Thankyou all,

I didn't have the special wrench in my kit. After removing the trunk liner I understood the problem much better. I was able to unlatch the right side, that was working normal with a small set of vicegrips. We undid the front with an allen wrench and got the top off. The left rear slotted strap had been bent just enough where it wasn't wanting to draw down.

After adjusting the strap we were able to get it to lock down in normal sequence, several times. It doesn't take much to get it out of wack where it wouldn't work correctly. With your help--learning every day, st