Hood releases by itself when driving

[tulipforrest]

This has been happening frequently for the past 2 days.

1 to 5 minutes after I start driving, the hood (front) releases and the "open hood" light goes on.

I stop, push it back in, drive for a while, and the hood releases again!!

At first, I thought that I will have to replace my lower hood latch.

However, I have also noticed today that the "Lock/unlock doors" button on the remote is also releasing the hood when unlocking the doors. (i am NOT pressing the hood release button on the remote, but rather the door lock/unlock one!!

I am starting to think that the problem is electric somewhere, not with the latch. Any idea? help!

Thanks in advance.

2003 C2 Cab. 6 speed man.

[Loren]

:welcome:

Your latch is either worn out or poorly adjusted.

See the Adjusting Hood Latch Mechanism DIY here.

[secretagent214]

I had that problem a couple of years ago on my 2001 Boxster. The front latch would release whenever I pressed the door unlock button on my remote, and sometimes randomly while I was driving. I disconnected my battery for a little while, then reconnected it and the problem was gone...I guess the computer just needed a reset.

[pongobaz]

Mine was doing that last summer; it cropped up suddenly one day and was driving me nuts. I did a search and everything from faulty latch to misaligned hood came up. The solution: there was a little bit of grit under the release switch on the driver's door sill; that area gets a lot of dirt dragged on it as your feet rub past getting in and out of the car. Every time I would accelerate, some that sand/grit would roll under the switch just enough to activate it. I took my vacuum and cleaned the area and voila! Fixed. I spoke to a tech at the dealership later and he confirmed that this is pretty common. Try that first before you start spending money on parts & service.

[tulipforrest]

Thank you all 3 above for replying so fast. (I am a new Porsche owner, and already have the window regulator and now front latch problem identified through this forum. Thanks for the quick reply).

For troubleshooting, and maybe creating a reference thread for others, I will try each of your 3 suggestions in sequence and see which one will solve this particular problem.

Once the weather stops acting up, ...I will try those in this order,:electrical troubleshooting first, then mechanical: 1) Disconnect battery reset CPU, and test. 2) Clean possible grit in under the release switch on the driver's door sill, and test 3) Rebuild the latch per DIY above, and hope... Should be able to reportback in a 2, 3 days.

Thanks and whoever has a similar issue,...stay tuned.

P.s.:I will have to use the Radio Code thread in this forum after action #1 above...

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2003 C2 Cab. 6 speed man.

[pongobaz]

Thank you all 3 above for replying so fast. (I am a new Porsche owner, and already have the window regulator and now front latch problem identified through this forum. Thanks for the quick reply).

For troubleshooting, and maybe creating a reference thread for others, I will try each of your 3 suggestions in sequence and see which one will solve this particular problem.

Once the weather stops acting up, ...I will try those in this order,:electrical troubleshooting first, then mechanical: 1) Disconnect battery reset CPU, and test. 2) Clean possible grit in under the release switch on the driver's door sill, and test 3) Rebuild the latch per DIY above, and hope... Should be able to reportback in a 2, 3 days.

Thanks and whoever has a similar issue,...stay tuned.

P.s.:I will have to use the Radio Code thread in this forum after action #1 above...

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2003 C2 Cab. 6 speed man.

Just to follow up on my suggestion to vacuum first, here's a couple of old threads on rennlist where guys had the same problem (and solution): http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/996-...id-opening.html http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/996-...-and-a-fix.html

Edited March 29, 2009 by pongobaz

[MarkSinclair]

Thanks Pongobaz,

​Your suggestion worked perfectly, I gave the switch a few blasts with electrical contact cleaner after vacuuming.