Jetta Truck Latch Does Not Catch

[PDJetta]

My son's 2005.5 A5 Jetta trunk latch won't engage when the trunk is closed. If you repeatedly attempt to close the trunk (possibly 20 - 30 times), eventually the sound begins to change as the catch on the trunk hits the latch and then it catches and the trunk is closed secure. There is no problem with opening the trunk. Any idea what is going on and how to repair?

Thanks.

--Nate

 

[D-Cell_Mekanick]

My son's 2005.5 A5 Jetta trunk latch won't engage when the trunk is closed. If you repeatedly attempt to close the trunk (possibly 20 - 30 times), eventually the sound begins to change as the catch on the trunk hits the latch and then it catches and the trunk is closed secure. There is no problem with opening the trunk. Any idea what is going on and how to repair?

Thanks.

--Nate

Read this thread, it has fix.

 

[compu_85]

I had this trouble with mine. The electric popper would get stuck in the popped position. I had to replace it.

-J

 

[TDI73]

to quote sptsailing:

In addition to the latch defect, I found on my 2006 TDI that the trunk was much easier to close after I repositioned a little higher the metal piece onto which the latch closes. This can be done simply by loosening the bolts, adjusting it higher and re-tightening them, although you have to temporarily remove some trunk plastic to get at them.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=368793&highlight=latch

 

[TonyJetta]

I had this trouble with mine. The electric popper would get stuck in the popped position. I had to replace it.

-J

Likewise, that was my fix, too.

Tony

 

[PDJetta]

Read this thread, it has fix.

Thanks

And thank you everyone else for the other pointers too.

--Nate

 

[PappyD]

Thanks

And thank you everyone else for the other pointers too.

--Nate

The thread mentioned by Dcell Mekanick worked for me as well. I did the "spring pinch" trick mentioned by Manual Tranny in the thread. First try though, involved hosing down the whole assembly with various lubes.

When that failed I went back in and simply pinched down the spring as suggested in the thread. That was about 18 months/100 (?) trunk closings ago. Works fine.

This was one of those goofy VW things that are just plain annoying. I had called a local dealer to get a quote on replacing that trunk latch. Since it was no longer covered under warranty I was told "about $200"
IMHO, the latch mechanism is a poor design involving the spring, etc.

Simple fix.

 

[Tim Birney]

My son's 2005.5 A5 Jetta trunk latch won't engage when the trunk is closed. If you repeatedly attempt to close the trunk (possibly 20 - 30 times), eventually the sound begins to change as the catch on the trunk hits the latch and then it catches and the trunk is closed secure. There is no problem with opening the trunk. Any idea what is going on and how to repair?

Thanks.

--Nate

Best fix is to spray WD-40 into the Latching hardware liberally.
Repeat until the problem is solved.

This has been my fix every two (2) years or so (no problems in the last three years).

 

[lekolite]

On mine the spring that closes the latch after you slam it broke. I was able to find a replacement in a parts bin at work.

 

[Jettaneeds]

Nate, this is a really easy fix if you can handle a screwdriver. Once you remove the latch from the trunk lid, you'll see how easy it is. In the pictures above, you can see the white gear wheel with the spring on the right end of the wheel shaft. What happens is that the spring pushes up on the right end of the shaft and rides on top of that thicker bulb end of that shaft. This makes the spring shorter so it does not push the catch back allowing the trunk to "lock". I simply squeezed the spring so it doesn't ride up onto the bulb and it's worked fine for 4+ years. The WD40 or similar really doesn't address the root of the problem. Again, this is a really easy fix and you don't need to spend a dime on any parts!

 

[sptsailing]

Part only less than $100

The latch part itself costs less than $100, 90 something as I recall. You can do it yourself and it is simple. Repairing the existing latch is possible, but it is a pain, as the latch is not designed to be taken apart and re-assembled.

The thread mentioned by Dcell Mekanick worked for me as well. I did the "spring pinch" trick mentioned by Manual Tranny in the thread. First try though, involved hosing down the whole assembly with various lubes.

When that failed I went back in and simply pinched down the spring as suggested in the thread. That was about 18 months/100 (?) trunk closings ago. Works fine.

This was one of those goofy VW things that are just plain annoying. I had called a local dealer to get a quote on replacing that trunk latch. Since it was no longer covered under warranty I was told "about $200"
IMHO, the latch mechanism is a poor design involving the spring, etc.

Simple fix.