Faulty hood latch?

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by AllMyCircuits, Jun 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM.

  1. AllMyCircuits

    AllMyCircuits New Member

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    2023 LE FWD - For some reason whenever I pull the hood release lever, the hood does not fully unlatch like it's supposed to. It partially releases so that I have to squeeze my fingers under it in order to access the lever under the hood. Anyone else have this problem or any ideas how to fix it? I've gotten a little look at the latch mechanism but not fully sure how it operates.
     
    #1 AllMyCircuits, Jun 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
  2. AllMyCircuits

    AllMyCircuits New Member

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    Update: I walked outside right after posting in order to video the issue. For some reason, it worked for the first time since I bought it last week. No idea why.....
     
    #2 AllMyCircuits, Jun 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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  3. RandyPete

    RandyPete Active Member

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    It's a safety feature for all hood release latches. They never fully release the hood, just allow enough release so you can get your fingers in there and mechanically release the hood. If they fully released the hood and you pulled the release lever from inside the cab while driving down the road, the hood would be violently opened by the wind as you drive down the road. imagine how that would block forward vision and reshape the hood.
     
    #3 RandyPete, Jul 2, 2025 at 4:31 PM
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    ^^^ This.

    Therefore, ^^^ this ^^^ is what scares me. :eek:
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Jul 2, 2025 at 4:38 PM
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  5. AllMyCircuits

    AllMyCircuits New Member

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    The issue was that it wouldn't pop up at all. I had to pry my fingers under the hood to get it to initially release so that I could access the lever to fully release.

    I understand what you said is how its supposed to work, however I think I'm not explaining what was happening very well. When I said that the latch wasn't fully releasing after pulling the interior lever, I meant that the hood wouldn't pop at all. It looked as if I hadn't done anything at all. I had to pry my fingers into the 1-2mm space between the hood and the fender to fully release the first latch and get the hood to pop that first inch or so, so that I could access the lever to fully open the hood. Does that explain it? Like I said, I tried to get it on video, but then It decided to work correctly...
     
    #5 AllMyCircuits, Jul 2, 2025 at 4:58 PM
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 3, 2025 at 12:32 AM
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  6. AllMyCircuits

    AllMyCircuits New Member

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    It happened again and this time I managed to get it on video.
     
    #6 AllMyCircuits, Jul 2, 2025 at 5:25 PM
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Haven't watched the video, but mine will stick down to the rubber weatherstrips sometimes if it has been a while since I last rubbed some Shin Etsu grease on them.
     
    #7 ChapmanF, Jul 3, 2025 at 7:40 AM
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you close it slowly from the popped position, can you feel the spring tension?
     
    #8 bisco, Jul 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM
  9. AllMyCircuits

    AllMyCircuits New Member

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    Yes. Though the more I work it, the more I think @ChapmanF has it right with the weatherstrip suggestion. If I close the hood lightly, it seems to work better on the next go, though this is only looking at it for a few minutes. I can't say anything for certain.
     
    #9 AllMyCircuits, Jul 3, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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