BMW Hood Stuck | Won’t Open Issue

This article will discuss common problems that cause a BMW hood to get stuck.

Symptoms

If your BMW hood doesn’t open, it could be due to any of the following causes:

• A broken hood latch release
• BMW hood cable is rusted
• Broken plastic released under the hood
• Misalignment hood
• Stretched cable if the hood only opens on one side

Why won’t the hood won’t open on a BMW?

1. The first step in troubleshooting a BMW hood that won’t open is to ensure that you pull the hood release back. Make sure you are also pulling the hood release twice. Some BMW models require that you pull the hood twice for the hood to unlock.
2. If that doesn’t work, try pressing down on the hood as a helper pulls on the hood release. Once you have pulled the hood release under the dash, try popping up the hood.
3. Next, check the cable at the hood lever. If the cable has popped out of the release, you will not be able to unlatch the hood because the cable is not being pulled. The cable can also pop out of the channel at the hood latch under the hood.
4. If the hood releases on one side but not the other, it means the cable to that latch is broken, the cable is stretched, or the cable has slid out of the latch. The following picture shows you how the cable should look. This is the location where it can slide out of the latch.
5. The cable from under the hood splits into two cables at the box next to the fender. Open this box and make sure the cables aren’t disconnected.
6. Lastly, check the release at the front of the hood. It often breaks or gets stuck due to rust. If that is the case, use a wire hanger to unlock the hood.
7. If you didn’t get the hood to open, the last resort would be to remove the BMW hood grill and access the latch and cables via the grille.
8. Once you get the hood open, check the operation of the cable. It may be damaged if the cable is hard to pull or does not move the latch. Try spraying some penetrating oil to lubricate any rusted parts. Otherwise, the problem may be a misaligned hood.

How to open a BMW hood?

There are a couple of different hood latch designs. The most common requires the hood release under the dashboard to be pulled and then release the hood at the front.

Newer BMW models don’t have a hood release under the dashboard but simply require you to pull the hood release under the dashboard twice. BMW owners often experience a problem where one side of the hood latch gets stuck.

Check these troubleshooting and repair guides for more help on your BMW.

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