Some vehicles are equipped with an electric release button. When the trunk is shut closed, the striker is locked with by the latch this causes the trunk door to be locked in place.Ī release lever is pulled by a mechanism from the driver’s side or from the trunk handle to open the trunk. How does the trunk locking mechanism work?Ī car trunk locking mechanism consists of a latch, a striker mechanism, a mechanical release mechanism, and an electric release mechanism. Or this may be caused by a faulty link from the outside lever to the latch release mechanism. Some cars have an anti-release lever, similar to a child safety lock, to prevent the trunk from opening from the trunk handle from outside. The trunk won’t open from the trunk release lever from outside the car. To resolve this problem, replace the whole latch assembly. This can be caused by a defective micro switch inside the latch assembly. The trunk indicator detects trunk open when the trunk is closed and vice-versa.

If the problem is the solenoid release switch, you should replace the whole trunk latch assembly if the problem is the wiring of the fuse, replace the fuse or re-wire. If no 12 volts is identified while pressing the release switch, there could be a problem with the wiring else, if there are 12 volts when the switch is pressed, the problem could be the latch solenoid. Troubleshootingįirst, check to make sure the trunk aligns properly.Ĭheck voltage from the connectors. Damaged electric latch release solenoidĪ damaged electric latch release solenoid may also result in the trunk not opening from an electric release button or fob open trunk command. You may resolve this by realigning the release cable.Ħ. The misaligned cable, like a damaged release lever or broken plastic retainer, may result in a broken link between a driver’s release lever and the latch. To remediate this, you need to replace the release cable. The damaged plastic retainer may result in cable misalignment, thus preventing the proper directional pull to the release lever. Release cable’s plastic retainer damaged. The solution is to replace the whole latch assembly.Ĥ. Sometimes, latch vibration, age, and corrosion can damage release level, or the latch release lever may break and result in the trunk not opening. The remedy for this is to have the metal repaired and re-align the striker. Latch misalignment due to rear-end collisionĭue to collision the, metal holding the striker may move out of location as a result, the latch would not match the striker. You may loosen the striker’s two bolts and re-align to solve this problem.ģ. When a striker is misaligned, this will cause the latch to miss the striker and result in a trunk closing problem. Latch assembly has an internal failure. You can solve this problem by replacing the whole latch assembly.

These are some of the most common problems why a trunk won't close. In addition, if the car has been in an accident or rear-ended, the frame may be bent, and the latch may not be aligned properly.

If your trunk doesn't close, examine the latch and the hinge where it connects to the car's body.Įither of these might have become bent out of shape or damaged, preventing the trunk from closing.

Trunk wont open with key