Honda Hood Stuck Won't Open or Close

In this guide, you will learn about common problems that can get your Honda hood stuck.

It is not uncommon that the hood on your Honda Accord or Civic gets stuck and won't open. It helps to have two people to open a stuck hood. This tutorial will show how to get your Honda hood open. We will show you how to open the hood on your Honda even if the cable is stuck or broken.

Symptoms

Honda hood latch is stuck
Hood cable is stretched
Honda Accord hood won't release
Honda Civic hood won't open or close
Hood latch out of adjustment

Common Problems

Cause	Explanation	Advice
Defective hood latch	Honda hood latch may stick and not release when pulling on the cable.	First, lubricate the latch. If that doesn't fix your problem, consider replacing the hood latch.
Cable Issue	The release cable can break or snap out of the release mechanism. In older cars, the cable can rust and get seized.	In some cases, all you need to do is reinstall the cable in its correct location. Older, rusted Honda release cables need to be replaced.
Hood damage due to accident	Latches no longer aligned correctly and the hood may not close or open properly.	You will need to adjust the hood latch release or align the hood properly.

Cause

Explanation

Advice

Defective hood latch

Honda hood latch may stick and not release when pulling on the cable.

First, lubricate the latch. If that doesn't fix your problem, consider replacing the hood latch.

Cable Issue

The release cable can break or snap out of the release mechanism. In older cars, the cable can rust and get seized.

In some cases, all you need to do is reinstall the cable in its correct location.

Older, rusted Honda release cables need to be replaced.

Hood damage due to accident

Latches no longer aligned correctly and the hood may not close or open properly.

You will need to adjust the hood latch release or align the hood properly.

Troubleshooting

Check hood release

Locate the hood release by the driver's footwell. Look behind the release. Did the cable come out of the handle? These handles are made of plastic and often the cable can come out of the handle or the handle itself can break. Some models may even have an adjustment here in case your cable is stretched.

If the cable has come out of the handle use a pair of vice grips to pull on the cable and open the hood.

Press down on the hood

The hood release cable can get stuck; the latch may be worn out or misaligned. To open the hood on your Honda you can try the following procedures.

Push down on the hood where the hood latch is located and hold the hood down.
A second person pulls on the hood release and holds the cable pulled.
The person pushing the hood down can now lift the hood.

Push hood down and hold, helper pulls the release and hold, you try to open the hood. Repeat several times with slightly different timing and various amount of pushing and pulling.

What this does is release pressure from the hood latch itself making it easier for it to release. This simple trick works in many cases when a Honda hood won't open.

Use a coat hanger

Look through the grill and locate the latch mechanism. Use a coat hanger wire turned as a hook at one end to pull the cable or the release.

Reach under the hood

Get underneath your Honda. Remove any plastic skid shields right after the front bumper. Reach out to where the mechanism is. You should be able to reach the hood cable. Pull firmly, and the hood will pop loose. Only do this when the engine is cold or you risk getting burned.

If you can get the hood on your Honda to open, examine it carefully before you close it again. First, inspect the cable make sure it is not broken. Next, lubricate the hood latch release using lithium grease such as Liquid Wrench.

How to open a Honda hood with a broken cable

If everything you have tried so far has failed your next step is to remove the hood latch release on your Honda. This can be done by using a 3/8" extension and 10mm sockets. Use them to remove the bolts that hold the hood latch in place. Your Honda hood latch will have three or four bolts that need to be removed.

They can be accessed directly by going through the grill. If you can remove the front grill it will be even easier to get to these bolts. Once the bolts are removed you can lift up the hood about a foot or so and release the hood latch.

Honda Hood Won't Close

Due to wear the hood latch on your Honda may not lock the hood properly. To fix this problem the first thing that you should do is spray lithium grease on the latch itself. Spray lithium grease on the latch and keep it lubricated for an extended period.

Other possibilities are that the latch itself on your Honda is misaligned. Loosen the latch bolts and move the latch-up slightly. This may allow the hood to close properly.

If the hood is adjusted incorrectly especially after the accident, it can be difficult to get it open or close properly.

To fix this problem look for the rubber adjustment screws at the corners of the hood. These are designed to keep the hood from vibrating too much and properly aligned. They can easily be adjusted by twisting and you will notice how they move up and down.