# My trunk is miss aligned...



## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Is this relatively recent ? If yes then that is created by those new internal pressures you are forcing around that trunk space ! I think you need a vent , then realign the trunk lid . Best guess at the present time with little structural evidence to draw from .


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Just took a look at the hinge setup and closed it again and hope that never happens to me. Let the workshop handle it looks like a real headache to adjust.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

brian v said:


> Is this relatively recent ? If yes then that is created by those new internal pressures you are forcing around that trunk space ! I think you need a vent , then realign the trunk lid . Best guess at the present time with little structural evidence to draw from .


Not that recent, but I believe they may have made it a little more pronounced.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

You need to vent those pressures first . Then realign the trunk lid .


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Mine looks exactly the same, misaligned.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

spacedout said:


> Mine looks exactly the same, misaligned.



Do you have 2 18 inch subs also ?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

brian v said:


> Do you have 2 18 inch subs also ?


The subs have nothing to do with it. Far more powerful systems have not caused this. 

You need to remove the trunk cover, loosen the bolts, and shift the trunk over. Or, grab a buddy and physically pull the trunk in the other direction just enough to fix the issue.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

That might work . Check those nuts to see if they have vibrated loose .
I am not implying the 5 of us .


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## newsguy99 (May 24, 2013)

If my car looked like that, I'd be heading right back to the dealership and have them fix it.. Could it also be the right side panel has come loose instead of the actual trunk lid?


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## Iceman (Apr 20, 2013)

It's a Chevy..... I love the car but would be a much better car if it wasn't made by Chevrolet in my opinion. Try adjusting the rubber bump stops that thread in on the bottom the the trunk.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> The subs have nothing to do with it. Far more powerful systems have not caused this.
> 
> You need to remove the trunk cover, loosen the bolts, and shift the trunk over. Or, grab a buddy and physically pull the trunk in the other direction just enough to fix the issue.


I'll try this later today, hopefully it will work without physically grabbing it and yanking it to the side.



newsguy99 said:


> If my car looked like that, I'd be heading right back to the dealership and have them fix it.. Could it also be the right side panel has come loose instead of the actual trunk lid?


Seeing as the the side panels[quarter panels] are welded into the frame of the car, I really hope not. That would mean I've somehow twisted the frame of my car in less than 2 years.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

newsguy99 said:


> If my car looked like that, I'd be heading right back to the dealership and have them fix it.. Could it also be the right side panel has come loose instead of the actual trunk lid?


Definitely not. That is structural to the car. It is impossible to shift that unless some crashes into you.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

You could always try this method:


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## Poison Ivy (Aug 10, 2013)

I would try loosening the bolts and moving it over then retorque the bolts. After doing some work on our cruze I have found more loose bolts and nuts then I would care to mention. I recently replace the exhaust with a 2.5 inch cat back. I was expecting a hard time under the car to loosen the bolts from the cat! Well I got down there grabbed my breaker bar and *&$#, nearly broke my knuckles because they were only just tight. I would not be at all surprised to find the trunk lid bolts only that way also. I have a body kit coming with a trunk lid spoiler that has to be drilled and bolted on. my trunk lid is off center also. I will be correcting that before the spoiler goes on for sure.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

Problem fixed, I literally opened the trunk, grabbed it, and twisted it a little and now its perfectly alligned. Only question now is, how long will it stay proper. I'm going to go back and see what I can do in terms of actually tightening it all up, but wow that was almost too easy.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

If it was that easy , then you have loose fittings man . Tell andrei this is his first example of 2 18 inch subs vibrating the trunk lid loose !


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sounds like some locking washers are in order if it's the subs that caused the trunk lid bolts to loosen up. 

Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

brian v said:


> If it was that easy , then you have loose fittings man . Tell andrei this is his first example of 2 18 inch subs vibrating the trunk lid loose !


As I said before, the trunk was misaligned before the sub install. Which means that the subs aren't the main problem. Besides, with two 18 inch subs its almost expected for something that was loose from factory to become more pronounced/loose. The good thing is that I know know what to do, and its a fixable problem that will allow me to prevent my trunk lid from rattling when turning the subs up.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

If it was that easy to adjust I would hope it was loose bolts. It might indicate the hinges are a bit weak and closing the trunk can tweak the alignment over time. 

If your photos were blue granite metallic I would have thought you were taking a picture of my car, mine was misaligned in the exact same way. To far to the left(drivers side) and slightly high on the passenger side. Curious do you know when your car was built? might be the same person installed them slightly off. My car was built in January 2012.


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

go look on a dealer lot and they are all misaligned. I bet your doors on one side aren't aligned either. 

I had to go back and get my left side doors aligned and with my trunk the taillights aren't aligned perfect on the right side but the gaps are all the same on both sides and dealer said there was nothing that could be done. 

Your gaps look way off though and your taillight was a lot more misaligned than mine. 

If you can move it that easy something is not right and needs to be tightened permanently.

The panel alignment on these cars leave a lot to be desired from the factory.


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## Poison Ivy (Aug 10, 2013)

Steps on how to re-align your trunk lid. 
1. Measure the gap on each side of the trunk lid. determine how much you need to adjust.
2. Open your trunk lid and remove the retaining clips for the trunk lid liner around the mounting bars for the trunk lid. Only need to remove the ones around those bars( I only needed to remove 6 to give me access to the bolts)
3. Loosen the four bolts that secure the trunk lid to those bars(only enough to give you some sideways movement) We are metric here so I needed a 10mm socket I think in the USA you will need a 3/8" socket or wrench. BTW the bolts on mine were pathetically loose. Not any more!
4. Gently rock back and forth the trunk lid and push in the direction you need. Once it has moved (will only move a tiny amount anyway) check the gaps again.
5. Gently push the trunk lid back down until you can measure the gaps try not to latch it just yet. If you need more movement then repeat step 4.
6. If you are satisfied with the gaps then gently raise the trunk lid back up and re-tighten the four bolts.
7. Lower and re-check your measurements, if all is good then open the lid back up and replace your retaining clips and you are finished. Hopefully the gaps are even. 
Mine took me about 10 minutes all up and no more mis-aligned trunk lid.
Happy Cruze-ing all!!


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

Poison Ivy said:


> Steps on how to re-align your trunk lid.
> 1. Measure the gap on each side of the trunk lid. determine how much you need to adjust.
> 2. Open your trunk lid and remove the retaining clips for the trunk lid liner around the mounting bars for the trunk lid. Only need to remove the ones around those bars( I only needed to remove 6 to give me access to the bolts)
> 3. Loosen the four bolts that secure the trunk lid to those bars(only enough to give you some sideways movement) We are metric here so I needed a 10mm socket I think in the USA you will need a 3/8" socket or wrench. BTW the bolts on mine were pathetically loose. Not any more!
> ...



how do you adjust one side down just slightly? my right side probably needs to come down like an 1/8 of an inch ( fi that) so the taillights are aligned on that side.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

IIRC, there is rubber bump stops on the hood/trunk corners that can be twisted by hand to acheve height and vibration dampening.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

My 2014 CTD trunk looked identical to the OP's pics at the start of this thread. Successfully performed the grab, yank, tweak method today...good as new. The whole structure/hinge system seems weak to me, could easily envision someone slamming the lid on a trunk full of golf clubs and sending it back out of alignment.


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