Hood can open if latches not latched.

    If your hood comes open it can only come down to one thing...the hood striker/s (4) did not fully seat into the latch so it could close properly around the striker....that’s it....unless you have a latch failure or a broken striker. Or you didn’t close a properly aligned hood to begin with. OPERATOR FAILURE.


    It comes down to improperly aligned strikers and latches. So you need to make sure you have the latches adjusted correctly in the up and down and laterally to fully capture the strikers. If you have to take one of the strikers off the hood and push it into an open latch to see how it’s designed to operate correctly. See how much play there is when it’s closed properly.... Close and open the latches to see the process. Then set up a camera under the hood to see each latch with the hood fully closed.


    This has NOTHING to do with the hinges unless your hood is not aligned properly. Doesn’t matter if they are factory or after market hinges...


    Sam, the video is a good reminder about this issue. And the consequences of not having a hood correctly closed and latched. And why it’s important to have the latches adjusted and the hood closed and locked. Before driving away.

    @chad warren thanks for sharing your opening experience. I have heard 9 folks say that the Factory Hood has opened on them. No one explains anything about it. Did it open up and stay in your line of view or did it bounce up and come back down as you slowed up. Did it go the the full upright position. All of these details are important to campare between the types of hinges how the opening occurs. We need to understand to be prepared if it should Happen. Here is your chance to give us a full detail description of the opening you experience with your son. Thanks you, this will be helpful.

    I was on a California freeway when the hood came open - this was 5 months after Sling became available. I slowed and made my way to the shoulder. I have since had the hood come unlatched after checking that it was secure. Usually I notice that one corner is 'jumping'. Once was in Lake George as we were on the last leg of the ride to the hotel so we were finishing up a long ride when it popped.

    Quote from Samowens44

    @chad warren thanks for sharing your opening experience. I have heard 9 folks say that the Factory Hood has opened on them. No one explains anything about it. Did it open up and stay in your line of view or did it bounce up and come back down as you slowed up. Did it go the the full upright position. All of these details are important to campare between the types of hinges how the opening occurs. We need to understand to be prepared if it should Happen. Here is your chance to give us a full detail description of the opening you experience with your son. Thanks you, this will be helpful.

    I had my hood come up 2 or 3 times in the past. When I had the factory hinges, and did not ensure that I pushed closed the top (near the windscreen) latches closed. With the factory hinges, the hood would come up in a floating manner, and return down when I started slowing down to pull over.


    I have not had my hood come open with the extended range latches, because I developed the habit of at least pushing on the top of the hood at the drivers side when I enter into the Slingshot. This insures I have at least one of them locked! I could see that if it did come open with the extended latches installed, it would not return down on its on because of the gas strut.

    Alpha Supercharger is still spinning fine... it gets rode hard, every time.

    It came open because I didn't latch it. Just washed it before going out. I was doing Probley 40 to 50 it was windy. It came up and I saw it right away and slowly stoped. Opened it all the way and shut it. Never had a problem since.

    Quote from Samowens44

    Well, with that said, we don't need the video. so I deleted so we can just say make sure the hood is latched. No other reasons should be stated. I am one that will go to great lengths to show and explain in detail why something should be done. Well, they really don't need a video if all we keep telling them is don't matter what kind of hinge you have they all work the same, they can open if you don't latch properly. Most people do not understand the Extended Range Hood Hinge. They don't realize that the Gas Lift assist is not for show of how it can raise the hood by itself. It was a necessary component to help over come the disadvantaged leverage of the longer Rear Link Arms. You can not open the hood without the Gas Lift assist shocks. They do not understand how while driving at the higher speeds of 50 to 60 mph if the hood comes up just a little bit that the lift assist will start doing its job. They don't understand why it would stay in the upright position. Because it a very strong and 60 mph wind pressure is not great enough to push it back down. All of these things were my message in the video with how the failure occurs and why it happens. I have been told that the factory hinge will open like the Extended Hinge. I am going to test it myself to see how that works.Well, I managed to spell out what I had in my video. the extended Range Hood Hinge presents a special condition that is ever worse if you forget to latch your hood. That was my whole message. I wanted to educate the newbies and people that do not understand how things work, they just want them. That is who I wanted to direct my message to, warn him strongly of how important it is to make sure that hood is latched. I was looking for a huge support in that direction, not to take away from this condition that can happen. Well we have the soft title so Let's all try to get the word to people and tell them WHY it is important.

    The video was good @Samowens44 it opened up one of the problems that we have with the SS. Also in showing that you can not see forward when the hood lifts. This is also something that I brought up a couple of years ago about putting these tall wind screens on the Slingshot's, has anyone besides me had the wind screen fog up instantly at 85 MPH on the interstate? It happened to me twice a few miles apart on the way to Maggie Valley, if I could not have looked over the wind screen it would have been an interesting ride. This was before I cut 2 1/2 inches off of the wind screen.

    .....................has anyone besides me had the wind screen fog up instantly at 85 MPH on the interstate? It happened to me twice a few miles apart on the way to Maggie Valley, if I could not have looked over the wind screen it would have been an interesting ride.




    Yep, but not due to speed rather here where the lower temps create fog and frost, having the windshield fog/frost over instantaneously is a common occurrence, thus the reason the Grasshopper also will never have a look-thru windshield.


    Oh, and getting back to the original purpose of this thread, I thought that the title, "Hood can open if latches not latched", pretty much was self-explanatory?


