Toyota Corolla boot door won't lock

biko

Today I opened the boot of my 91 Corolla DX hatchback with the little lever that's beside the driver seat and think I may (or not) have heard a little extra clunk when the boot opened. Didn't think anything of it until I had retrieved my stuff and tried closing the boot door. It wouldn't lock! Door will stay shut, kinda, but the door locking mechanism will not engage.

I checked that nothing was jamming it and all the moving parts looks ok visually. The lock in the door part will engage when I just move it with my hand (door is open) but slamming/pressing the door down will not engage it.

Reckon this is an issue with either the lever opening mechanism or the lock itself but really just looking for similar experiences and solution before I hand it in to an expensive garage.

Esel

If the key also operates the boot lock, try that a few times. And don't go to an expensive garage!

crosstownk

Take a look at the striker plate - is it loose or does it look like it has shifted position recently? It may be that the striker plate is out of reach of the lock - this would cause it not too close and/or lock correctly.

biko

As the lock is not engaged the key will not do anything (it can only open the boot lock, not lock it).

I'll have a look at the striker plate. Thanks guys!

biko

Update: after checking everything and scratching my head for a while it turns out the lock couldn't reach the striker plate because the plate was too far away.

Looking at the boot it was pressed in, someone must have hit my car from behind with enough force to push the boot in. The bumper didn't have a scract, that's why I didn't see it at first.
Now it's sledge hammer time...

barryfitz

Hammer Time!!! du du du du.....du du.......du du

crosstownk

biko wrote:

Now it's sledge hammer time...

Or you could opt for the 'tow rope and a well rooted tree' method