Car bonnet release lever not working

[giggles321]

Hi, I have a Renault Clio Alize T reg 1999. When I pull the lever to open the bonnet, you do not hear it click to open, so I cannot open the bonnet. I am a lady driver, not useless, but a bit stuck on this one. Can anybody advise on what I need to do to open it. Many thanks.

[sddsddean]

With the help of a friend, you could try one of you pulling the release whilst the pushes down on the front of the bonnet near the catch, perhaps a little bit of up and down on the front of the bonnet as well. This will normally release it if the catch is 'sticky'. Once its open, lubricate the catch mechanism with something like 3 in 1 oil or a liberal squirt of WD40. Hopefully, that should solve it. (Fingers crossed!)

[giggles321]

Brilliant, thanks very much for your answer, I will give it a go tomorrow when I have somebody to help me. Thanks.

[Toureman]

Hi giggles,

Very good answer from sddsddean, hope this cures your problem, if you need to know more about your Renault go to this friedly sight...........

http://www.renaultforums.co.uk/index.php?

[giggles321]

Hi, Just wanted to thank you for your reply, it worked a treat !! Thanks, very much appreciated.

[sddsddean]

(Sigh of relief!!) You're most welcome.

[giggles321]

Thank you x

[giggles321]

Hi ya, there was an interesting item on watchdog tonight about Renault Clio's The web site says "Kate Stubbs was driving at nearly 97kmph (60mph) down a busy road when the bonnet of her Renault Clio suddenly flipped up, obscuring her vision, cracking her windscreen and damaging the bonnet and roof of the car". Watchdog has received other complaints of bonnets opening unexpectedly on the Renault Clio, specifically on models ranging from 1997 to 2001. They are asking people to go get there cars checked out. Very interesting !

[smptrds]

The PLASTIC safety catch on the '98-2001' Clio Bonnet is unsafe and Watchdog reported that it should be serviced at least once a year. Please note that I have just found my daughters 2003 Billabong 1.6V with the same type and not the modified version as stated on Watchdog. This was sticking when pulled hard and I have now greased it. The plastic dowel holding this assembly should be replaced with a stronger type immediately and I stress everyone with this catch to bombard Renault.

[Meesh]

If I had any problem with the bonnet of a clio I would be at the garage straight away. I was traveling along the motorway at 65mph yesterday (1st November 2006) and the bonnet flew up and smashed into my widscreen and roof. The bonnet stayed attached to my windscreen and I had too do an emergency stop into the hard shoulder. I feel very lucky to be alive.

At the garage the mechanic told me I was the second Clio THAT DAY to have experienced such a fault. The AA say my primary lock was rusted and secondary clip was sticking. I have a 2003 Billabong that is still under warrenty. What do Renault say - we have investigated this in the past and there is no problem with the bonnet clips!

Strange as iv not opened my bonnet in months and would never expect a 3 year old car to have rusty parts!! Please contact me if you've had similar experiences.

[kromum]

In answer to question - I am now at home lying in a darkened room having almost met my death when the bonnet of my 2000 clio flew up as I was travelling at 70 on a dual carriage way at rush hour.
Had to blindly screech onto central reservation to avoid traffic behind me crashing into me. Almost caused accident as other cars swerved.
Clio has been a disaster since I got it. This is the final straw!

[philld]

FAO Meesh

My neice had an accident in her Clio where the bonnet flew up took her windscreen and roof �1000 of damage.

Have contacted Carol carman at BBC radio cambridge who has spoke to renault but has not received a reply.

You can get me on [email protected]

[cliohelen]

Watchdog has tonight featured a follow up to their orignal story with regards to faulty bonnet catches.
Renault refused to go to the studio to make a response.
The same thing happened to me nearly 2 years ago. I have registerd my incident with Watchdog and have also written to Renault - There is obviously a serious problem. I urge anyone that has a the same experience to register their individual incident with watchdog and alo write to Renault.

[towers]

Hi People,

I thought i might join the bandwagon and state i was driving my renault clio dynamique dci 80 at 65 mph on the hogs back in guildford and the bonnet flipped up, shattering the windscreen and my glass sunroof.

A massive rush of wind and glass covered my head and the whole of the car.

Luckily there were no cars on the road as i would of deifinitely had a crash either killing me or injuring me. I am no hypochondriac and pretty level headed bloke but this was ridiculous.

I didnt think anything of it until word of mouth stated "oh havent you heard about the clios"

There has now been 2 watchdog programmes.

I have forked out �150 excess on my insurance for something that was not my fault.

I phoned renault and they had the gall that they have inspected the clio bonnet catches and found no faults. Typical response from a massive company.

So 400 or so clio complainers later, its just one of those things is it renault??

Typical stubborn company who make millions of pounds profit and never admit when they are wrong.

stuart

[boo62]

Hi, you need to take seriously the messages posted on this site as my husband and I have recently had the same experience as other clio owners where the bonnet of our clio mark 2 flew up and smashed the front of our windscreen as we were travelling at 50m.p.h. He always makes a point of checking that he has shut the bonnet carefully so we knew that it was not down to our own negligence as was suggested by the car repair company. We have recently set up a web-site with the intention of warning other clio mark 2 owners @ www.clioalert.com and have let bbc watchdog know of our experience. We are looking forward to the follow up programme this week, spread the word! Check the latest figures on their web-site,it is more than 280 people who have had similar experiences.

[Roger Peaple]

I was driving home on Sunday evening (9th March) on the M3 travelling at approx 70mph when the bonnet of my Clio flew up and smashed into my windscreen, causing it to crack and hitting the roof with such force that it dented it and popped the reading light out. The bonnet locked into position covering my windscreen so I could not see out (it couldn�t be moved back down by ether the RAC guy who recovered my vehicle or the insurer�s recovery vehicle the next day).

I was lucky. Very lucky. I was in relatively clear traffic on the inside lane of the M3 (I had not long overtaken another car) and I managed to get over to the hard shoulder without causing any incident to any other road users � my vehicle stalled as I moved over the hard shoulder. Earlier that afternoon I had been driving with my daughter in the car with me in bad weather conditions in built up traffic on the M3, M4 and the middle lane of the M25. I dread to think what could have happened to my daughter myself and other road users had my bonnet flew up at ANY other time other than when it did. I called Renault who, whilst very sympathetic, would (obviously) not admit any manufacturing liability and basically blamed me or my garage who had only three weeks before carried out a Winter service on the car.

The car is with my insurer�s garage, I will have to pay out �250 excess and lose 2 years no claims bonus as a result of this. I will be selling the car (if I can find a buyer!) and changing it as soon as I can. Not, I hasten to add, to another Renault ever again. I will now forever wince at the site of a Clio whenever I walk or drive pass one remembering what so easily could have been.

[exclusive82]

Hey I had a near-fatal crash on Saturday when my bonnet shot back to my windscreen when I had just joined the duel carriageway. Luckily it wasn't busy, but I dread to think what could have happened. I was in the outside lane too and had to swerve into the hard shoulder with no vision.
The RAC guy and the policeman both said that they have heard loads of stories of this happening because of some plastic safety catch. I don't know what happened with mine. I'm just 'relieved' that it happened when it did - 10 minutes later I would have been on a four-lane A1 motorway and probably in the outside lane.

I'm actually scared of driving my car now - god knows how much this is going to cost me, and I'm going to lose my two years no claims too!