How to Fix a Stuck Frunk/Hood

[Mach-Lee]

Situation: You're coming out of the store and you want to put some items in your frunk. You use the frunk button in FordPass to open the frunk. You hear the release motor pull, but then you notice it only pulled once instead of the usual twice. The hood is open slightly, but you can't lift it open. So you open your door and try pulling the manual release. But you notice there's strangely no resistance when you pull the lever, and nothing happens. Hood still won't open. You push down and slam the hood as hard as you dare, but it still won't latch closed. You try pulling up on the hood forcefully, but you can't get it to release. You try the frunk button again, but don't hear any motor noises this time. The hood is stuck between open and closed and there's nothing you can do to fix it! Ugh! You may try to drive away, but are quickly met with a "Frunk Ajar" warning message that can't be cleared and the car hyper dings at you NONSTOP as long as you're moving. You don't dare drive faster than 35 MPH because you're worried about the hood blowing open, which will instantly block your view and break the windshield. So you're faced with the decision to drive home very slowly, or call a tow truck. Not a good day, and it means you suddenly don't have a working car anymore.

Unfortunately what has happened is the electric hood release actuator motor has gotten stuck in the retracted position. And due to the design of the 2x pull hood latch, the mechanism is stuck in a state that can neither be opened nor closed. There is no manual override or way you can get it unstuck externally. This exact situation has happened to a few people on the forum. And it's quite a difficult situation to fix since there is no easy way to get the hood open. In the past, dealers have resorted to trying to remove the entire front bumper, cutting holes, or cutting the latch to get it open. But there is a better way.

After this happened to me recently, I was able develop new non-destructive entry method. In a nutshell, you need to unbolt the hood striker through the tiny opening, open the hood, and partially remove the frunk tub to gain access to the stuck mechanism. I'm sharing this so the dealer doesn't destroy your car if it happens to you.

To avoid this situation, do not use the electronic frunk release. I used mine a couple times per week and it failed in about 20 months. Manual cable release is safe.

Replacement Part

• LJ8Z-16700-C - Hood Latch Release Actuator

Tools

• 10mm extra long ratcheting box end wrench with flexible heads (must be at least 10" long)
• 12 inch or longer pry bar or flat screwdriver
• Narrow flashlight
• 10 mm socket + ratchet
• T-30 Torx bit
• Plastic pry tool
• 2" wide masking tape

You will start with the hood stuck open about 3/4" and will work have to work through the narrow gap. Sitting on the ground in front of the car works best so the opening is at eye level.

Procedure

1. If you're worried about scratching, cover rough finished tools with electrical tape. Also put wide masking tape on the lip of the hood and the top of the bumper panel so the tools don't scratch as they're slid in and out.
2. Using the flashlight, locate the two 10 mm acorn nuts holding the striker on the underside of the hood. Use the pry bar to lift up the gasket so you can see:
   
3. Insert the ratcheting wrench, making sure it's flipped the correct way to loosen instead of tighten the nuts. Use the pry bar to help guide the wrench up onto the nuts. You'll need to hold the wrench up on the nut with the pry bar while turning:
   
4. Loosen the nut with the wrench. When it gets loose enough the wrench won't turn it anymore, remove the wrench and use the pry bar to manually spin the nut the rest of the way off. This takes some patience as you'll have to do 1/6th a turn at a time. When the nut finally drops off, try to push it back so it falls into the frunk tub. Repeat on the other side.
5. At this point you can open the hood, but the striker will still be stuck in the latch:
   
6. Next step is to remove all the frunk panels (center, left, right). Pull up by each clip to remove them.
7. Use the pry tool to remove the four plastic covers at the bottom of the frunk tub to expose the bolts.
8. Remove all the 10 mm frunk tub bolts. There are 6x in bottom and 2x at the top rear.
9. Pry up the knurled plastic trim piece surrounding the striker and remove 2x T-30 screws underneath. You won't be able to fully remove this piece, but you can get the screws out under it.
10. The frunk tub should now be loose. Lift up on the driver's side and wedge something like a wood block under the lip to hold it up:
    
11. This next part is hard to describe, but take a look at the mechanism in the next photo. You need to push the top of the pivot arm forwards with the pry bar to release the cable. This mechanism is on the inside of aluminum radiator support rail where you can't see it, so you have to feel for it. You want to feel for a vertical paddle shaped object, guide the pry bar onto it, and push forwards.
    
