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How do I fix a hood latch?

I was trying to get under the hood of my Mini Cooper this morning, but it wouldn’t open. I’m pretty sure the latch is stuck. How do I fix a hood latch?

avatar
Nick Kunze · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Don’t worry—you should be able to get under the hood in just a few minutes. If you’ve got a screwdriver, you just need to reach the latch from another angle.
Before you go digging around under the hood, make sure you haven’t run your car in at least 30 minutes—otherwise, you could burn yourself.
You need to reach the latch. If your car has a grille, either reach through or remove the grille to get to the latch. If your car doesn’t have a grille, you’ll need to get at the latch from under the car.
Use a screwdriver or other long, metal object to trip the latch. This should open the hood. If it remains stuck, try spraying lubricant on the latch, then try again. If you can see that the latch is off its mechanism, try and move it back into place—a misaligned latch won’t open.
If your latch won’t open due to damage to the hood from an accident or other covered incident, you can get your repairs covered by your
car insurance
policy.
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