Hey Guys, Yesterday I opened my trunk with the key fob and put a couple of items in the trunk and when I tried to close it, it wouldn't latch. I checked it and even though I could hear the actuator click, the latch wasn't releasing. Well, being the cheap bastard, I mean frugal person, that I am. I took it apart and after about an hour of monkeying around with it, discovered that a piece was broken. Out came the JB Weld and as of this morning, I have a perfectly working trunk release once again. It was really a very simple fix once I discovered what was broken. I didn't take photos, but should have. If anyone runs into this problem, I can most likely walk you through the repair. The main thing is to make sure you don't use too much JB Weld. That would keep the piece from rotating. I used some wheel bearing grease under the pivot point to make it move freely. Time will tell if my repair will work, but it saved me about $60 or so, looking at the latch for sale on the internet. I knew something was up as I kept having to pull the release lever harder and harder to manually open it. Once again, cheap plastic. If it breaks again, I'll fab up a piece of aluminum to repair it.
Broken Trunk Latch
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Nice DIY fix there, and I hear you about those plastic parts. I have a similar situation with the gate opener on my first gen Forte, and I currently have it duct taped because it's actually an electrical contact switch and can't be glued back together. I'll be looking in the boneyards for a replacement, in order to avoid spending $100 for a new one.
But for those of us in the rust belt the choice is plastic parts that break, or metal ones that rust out. Pick your poison.
But for those of us in the rust belt the choice is plastic parts that break, or metal ones that rust out. Pick your poison.
It's really aggravating. I know these aren't expensive cars by a long shot, but when you live on Social Security, every penny counts. It sucks being old and disabled. I can't afford to pay someone to work on my stuff and when I'm done I usually suffer for a week or so with back pain and headaches, depending on the repair. Just changing my oil gives me a terrible headache for several hours. I had two brain surgeries back in 2004 and haven't been the same since.
I was over in Mobile, AL for 4 days trying to avoid hurricane Dorian and went to a local pull a part and grabbed a couple of trunk latches. One was from a Hyundai and the other from a 2012 Forte. I will have to modify either, but can do that. BOTH of them are of better quality material than the 2017. I did find an OEM replacement latch on Amazon and bought it for $22. I am just keeping it in the car along with a 10 mm wrench so if or when my glue repair fails, I'll just swap the latch and chuck the old one. They must get the plastic for these cars at the same place that is recycling the plastic bags for Walmart. Cheaper and cheaper all the time. I'm double bagging everything except bread nowadays!
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I have a broken latch on my 2018 Kia Forte. Is any year Kia latch compatible for replacement? And what hyuandi make is interchangable?
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What is OEM ?
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Just to clarify, is this a Koup, sedan or hatchback? 2018 is the second generation (2014-2018), so any 2nd gen of the same body style will work.
None
Original Equipment Manufacturer (ie Kia)
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