    Bill

    That was not the original title, OT unintentionally implied that there was something wrong with Extended Hood Hinges which there isn't.

    Is not that I am mean, I just don't sugarcoat what I say.


    Quote from Texas T

    I had my hood come up 2 or 3 times in the past. When I had the factory hinges, and did not ensure that I pushed closed the top (near the windscreen) latches closed. With the factory hinges, the hood would come up in a floating manner, and return down when I started slowing down to pull over.
    I have not had my hood come open with the extended range latches, because I developed the habit of at least pushing on the top of the hood at the drivers side when I enter into the Slingshot. This insures I have at least one of them locked! I could see that if it did come open with the extended latches installed, it would not return down on its on because of the gas strut.

    @texas,Thank you for the shearing the details of your factory Hood hinge opening experience. This has confirmed what I suspected. No one would share that very important difference between the factory Hinge not staying up in a block your view until stopped. This is why I labeled the critical title I chose to show that there is a very big different from a hood opening of the Factory hood and Extended Range Hood Hinge. You have a chance to slow down at the first sign of the hood opening for the Factory Hinge. On the extended Range Hood Hinge, there is no control over the closing of the hood, you are stuck at 60 mph and have the view totally blocked. I am telling everyone, this is the importance of why you MUST, I mean MUST insure the hood is latched. That is why I am making such a strong statement on this subject. Do not want to do another demonstration. I don't have my factory hinge mounted or I would do a video to show. I will post the video that I edited of the original I deleted, it is must shorted and left our all the redundant closings and openings and just put the important part in. I encourage all the watch my video all the way to the end and not just to the opening. I want folks with the Extended Range Hood Hinge to know they have a more important reason to make sure their hood is latched properly. The hood can come up and stay up until you come to a stop. This is not the condition as stated by @Texas T. coming soon.

    If your hood pops I would expect the worst...that would be up with a total vision block. I had it happen on a mini bronco test ride at 50mph....it stayed up until I closed it...


    The extended hood hinges won’t let it close the whole way...about half way they stop and it needs pushed past that position to fully close...so even if the wind lets it come back down I highly doubt it will close the entire way back down....and unless you stand up you won’t see over it...and maybe not even then....


    It still comes down to operator error...no matter how you slice it...factory hinges or extended..


    Those latches don’t care what hinges are on the hood...
    If they don’t latch....

    Mine happened because of me and my lack of detail. I didn't button it up after washing. Something like that will only happen once to most people it was scary and a real eye opener. I pull on my upper hood everytime by my windshield both sides Everytime I leave.

    The video was good @Samowens44 it opened up one of the problems that we have with the SS. Also in showing that you can not see forward when the hood lifts. This is also something that I brought up a couple of years ago about putting these tall wind screens on the Slingshot's, has anyone besides me had the wind screen fog up instantly at 85 MPH on the interstate? It happened to me twice a few miles apart on the way to Maggie Valley, if I could not have looked over the wind screen it would have been an interesting ride. This was before I cut 2 1/2 inches off of the wind screen.


    Agreed. I'm amazed when I read so many owners buying tall windshields to look thru. IMHO, the SS should be ridden like a motorcycle, where optimally your eyes will be just a bit over the top of the windshield when looking straight ahead. This deflects the wind to the top of the helmet, and is what most experts agree should be done. High humidity, rain, and night driving will all be a problem if the shield is too high.

    Quote from rickgi

    The video was good @Samowens44 it opened up one of the problems that we have with the SS. Also in showing that you can not see forward when the hood lifts. This is also something that I brought up a couple of years ago about putting these tall wind screens on the Slingshot's, has anyone besides me had the wind screen fog up instantly at 85 MPH on the interstate? It happened to me twice a few miles apart on the way to Maggie Valley, if I could not have looked over the wind screen it would have been an interesting ride. This was before I cut 2 1/2 inches off of the wind screen.


    Agreed. I'm amazed when I read so many owners buying tall windshields to look thru. IMHO, the SS should be ridden like a motorcycle, where optimally your eyes will be just a bit over the top of the windshield when looking straight ahead. This deflects the wind to the top of the helmet, and is what most experts agree should be done. High humidity, rain, and night driving will all be a problem if the shield is too high.

    It’s an issue when you have heat and defrosters...without it is a catastrophe...maybe...

    it’s no secret that the latches and hood alignment are major issues...problems..


    Take the time to be sure all the latches are operating as they should...make the necessary adjustments....it’s time consuming and a Pain in the ass ....but better than a hood pop at highway speed. Which could lead to serious death or injury...


    This video shows how to get the latches to snap open at the same time....but it doesn’t show you how you make sure the latches grab and hold the strikers completely as they should...the strikers should bottom out in the latch to allow the fingers to close over the top of the strikers.


    https://search.yahoo.com/searc…%3Asb&.tsrc=yfp-hrtab-900

    this video shows you what’s involved in adjusting the latches up and down and side to side....and as he mentions all these adjustments also affect the hood alignment up and down and side to side....yeah I know it’s a truck....a hood latch is a hood latch ...he is only messing with one latch....we have 4....that’s why it’s such a pain...


    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MyGVwoV0yl4

    it may be a dead horse but better than dead people....and from all of the hoods popping up in this thread alone people don’t realize the importance and may think all their latches are working correctly when all 4 might not be...


    the dealer told me they messed with my hood and they had trouble...well I had to spend a bunch of time trying to get the latches and hood alignment right after they didn’t...