    
12. Push firmly on the pivot arm until you feel it move, don't hammer. It will push forward about an inch or two. The cable to the latch should now be slack.
13. At this point, have a helper hold the striker and manually pull the hood release from inside the car. The striker should pop out and be free!
14. If you have the replacement actuator part, you can now fully remove the frunk tub to replace it (remove light and release button first). If you don't have the part, you can put everything back together as-is. The manual cable release will still work normally if the actuator stays forward. If you're not replacing it today, I recommend unplugging the release motor so it doesn't get stuck again.
15. Lubricate the hood latch if desired.
16. After the actuator is replaced (which you should do so the emergency release works in case of 12V battery failure), put everything back together.
17. You may need to adjust the left-right position of the striker if the hood panel gaps are not equal on both sides with the hood closed. Loosen the bolts and reposition if necessary.

 

[breeves002]

If you take it to the dealer I bet they just hack saw the striker. Good write up for a TSB

 

[alexgorod]

To avoid this situation, do not use the electronic frunk release. I used mine a couple times per week and it failed in about 20 months.

 

[360alaska]

I just changed my actuator on my wife's 2021, the spring seems slightly stronger and the motor has a lower circuit resistance. (Lower Ω = pulls more current = stronger actuation) I was playing with the 2021 actuator on a bench and it would get stuck on occasion and also, the boot would come off on occasion.

As a side story, my frunk actuator never worked, my GFM gave codes B1452:13 & B15DE:13, the Ford troubleshooting manual says to check between the GFM and frunk relay wiring and if the wiring is good change them and try again, after spending money on the GFM, Relay, and actuator the problem was found to actuator connector(WPT1314). If I used test leads between the frunk aux relays (that are on the passenger side firewall in a box.) and the connector they had continuity with test leads, but if I checked from the relays with the motor plugged in I was unable to get the resistance of the motor, the connector looked fine but my meter could not see the actuator? I changed the connector and it works now.

I've attached the tech info...

 

[rhfritz]

If you take it to the dealer I bet they just hack saw the striker. Good write up for a TSB

Yeah, because then they can keep your car for 3-6 weeks while awaiting repair parts on warranty.

 

[Jimrpa]

Situation: You're coming out of the store and you want to put some items in your frunk. You use the frunk button in FordPass to open the frunk. You hear the release motor pull, but then you notice it only pulled once instead of the usual twice. The hood is open slightly, but you can't lift it open. So you open your door and try pulling the manual release. But you notice there's strangely no resistance when you pull the lever, and nothing happens. Hood still won't open. You push down and slam the hood as hard as you dare, but it still won't latch closed. You try pulling up on the hood forcefully, but you can't get it to release. You try the frunk button again, but don't hear any motor noises this time. The hood is stuck between open and closed and there's nothing you can do to fix it! Ugh! You may try to drive away, but are quickly met with a "Frunk Ajar" warning message that can't be cleared and the car hyper dings at you NONSTOP as long as you're moving. You don't dare drive faster than 35 MPH because you're worried about the hood blowing open, which will instantly block your view and break the windshield. So you're faced with the decision to drive home very slowly, or call a tow truck. Not a good day, and it means you suddenly don't have a working car anymore.

Unfortunately what has happened is the electric hood release actuator motor has gotten stuck in the retracted position. And due to the design of the 2x pull hood latch, the mechanism is stuck in a state that can neither be opened nor closed. There is no manual override or way you can get it unstuck externally. This exact situation has happened to a few people on the forum. And it's quite a difficult situation to fix since there is no easy way to get the hood open. In the past, dealers have resorted to trying to remove the entire front bumper, cutting holes, or cutting the latch to get it open. But there is a better way.

After this happened to me recently, I was able develop new non-destructive entry method. In a nutshell, you need to unbolt the hood striker through the tiny opening, open the hood, and partially remove the frunk tub to gain access to the stuck mechanism. I'm sharing this so the dealer doesn't destroy your car if it happens to you.

To avoid this situation, do not use the electronic frunk release. I used mine a couple times per week and it failed in about 20 months. Manual cable release is safe.

Replacement Part

• LJ8Z-16700-C - Hood Latch Release Actuator

Tools

• 10mm extra long ratcheting box end wrench with flexible heads (must be at least 10" long)
• 12 inch or longer pry bar or flat screwdriver
• Narrow flashlight
• 10 mm socket + ratchet
• T-30 Torx bit
• Plastic pry tool
• 2" wide masking tape

You will start with the hood stuck open about 3/4" and will work have to work through the narrow gap. Sitting on the ground in front of the car works best so the opening is at eye level.

