# How about a "hood ajar" light? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731 "2014-07-01T03:17:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/1 "2014-07-01T03:17:23Z")
Twice now in the last year, I have noticed my hood was ajar on the highway. I’m quite certain I fully closed and latched the hood when checking the oil but somehow the hood has come unlatched at some point. It is difficult to see the front of the hoods now with the sloping hoods at least on the Acuras. I have a trunk ajar light, a door ajar light, a seat belt light, and every other indicator light but I wonder why in the world its not worth the $10 to put in a hood ajar light? Seems to me a hood poping open at highway speeds is a lot worse than a trunk being open that tends to stay closed when driving. ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/2 "2014-07-01T03:44:22Z")
I think because you already have a safety as a second latch…I think they feel thats enough. Trunk doesn’t, doors don’t, seat belts don’t. Yosemite ---
**Author:** ![Fender1325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fender1325](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Fender1325)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/3 "2014-07-01T03:54:04Z")
Agreed with Yosemite, but make it a habit now of slamming that hood good and hard, you’re not going to hurt it! ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/4 "2014-07-01T04:23:17Z")
I had the hood pop up on my dad’s truck while driving on the freeway years ago. It is indeed a very dangerous situation. All of a sudden there’s no way to see where you are going. I had to steer using the white lane lines which I could see through the side windows to get off to the side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/5 "2014-07-01T04:37:36Z")
Maybe you should adjust the hood latch mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![wesw](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wesw/32/2713_2.png) [@wesw](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wesw)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/6 "2014-07-01T04:44:12Z")
is any body gonna make the corny joke? ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/7 "2014-07-01T04:52:08Z")
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a FLY UNZIPPED light, wesw. ---
**Author:** ![wesw](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wesw/32/2713_2.png) [@wesw](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wesw)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/8 "2014-07-01T04:54:35Z")
I did not look, lol ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/9 "2014-07-01T06:28:28Z")
Yes, the older we get, the more we would like such a light. We were having the conversation the other night about what is the “appropriate” thing to do when a distinguished guest leaves it open and he is about to make a speech. I always held it is better to let them know as inconspicuously as possible as soon as possible, but the guest was quite upset. Of course the safety latch on the hood still held so really no issue unless the safety catch jiggled loose. Might need some adjustment I suppose but I really hate to take it in and have someone fool with it too that may make it worse. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 8:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/10 "2014-07-01T08:19:17Z")
I think Bing has made a good point. In modern cars, the hood is a critical component in energy absorption and directing forces in a crash. It would seem logical that, considering this, it would be considered a critical part of the passenger protection system and have a “hood ajar” warning light. ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 10:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/11 "2014-07-01T10:22:51Z")
Many cars do have a “hood open” warning, have for several years. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/12 "2014-07-01T11:10:36Z")
I guess my G6 has the hood ajar switch with the remote start but no warning light. The remote start just won’t work with the hood ajar but not the Acura that I can find. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/13 "2014-07-01T18:21:16Z")
I agree with Yosemite’s answer. I assume your car has those adjustable rubber bump stops. Perhaps those are a bit too high right now, so that the hood isn’t able to fully latch. Try lowering them a bit. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/14 "2014-07-01T18:26:41Z")
Some cars do have these warnings, and as ASE pointed out some have had them for years, but there are still many cars out there that don’t have any hood ajar warning. ---
**Author:** ![bscar2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar2/32/2468_2.png) [@bscar2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar2)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/15 "2014-07-02T05:24:53Z")
they probably feel that the average owner would be lucky to know where the hood release is, let alone that it’s been left ajar ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/16 "2014-07-02T05:30:41Z")
Yeah maybe except the owners manual has a section on opening and closing the hood for heavens sake. Pretty basic. Even tells you where the latch is. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/17 "2014-07-02T05:31:33Z")
Maybe cars should go back to hoods with two parts and hinged in the middle as it was on my 1948 Dodge. Even if the hood wasn’t closed, it would not fly up and block your vision. I also remember the 1946 and 1947 Hudson cars that had the hood hinged at the front. I believe the 1957 and 1958 Fords also had hoods that were hinged at the front. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/18 "2014-07-02T05:34:31Z")
Yep, our 57 Ford had the hood hinged in front. Never figured out why but it was kind of neat except made working on it a little more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![irlandes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5e925/32.png) [@irlandes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/irlandes)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/19 "2014-07-02T05:35:32Z")
In 1963, I was working at a feed mill. Much of my time was spent driving a 1962 Ford truck with a big metal auger box. One day I was driving back to the feed mill with a load of shell corn, on a gravel road. I don’t think I was going faster than 50. I assume the heavy load and the jarring of the bumpy road was responsible, but suddenly the hood flew up. And, yes, it had been properly shut. And, yes, it had the safety back up which failed. I started to jerk, but almost instantly realized I could drive okay by looking out the window to the side, to keep between the ditches until I got stopped. Old Verne was with me, and he admitted later he was scared I was going to lose it. He joked about having to do home to put on different inner garments. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-about-a-hood-ajar-light/85731/20 "2014-07-02T05:42:48Z")
Back in 1958, I was riding with my dad in the 1954 Buick that he owned. The hood came off the car in front of us, a 1952 Ford. Apparently, the engine had been swapped out of that car and the hood had been set in place without attaching the hinges. My dad braked the Buick, but the pavement was slick and we went into the ditch. The car started to roll over, but a telephone pole stopped the roll-over. The first wrecker that came to remove the car wouldn’t touch it because the operator was afraid the car would roll. A second wrecker came and winched the car from the back onto the pavement. The only apparent damage was a dent above the passenger’s door in the top. I think it was a couple of years before my dad had the car repainted and the dent hammered out.