Hi there, i’m a bit clueless about cars so sorry if this is a silly question. I opened the bonnet today to refill the oil and screenwash, and now i can’t get it closed properly. I have 2009 Zetec Fiesta. The bonnet closes partially and catches on the yellow latch but won’t close the full way. I have to drive to the airport tomorrow and not sure how safe it is to drive only on the yellow latch. The bonnet lever on the driver side seems loose.

 

Here is a picture of the bonnet catch

 

I really have no clue what the problem is so any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot

Spray some wd in there and give the mechanism a move around spray some more see if it loosens it up 

It's not safe to drive on the yellow catch alone, you need that sorted before driving any sort of distance.  Makes a right mess of the roof and windscreen when the bonnet flies up at 70mph, I've seen it happen a few times over the years on various forums!  

If you don't have any WD40, you can drip a little engine oil into the catch to lubricate it.  Also see if you can wedge the internal lever in the 'closed' position (or get someone to hold it there) if that seems excessively loose.

 

Good advice from Tom.   That catch does look rusty.   The bonnet catch should be greased at every service.

Thanks for the fast replies everyone. I’m at work until 5 so can’t even take it to a garage so i really need to hope this works.  

@casuk @TomsFocus 

 

Thanks very much guys, sprayed with some WD40, wiggled it about a bit and left for a few minutes and it worked. Lifesavers! 🤝

Now that you've got it working I would suggest that you grease it.