Procedure

1. If you're worried about scratching, cover rough finished tools with electrical tape. Also put wide masking tape on the lip of the hood and the top of the bumper panel so the tools don't scratch as they're slid in and out.
2. Using the flashlight, locate the two 10 mm acorn nuts holding the striker on the underside of the hood. Use the pry bar to lift up the gasket so you can see:
   
3. Insert the ratcheting wrench, making sure it's flipped the correct way to loosen instead of tighten the nuts. Use the pry bar to help guide the wrench up onto the nuts. You'll need to hold the wrench up on the nut with the pry bar while turning:
   
4. Loosen the nut with the wrench. When it gets loose enough the wrench won't turn it anymore, remove the wrench and use the pry bar to manually spin the nut the rest of the way off. This takes some patience as you'll have to do 1/6th a turn at a time. When the nut finally drops off, try to push it back so it falls into the frunk tub. Repeat on the other side.
5. At this point you can open the hood, but the striker will still be stuck in the latch:
   
6. Next step is to remove all the frunk panels (center, left, right). Pull up by each clip to remove them.
7. Use the pry tool to remove the four plastic covers at the bottom of the frunk tub to expose the bolts.
8. Remove all the 10 mm frunk tub bolts. There are 6x in bottom and 2x at the top rear.
9. Pry up the knurled plastic trim piece surrounding the striker and remove 2x T-30 screws underneath. You won't be able to fully remove this piece, but you can get the screws out under it.
10. The frunk tub should now be loose. Lift up on the driver's side and wedge something like a wood block under the lip to hold it up:
    
11. This next part is hard to describe, but take a look at the mechanism in the next photo. You need to push the top of the pivot arm forwards with the pry bar to release the cable. This mechanism is on the inside of aluminum radiator support rail where you can't see it, so you have to feel for it. You want to feel for a vertical paddle shaped object, guide the pry bar onto it, and push forwards.
    
    
12. Push firmly on the pivot arm until you feel it move, don't hammer. It will push forward about an inch or two. The cable to the latch should now be slack.
13. At this point, have a helper hold the striker and manually pull the hood release from inside the car. The striker should pop out and be free!
14. If you have the replacement actuator part, you can now fully remove the frunk tub to replace it (remove light and release button first). If you don't have the part, you can put everything back together as-is. The manual cable release will still work normally if the actuator stays forward. If you're not replacing it today, I recommend unplugging the release motor so it doesn't get stuck again.
15. Lubricate the hood latch if desired.
16. After the actuator is replaced (which you should do so the emergency release works in case of 12V battery failure), put everything back together.
17. You may need to adjust the left-right position of the striker if the hood panel gaps are not equal on both sides with the hood closed. Loosen the bolts and reposition if necessary.

You’re just full of good news for frunk release lovers
Seriously, thanks for the info and the detailed write up. I’d probably just have my vehicle towed to the dealer.

 

[mkhuffman]

This sounds like it might be a good thing to replace proactively, if there is a new, improved actuator.

I think I used the FP button once while testing it. All the other times, I have used the lever inside the car. I guess my car is at low risk for failure, but still. It would be good to know a potentially bad part has been replaced.

@Mach-Lee, have you checked to see if there is a revised/new actuator?

 

[Mach-Lee]

This sounds like it might be a good thing to replace proactively, if there is a new, improved actuator.

I think I used the FP button once while testing it. All the other times, I have used the lever inside the car. I guess my car is at low risk for failure, but still. It would be good to know a potentially bad part has been replaced.

@Mach-Lee, have you checked to see if there is a revised/new actuator?

I think -C is a revised part, but wait until I get them side by side to compare. Won’t be able to do that for a week or two, stay tuned.

 

[SaintPaulMustangMach-E_GT]

Warning signs I should have taken more seriously!
The frunk would before the complete failure this morning not close, and I read online that it was an issue that I wasn't slamming it hard enough.

This might be true for a brand-new owner, but I've had the car for over a year.
I use the Frunk daily because I want my laptop and electronics in the "safe" non-visible location that the Frunk created.

But now the frunk has my laptop all nice and safe but I can't get to it!

The same mechanism that was not fully unlocking the frunk has gotten stuck halfway, not open, not closed.

The dealer has no idea how to quickly open it, and it's going to be 2-3 days before they can get me in to fully take a look at it.

