So the other day the trunk opened and then refused to open again
the lever by the driver's seat no longer pops the trunk open

it also won't open with the key

to make things more fun the left rear brake light went out and the only way to access it is through the trunk

how can I fix this trunk?

11/1/2010 5:46:51 PM

Does the back seat fold down?

11/1/2010 5:49:22 PM

yeah

I discovered this problem dropping a friend off at the airport

after a brief moment of panic we pulled his bags through the backseat

11/1/2010 5:50:07 PM

See if you can get a hold of the emergency trunk release and see if that works

11/1/2010 5:54:36 PM

how do I identify that?

11/1/2010 5:59:41 PM

Not sure what it will look like in there, but if you can get your head in there and look around it should be the only thing that looks like a handle. Probably be red. Since the key isn't working either though, it may not work. You'll probably need to crawl into the trunk and pop the cover off the trunk release mechanism (where the trunk lid meets the latch) and see if something is disconnected.

11/1/2010 7:39:55 PM

i dont think that car will have one. (emergency release that is)

do to the shitty hindges on that car, if you dont close that thing square (in the center) youre going to fuck up the striker and/or locking mechinizimits probably so ben up that the weak little rod from the key wont turn it.

is this car from up north?

11/1/2010 9:34:42 PM

I thought all cars since the 80's had a little thing on the latch to open the trunk from the inside.

11/1/2010 10:24:32 PM

[Edited on November 1, 2010 at 10:31 PM. Reason : ]

11/1/2010 10:31:06 PM

^^^ this car lived in NJ/NY for several years but it is not "from up north"

^ I don't want to fuck it up any further than it already is - I'd prefer it be unopen-able to it being bungeed on like a piece of shit


IF I take it to a body shop to have this fixed how much do you guys suspect they will charge me?

11/1/2010 11:08:49 PM

I'd take it to a mechanic, not a body shop. I get the feeling it's a broken spring or linkage and it would be more of a PITA for the mechanic to crawl through the back seat than actually replacing or fixing it. Probably less than $100.

11/2/2010 12:09:33 AM

my 98' has the same problem (for about 1.5 years now)... plus, the POS fabric trunk release on the inside is broke too, so i have to use a pair of needle nose to get my seat to fold down (tons o fun)

i had the car at a mechanic for an unrelated issue about 8 months ago and he said that figuring out the problem was probably going to be destructive, so i told him to forget about it...

i'd love to hear what you find out though - i'd like my trunk back

[Edited on November 15, 2010 at 2:46 PM. Reason : .]

11/15/2010 2:44:15 PM

A body shop will be a better place than a mechanic would. Most body shops deal with trunks once or twice a day. I know I do.

11/15/2010 4:08:53 PM

still haven't gotten a chance to get in there and look at the problem

11/15/2010 10:25:35 PM