scenarios occurs, it is likely your hood won’t be able to close properly.
Actually, the latch/pull handle, cable, along with other components make up the hood latch assembly. If any part of the assembly goes bad, your car hood is likely not going to close properly.
How To Fix Car Hood Won’t Close
If there’s a broken component in the hood latch assembly, fix that broken component and the issue is solved.
Also, clean and lubricate the hood latch region; that would help to keep things in shape. However, if you can’t figure out what to do, get a mechanic to handle the situation.
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Summary
Years of slamming the hood against the lock mechanism in the engine bay could cause damage to a component in the latch assembly.
So, if your car hood won’t close, it’s practically due to an issue with the hood latch itself, or one of the components that make up the lock mechanism.