I had to pull my grandson's sinking johnboat out of a canal. I tied through the hole in the catch on the bottom. Not the locking/latching mechanism on the trunk lid itself. It was a very hard pull. I broke a 3/8 nylon rope twice. Now, the trunk won't latch shut.

I checked to see if the top latch was working properly. When I push up into it with a very small screwdriver, the latch closes and locks.

It appears to these very old eyes that the bottom catch is lined up with the latch on the trunk. How do I determine if I bent it or, pulled it out of position?

 

Make sure the trunk lid is still aligned with the body.

Make sure the striker plate is not bent. The locking hole portion should be 90 degrees to the part that bolts to the car.

The striker plate is adjustable via two bolts. Perhaps the plate is slightly out of adjustment. The plate can be adjusted by hitting it with a soft metal bar and hammer. This is trial and error.