How to Open a Car's Hood

Almost any maintenance you do on your car will require that you open the hood. All car hoods open pretty much the same way.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Locate the hood release lever inside the car. Most cars have a lever on or near the kick panel by the driver's left foot. Some may be on the bottom of the dash panel in the same area. It is usually marked Hood or Hood Release.
2. Pull the hood release lever until the hood pops open. You should hear or feel the click indicating the release.
3. Find the hood safety catch lever. This is typically located just under the hood of the car, through the grill openings. The safety latch prevents the hood from fully opening until you release the safety latch. This is a safety device in case the inside hood release gets pulled accidentally while you are driving.
4. Push or pull the hood safety catch lever until the hood releases from the latch.
5. Open the hood of the car fully and secure it with the prop rod.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes the safety catch lever can be hard to release. It may be necessary to push down on the hood a little to move the safety catch lever.
• When you close the hood of the car make sure that it is closed completely and can not be lifted if you pull up on it. If it did not close securely, release the safety catch, raise the hood a little and then close it again.