2010 hood latch

[jimsavage]

has anyone else had the hood release at higher speeds
this has happen twice now
taking it to the dealer next week but wanted to know if anyone else has had this issue so when the dealer says "that has never happened before"
i can show others with the issue

 

[CanukV6]

Never had or heard of this problem before on the Genesis.
Probably a mal-adjusted latch mechanisim. Get it fixed ASAP as this is a major safety hazard - you don't want to wrap that expensive aluminum hood over your equally valuable windshield!
Happened to me once in an old Ford Cortina in the UK. Luckily I was on some quiet roads and stopped before it was a problem.

 

[ErleM]

It has/is happening to 2010 genesis coupe now. Did your dealership resolve the problem? I have taken mine to the dealership (Future Hyundai of Concord in CA) 3 times already and it happened again last night. I called another dealership (Dublin Hyundai) to see if they will take a look at it and they would not. They said that Future Hyundai already started a warranty on it. It did not make sense. I'm bringing it back to Future Hyundai today. I am not sure what my next steps will be if they can't fix it. Anybody has any suggestions. Thanks.

 

[msitter]

NASCAR hood pins. Keeps the hood down and imparts that racy appearance. All jokes aside, it has to be some maladjustment because it doesn't sound like a common problem. I have not seen any complaints on this before but it is definitely a safety concern.

 

[mikec]

Unless the latch mechanism is horribly designed (it's not a complex part for crying out loud!) there are a few things that can screw it up. Some background/basics though:

1) for safety reasons, the latch & hood u-shaped piece have two places they can grab... so if the first/primary fails the hood will only open part-way instead of flying open/backwards.

2) there are several adjustments to the whole hood + latch system:

a) the mounting of either the latch to the car body or the mounting of the u-shaped piece on the hood can be adjusted by loosening bolts and moving the whole assembly around. The u-piece needs to line up with the center of the latch "hook" (you'll see the cutout in the hook) WHEN THE HOOK IS IN THE LATCHED (not hood open) position. You can use a screwdriver to push (shove really) down the metal below the hook to trick the mechanism into going into the "hood closed" and latched position. This is the "obvious" adjustment.

b) on the sides of the hood or sides of the car body are round rubber bumpers. These limit how far the hood goes down when closed; they screw in/out to adjust. Ideally they gently push on the hood when the hood is closed, keeping the hood even with the fenders. If they don't push (i.e. are screwed in too far) the hood can rattle while you drive. If they're too high (unscrewed too much) they make it hard to properly close the hood short of slamming the hood down. Screwed in a little too far is safer. These rubber stoppers are a less obvious adjustment - especially since they're a ways away from the latch.

c) the hood release cable mechanism... it's just a strong braided wire in a sheath, very much like brake or shifter cables on 10- or 12-speed bicycles. If the wire part is slightly short, or if the routing/mounting is wrong such that the sheath ends are too far away from either the latch mechanism or the release handle then the effect is that the release handle is always pulled a little bit... ergo the latch mechanism might be fighting the cable. Any rust buildup or other contamination of the cable leads to friction... if the spring inside the latch isn't strong enough to overcome this, then that also acts like the handle is slightly pulled all the time. A spray shot of lubrication (graphite lube) does wonders in this situation. This is a very non-obvious adjustment.

So any rust/crud buildup that introduces friction into the parts is bad. What I'd do is open the hood... then work the release handle a few times while the hood is open. Feel any grittiness? If so, odds are the cable itself needs to be REPLACED. A lube/cleanup is only a temporary solution. This is not uncommon in areas with snow & salt roads. Or if folks blast the nose/grill area of the car with the hose or in car washes - you don't want to drive water into things. There should be some resistance in the release handle too - i.e. you should be able to feel the latch spring fighting you... a little bit. It's hard to know "is this the right force level?" though so compare to new cars on the dealer's lot if you can. Also, how much can you move the handle before any real resistance is felt - i.e. how much extra slack/freeplay exists? Some slack/freeplay MUST exist to compensate for cable stretch/shrinkage due to thermal expansion. On my car, stone-cold and parked overnight in the garage, (I just walked out and tried it) I can pull the bottom of the release handle about half an inch before feeling much of anything... and then another half inch before the forces build up to "actually doing something" levels. So my 2009 release handle has about an inch of freeplay.

Any metal casting "flashing" left over can also interfere with the range of motion of parts.

Then I'd use a fairly beefy screwdriver to push on the latch pieces sticking upwards - simulate the u-piece coming down into them. Watch how they move and grab - the motion should be pretty much like a bear trap in suddenness and strength. You'll need to use the inside release handle to get your screwdriver back... and make sure you leave the mechanism released in the "hood is open" position before trying to close the hood!

So do the cable grittiness & freeplay tests, then check the rubber stoppers. If nothing else, turn the stoppers half or one full turn. Then close the hood and see if you can lift/rattle it... if so, they are screwed in way too far. If not, see if that cures your car.

mike c.

 

[jimsavage]

has anyone else had the hood release at higher speeds
this has happen twice now
taking it to the dealer next week but wanted to know if anyone else has had this issue so when the dealer says "that has never happened before"
i can show others with the issue

don't wait after 3 tries file a lemon law
it will get fixed then
each time i went to the dealers (more than 4 in 3 differnt states while traveling) none could fix the problem all said it was me or that they could not find the problem or could not duplicate it but after the lemon law deadline it got fixed so far
i had the latch replaced, the wire replaced, the pull lever replaced, the hood adjusted, nothing worked and each time the dealers each wrote they could not find an issue so i think it was not listed as a problem nationally
but the hyundai regional rep did something and it has not popped up again
it is scarry at 70+ miles an hour on the freway to see the hood bumping up and down

 

[Rambler16]

What irony. We have had our 2012 for 6 or 7 weeks now and twice i have noticed the hood was unlatched but not past the safety catch. Both times I accused my wife of popping the hood instead of the trunck or gas. She was emphatic that she did not. Is it possible that I may have to apologize?? Will have to check it out closer.

 

[mikec]

A few folks posted long ago about bumping/snagging the hood release handle when getting out of the vehicle... some didn't realize/notice it until their next drive.

mike c.

 

[ErleM]

Thanks, JimSavage, I called 888-327-4236 which is the phone# for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Hyundai Consumer Affairs; 800-633-5151. If other Hyundai owners filed a similar complaint with NHTSA, they will open an investigation. In my case the lemon law does apply and hopefully will get this resolved soon. I will continue to update this posting.