Looking for tips on adjusting hatch latch to fix rattling tailgate

[tiggerbren]

Over the course of one month I had a tiny rattle turn into a full on annoying clatter from the tailgate. I swear I saw someone on the FiestaST forum talk about adjusting the latch at some point, but now that I have the same problem, I can't seem to find that thread.

I haven't taken a close look at the latch yet, but upon quick glance I didn't see any obvious adjustments so I wanted to see if anyone here has dealt with that latch before I start playing with it.

I'm thinking that either moving the latch on the gate toward the rear or moving the latch on the bumper toward the front of the car is a good place to start. I'm totally open to suggestions.

I'm at 30K miles and have three major creaks going on. Time to see if I can shore the Fiesta up a little bit.

 

[Maxpowa]

Over the course of one month I had a tiny rattle turn into a full on annoying clatter from the tailgate. I swear I saw someone on the FiestaST forum talk about adjusting the latch at some point, but now that I have the same problem, I can't seem to find that thread.

I haven't taken a close look at the latch yet, but upon quick glance I didn't see any obvious adjustments so I wanted to see if anyone here has dealt with that latch before I start playing with it.

I'm thinking that either moving the latch on the gate toward the rear or moving the latch on the bumper toward the front of the car is a good place to start. I'm totally open to suggestions.

I'm at 30K miles and have three major creaks going on. Time to see if I can shore the Fiesta up a little bit.

I adjusted by rear-hatch because it wasn't closing all the way. I was getting a bad exhaust smell in the cabin on heavy acceleration. I moved the striker on the bumper forward about 1/8 of an inch forward. You need torque bits (I forget the size, I'm sorry) and a driver with a lot of leverage as these suckers are screwed down pretty good. Of course, the door needs a little more effort to close, but even since the adjustment, no exhaust smells.