Apart from the vehicle doors, a vehicle body contains many openings that allow access to various parts of the vehicle. These include the following:
■ Engine compartment hood
■ Hatch and tailgate openings
■ Fuel door
■ Battery access cover (in some cases) or charging port door
A vehicle body contains many openings apart from the vehicle doors. these include the engine compartment hood, hatch and tailgate openings, the fuel door, and some cases a battery access cover. All of this openings have to be secured and may require a remote switch or lever to be activated. In some cases, the access door is opened mechanically by the driver pulling a lever, which moves a cable and release a latch. Other doors may use electric- or vacuum-operated solenoids to release the latch. In this case, the driver pushes a switch that sends electrical or vacuum signal to release mechanism, which release the door. Some rear hatch doors have a hinged window incorporated. This window offers easy access to the storage space without opening the entire back door.
Engine compartment hoods on modern-day vehicles usually have a remote release lever. This lever prevents unauthorized access to the engine compartment. This is mainly for security reasons. The release lever is usually located inside the passenger compartment. It may be found under the dash, in the glove compartment, or on a doorjamb (FIGURE 1). Once the hood is open, it stays open by one of the following three methods: large springs on the hinges, pressurized gas strut assemblies, or a prop rod (FIGURE 2).
