Hood won't stay closed

Technical info on the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix including do-it-yourself info
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Rolliet
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:03 pm

Hood won't stay closed

Post by Rolliet »

I have an '06 Base Vibe. The hood's main latch doesn't work reliably. I tried heavy lubrication, which helps a little. Usually it takes me a dozen or more attempts to securely close the hood. Looking for advice or a link to a related thread.
Thx
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trb
Posts: 1670
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 4:06 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: Hood won't stay closed

Post by trb »

You are dropping it from about a foot or so up? I know on my Mustang, I had to loosen the latch on the radiator support and move it slightly up so it would latch when I had to replace my hood. Maybe it is slightly out of adjustment.
Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
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vibrologist
Posts: 1598
Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 8:24 am
Location: Iowa

Re: Hood won't stay closed

Post by vibrologist »

I am with trb on that one. Maybe you need to shim the latch or the catch. But before you do that look at the stops in the left and right corners and turn them down a little.
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=43476
sideshowalan
Posts: 425
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:27 am

Re: Hood won't stay closed

Post by sideshowalan »

The spring mechanism could be dirty. Spray It liberally again and work the catch back and forth quickly with your hand. Had same thing happen to me and it would not come unstuck until I moved the catch around a lot to work the spray in.
2008 Pontiac Vibe
2008 Toyota Sienna XLE
(Former 2003 5-speed Vibe owner)
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ctgottapee
Posts: 232
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 4:08 pm
Location: cornfields of IL

Re: Hood won't stay closed

Post by ctgottapee »

Peek through the base of the hood and make sure it is coming down on the right spot

And when you lube it up, manually move the latch/spring/etc with your hands as you do it.
Since it is a problem, you probably should try to clean it out first (gunk and rust granules may be jamming it), then lube it
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MacGyver
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2016 2:45 pm
Location: Ottawa (09 Base)

Re: Hood won't stay closed

Post by MacGyver »

I bought my 09 Vibe because my 06 Trix hood flipped up at speed, denting the roof and writing off the car. Please replace the hood latch before you wreck a perfectly good car.
2009 Vibe Base
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