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There are two latches on the tailgate of my Citroën C2 - the right-hand one latches fine, so the boot can close and lock, but the left-hand one doesn't, making it insecure. I've found that it will latch if I really lean into it, but it's not reliable. There's no obvious difference (to me) between the working latch and the broken one.

Are there adjustments I can make that will help it latch? I've put 3-in-1 into the rotating parts to no avail, and greasing the actual striker just made the problem worse.

This is the working right-hand tailgate latch:

Working right-hand tailgate latch

And this is the faulty left-hand latch:

Faulty left-hand tailgate latch

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    I have no experience with this car so I can't give specific advice, but a common problem with latches in general is them getting stiff due to a lack of lubricant. You'd lose nothing by giving it a spray of silicone lubricant and then exercising it.
    – GdD
    Oct 30, 2020 at 11:47
  • I put some 3-in-1 into the rotating bits and it didn't seem to help - was that the wrong product? I do have some silicone lube, so I'll try that.
    – Jacob
    Oct 30, 2020 at 12:00
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    There ought to be some adjustable door stop rubbers above the latches. Try to adjust them. Also the bolt on the lower picture seems a bit mangled.. Did somebody played with it?
    – Martin
    Oct 30, 2020 at 12:16

1 Answer 1

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If you look at the 2 pictures the right hand latch is at a different angle to the left hand one. The right hand latch seems to be positioned so the top of it projects above the gate, where the left hand one is more recessed. This means the right hand latch is able to grab the post better, and the left one requires more force.

As for what's causing it I can't say exactly as I'm not familiar with this make, but it looks like it's probably just out of adjustment. The latch seems to he held on with a single hex screw, I'd try to loosen it just a bit to allow a bit of play, then re-adjust it so it is positioned a bit more forward, then tighten it down, using the right hand one as a guide. If that doesn't work I'd pull the screw and then examine how it fits together.

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  • Thanks! I'd noticed that but assumed that the difference was because they've used the same component, rather than a mirrored version. I wonder if I can change the angle a bit - I'll get the socket set back out :)
    – Jacob
    Oct 30, 2020 at 17:17
  • @Jacob maybe you can adjust it using the torx screw that you conveniently marked yellow?
    – user60481
    Nov 30, 2020 at 10:11

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