ive searched forums & seen lots of post sayin trunk hatch wont Release, but mine wont Catch/Latch/Lock down... so couple of questions yall... i have a 98 v6 camaro (thats probably gonna get sold soon) & i recently purchased a 98 formula firebird... the rear hatch on the firebird refuses to catch/close... it will eventually catch, but only after trying to shut it (tryin not to get frustrated & slam it) about 20 or 30 times... when it does eventually catch & close u can hear the mechanisim do its thing, but as i said, u gotta slam it (not to hard of coarse... tryin not to break anything) a dozen times before it will latch...quite frankly it a pain, & extremely embarrasing lets say when tryin to put grocerys or something in ur car & everybodys starring at u cause ur standing there arguing with ur car... first question- are the latch mechanisms interchangable? & should i swap them (ive owned the camaro 8 yrs & its never refused to catch/close) or is there a part that needs replacing or a repair i could do? ...the loop part of the latch on the underside of the hatch shows no sign of scraping so i dont think its out of alignment... scratching my head here & would like to know if i should swap it out with the latch assembly on the camaro before i sell it on? (i know itll hurt the resale-thus my delima-swap or repair?) thanx yall!

 

this may sound dumb, but try opening a window or opening your door while you close the hatch, because of the pressure in the cabin it doesn't want to shut all the way..i've noticed this with my formula as well, i dont have that much difficulty shutting it but i know when the windows are cracked it closes the 1st try.

 

I've never had this "non-latching" problem myself, so I can't say for certain what the specific problem would be, if not alignment, other than the latch needing some sort of cleaning/lubrication or just replacement. You may already be aware of this, but the '98 latch is a bit different from '99+ so if you do replace it you'd have to get one specific to this year (or swap from your other '98 as suggested.) I don't remember if the '97 and earlier cars used the same latch as '98 or not.

Good suggestion above, regarding opening a window or door to make it easier. That's universally true for all applications.

 

My 98 hatch doesn't always close and latch, it requires me to slam it down to ensure a latch. At first I thought the carpet or something was blocking the latching mechanism however is still does the same thing even with the carpet removed. I honestly have not troubleshot the issue and just accepted it and close the hatch down hard. It would take a lot of force to break the glass, and doesn't take that much to ensure a latch. Mine does not require a dozen slams I can get it in the first one if closed hard enough.

 

There are two bumpers at the corners of the hatch. These are adjustable with your fingers and seal the door tight against the body and (presumably) fine tune the body gaps around the hatch.

If those have vibrated loose, have become deteriorated, or are not adjusted properly - they could be your problem. I'd check them first and/or try removing them to see what happens. Then adjust properly.

Have you replaced the hatch struts lately?

Worst case scenario - People have also had this problem as their hinges (attached at the roof) start going out.

 

ok... ill take a look at it again, with that information in hand, from a fresh perspective... & ill also try closing it while leaving a door open as well... thanx yall