My front trunk release is getting more and more difficult to pull and open. I know about these things breaking and then having to do something like take off the bumper to pop open the trunk. I'd rather not have to do that. . .so, where exactly is the bind when they get hard to pull? The cable? The latch? Can I just WD-40 something and avoid issues?

I had the same issue....the "wire" in the "plastic sheath" just doesn't cut it. I had a cable made at a local "go cart" shop (cost me 15 bucks) to the dimensions of the factory cable..then I put the "factory cable" in the sheath made by the cart vendor....now I can open the trunk with 1 fiinger and there is no stupid plastic sheath to mess with.

It's very simple to remove the latch (2 M6 fasteners) and remove the cable from the assembly (1 screw).

That will give you the ability to asses the bind either in the cable -- which should pull freely now, or the latch assembly itself. If it's the latch, spray it thoroughly with brake cleaner, relubricate it and reinstall.

You'll wish all 914 jobs were this simple.

I had the same problem. Sprayed some lube in the cable. Problem gone.