The moral of the story is, if it gives you any trouble at all get the latch mechanism replaced.
And until it is ONLY use the manual pull in the car.
And finally don't but anything in the frunk that you REALLY NEED, it's a safe that you might not be able to get into.

And yes I've tried almost everything posted except taking it apart, I will leave that to FORD.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

I think -C is a revised part, but wait until I get them side by side to compare. Won’t be able to do that for a week or two, stay tuned.

Did you get a chance to look at this?

 

[Mach-Lee]

Did you get a chance to look at this?

Got the new part, project is on hold until less oppressive cold temps prevail.

 

[dtbaker61]

Situation: You're coming out of the store and you want to put some items in your frunk. You use the frunk button in FordPass to open the frunk. You hear the release motor pull, but then you notice it only pulled once instead of the usual twice. The hood is open slightly, but you can't lift it open. So you open your door and try pulling the manual release. But you notice there's strangely no resistance when you pull the lever, and nothing happens. Hood still won't open. You push down and slam the hood as hard as you dare, but it still won't latch closed. You try pulling up on the hood forcefully, but you can't get it to release. You try the frunk button again, but don't hear any motor noises this time. The hood is stuck between open and closed and there's nothing you can do to fix it! Ugh! You may try to drive away, but are quickly met with a "Frunk Ajar" warning message that can't be cleared and the car hyper dings at you NONSTOP as long as you're moving. You don't dare drive faster than 35 MPH because you're worried about the hood blowing open, which will instantly block your view and break the windshield. So you're faced with the decision to drive home very slowly, or call a tow truck. Not a good day, and it means you suddenly don't have a working car anymore.

Unfortunately what has happened is the electric hood release actuator motor has gotten stuck in the retracted position. And due to the design of the 2x pull hood latch, the mechanism is stuck in a state that can neither be opened nor closed. There is no manual override or way you can get it unstuck externally. This exact situation has happened to a few people on the forum. And it's quite a difficult situation to fix since there is no easy way to get the hood open. In the past, dealers have resorted to trying to remove the entire front bumper, cutting holes, or cutting the latch to get it open. But there is a better way.

After this happened to me recently, I was able develop new non-destructive entry method. In a nutshell, you need to unbolt the hood striker through the tiny opening, open the hood, and partially remove the frunk tub to gain access to the stuck mechanism. I'm sharing this so the dealer doesn't destroy your car if it happens to you.

To avoid this situation, do not use the electronic frunk release. I used mine a couple times per week and it failed in about 20 months. Manual cable release is safe.

Replacement Part

• LJ8Z-16700-C - Hood Latch Release Actuator

Tools

• 10mm extra long ratcheting box end wrench with flexible heads (must be at least 10" long)
• 12 inch or longer pry bar or flat screwdriver
• Narrow flashlight
• 10 mm socket + ratchet
• T-30 Torx bit
• Plastic pry tool
• 2" wide masking tape

You will start with the hood stuck open about 3/4" and will work have to work through the narrow gap. Sitting on the ground in front of the car works best so the opening is at eye level.

Procedure

1. If you're worried about scratching, cover rough finished tools with electrical tape. Also put wide masking tape on the lip of the hood and the top of the bumper panel so the tools don't scratch as they're slid in and out.
2. Using the flashlight, locate the two 10 mm acorn nuts holding the striker on the underside of the hood. Use the pry bar to lift up the gasket so you can see:
   
3. Insert the ratcheting wrench, making sure it's flipped the correct way to loosen instead of tighten the nuts. Use the pry bar to help guide the wrench up onto the nuts. You'll need to hold the wrench up on the nut with the pry bar while turning:
   
4. Loosen the nut with the wrench. When it gets loose enough the wrench won't turn it anymore, remove the wrench and use the pry bar to manually spin the nut the rest of the way off. This takes some patience as you'll have to do 1/6th a turn at a time. When the nut finally drops off, try to push it back so it falls into the frunk tub. Repeat on the other side.
5. At this point you can open the hood, but the striker will still be stuck in the latch:
   
6. Next step is to remove all the frunk panels (center, left, right). Pull up by each clip to remove them.
7. Use the pry tool to remove the four plastic covers at the bottom of the frunk tub to expose the bolts.
8. Remove all the 10 mm frunk tub bolts. There are 6x in bottom and 2x at the top rear.
9. Pry up the knurled plastic trim piece surrounding the striker and remove 2x T-30 screws underneath. You won't be able to fully remove this piece, but you can get the screws out under it.
10. The frunk tub should now be loose. Lift up on the driver's side and wedge something like a wood block under the lip to hold it up:
    
11. This next part is hard to describe, but take a look at the mechanism in the next photo. You need to push the top of the pivot arm forwards with the pry bar to release the cable. This mechanism is on the inside of aluminum radiator support rail where you can't see it, so you have to feel for it. You want to feel for a vertical paddle shaped object, guide the pry bar onto it, and push forwards.
    
