trunk latch hooks keep breaking

[autotransgression]

this is getting maddening. I do not know if it was the original one when I got the car a couple years ago, but I was driving along over some bumpy asphalt once, and the trunk popped up. turned out that the hook (bolted to the trunk lid) had broken just where it emerged from the plate it is welded to. it wasn't right *at* the weld, but a few mm below.

I ended up getting a new one from autoricambi.

several months later, it broke the same way.

I ordered another.

it broke today, making three that broke in exactly the same way. everything lines up perfectly. I can see no way that there would be any kind of side-load to stress it. at $30 a piece (if I recall correctly) it is turning into an expensive habit.

has anyone experienced/solved this?

[DieselSpider]

Is it adjusted too loose so that the trunk lid is hammering at the latch when you go over bumps.

[autotransgression]

well. from when i got the car a couple years ago, it was adjusted quite tightly. one really had to push down on the trunk lid in order to latch it. there was a dent near the emblem, where the previous owner had apparently had trouble closing it. when the first hook broke, i had assumed that it had been set tighter than it should have been.

so, i set up the first replacement quite a bit looser. simply flinging the lid shut, it would latch. i tested the water-tight-ness the next time i washed it, and it was perfect. but when that hook broke, i assumed that what you had asked might have been the problem this time. so, on the second replacement / third hook, i split the difference and made it necessary to use a little bit of pressure to latch the trunk.

and that is where i am now. after the first one had broken, i used all that i had available, a bungee cord hook, and sandwiched it in place with the plate of the broken hook. it actually worked admirably for what it was.

the next day, i got a galvanized clothing or tool hook from a hardware store and cut it to the right length and sandwiched it in place where the bungee hook had been. the heavier piece was easier to adjust so that the lid would seal at least a bit. (i live in seattle, so rain is an issue throughout much of the year.)

anyhow, i just got another galvanized hook and put it in place, to keep the lid down. and to put less stress on the cheaper metal, i tied some weight inside the lid, to lend some gravitational aid to the fight.

i am probably going to ask a metalworker friend if he has any ideas. i figure even if it takes considerably more to have him fab something better for me, a) it will be peace of mind for me and b) it will be some money in the pocket of an artist friend.

[klweimer]

I'd probably check the latch mechanism itself with what's left of the hook and see if anything looks weird. Perhaps its a side to side alignment issue?
Kirk

[DieselSpider]

How solid is the rear structure of the car. If the unibody is weak in the back it could be flexing too much and stressing the latch when you go over bumps and uneven surfaces.

[autotransgression]

i was kind of wondering about flex in the rear. how would someone check on that? what do you look for?

[TX82FIAT]

I find it helps when something might be a smidge off to get another owner with his or her car side by side and compare. I was able to re-align my front hood that way after trying countless adjustments.

[So Cal Mark]

sounds like the latch is adjusted too high