    
12. Push firmly on the pivot arm until you feel it move, don't hammer. It will push forward about an inch or two. The cable to the latch should now be slack.
13. At this point, have a helper hold the striker and manually pull the hood release from inside the car. The striker should pop out and be free!
14. If you have the replacement actuator part, you can now fully remove the frunk tub to replace it (remove light and release button first). If you don't have the part, you can put everything back together as-is. The manual cable release will still work normally if the actuator stays forward. If you're not replacing it today, I recommend unplugging the release motor so it doesn't get stuck again.
15. Lubricate the hood latch if desired.
16. After the actuator is replaced (which you should do so the emergency release works in case of 12V battery failure), put everything back together.
17. You may need to adjust the left-right position of the striker if the hood panel gaps are not equal on both sides with the hood closed. Loosen the bolts and reposition if necessary.

well done....

gotta be careful what you ask for with electronic latches. I'd would prefer mechanical for hood, hatch, and doors.

 

[alangant]

Got the new part, project is on hold until less oppressive cold temps prevail.

Great work again, Lee! I will only use the mechanical release from now on, to avoid getting in this situation!

 

[mkhuffman]

I think -C is a revised part, but wait until I get them side by side to compare. Won’t be able to do that for a week or two, stay tuned.

Good morning Lee. Have you been able to compare the parts yet, or are you still waiting for warmer weather?

 

[Mach-Lee]

Part 2 - Actuator Replacement and Failure Analysis

These are the steps to actually replace the part (LJ8Z-16700-C):

1. Open the hood and pull up to remove all the frunk covers (center, left, and right).
2. Use a pry tool to remove the four plastic covers at the bottom of the frunk tub to expose the bolts.
3. Remove all the 10 mm frunk tub bolts. There are 6x in bottom and 2x at the top rear.
4. Pry up the knurled plastic trim piece surrounding the striker and remove 2x T-30 screws underneath.
5. Use a pry tool to remove the frunk light. Place tool under the front short edge of the light.
6. Use a pry tool to remove the emergency release button. Use a pry tool on the top.
7. The frunk tub should now be loose and can be lifted out of the vehicle.
8. Find the frunk actuator on the inside of the cross car beam (driver's side):
   
9. Remove the electrical connector (squeeze small tab and pull). Pull out the Christmas tree clip holding the wire to the part.
10. Remove the two cables. Use flat screwdriver to press in one of the locking tabs, pull partway through the hole, then use the screwdriver on the other tab 180º apart to release the other side. You may need to rotate the cable end so both tabs are visible first.
11. Pass the cable through the slot in the cable sheath mount. Then rotate the remaining end of the cable so it comes out of the channel in the pivot arm. You may need to unclip the cables to get more movement. Both cables should be free like in the photo.
12. Remove the three 10 mm bolts. Part will be loose but held in still.
13. There is a tab on the backside that passes through the metal beam, you may need to use a flat screwdriver to press it in to fully relate the part:
    
14. Install in reverse order.

The old (-AD) and the new (-AE) part look exactly identical. New part is on top:

If there was a revision, I can't tell. The spring tension feels similar. The difference is the new part is able to return to extended position with the spring tension alone vs. the old part gets stuck in the retracted position and takes a lot of extra force to budge.

Here's what it looks like inside:

It's just a simple reduction gear turning a worn drive. But the old one gets stuck at the end of travel and needs help returning. (See video at the end).

I tried adding silicone grease to the gears and worm to see if that would help, but it still got stuck. There is just too much wear of the plastic parts that causes them to stop operating smoothly. The side of the large plastic gear acts as a thrust bearing, and had some wear. In my opinion, this could be deigned better so the gear doesn't wear against the case. The end of the worm drive may also have some wear that causes it to bind at the end of travel. As well as the inside of the sliding part.

In summary I don't have much to believe the new part will be any better. It could easily wear out too in another year or two. Time will tell.