Vehicle hood latch with retracting secondary release arm

Abstract

A secondary release mechanism for a vehicle hood latch has a pivotally mounted secondary latch which is rotatable between a latching position and a unlatching position and biased towards the latching position. A pivotally mounted release arm is rotatable between a retracted position, a deployed position and a releasing position and biased to the standby position. A pivotally mounted release lever is rotatable between a release position, a standby position and a retract position. The release lever has a cam surface for engaging a hood of the vehicle as the hood moves between the fully latched condition and a secondary latched condition responsively rotating the release lever between the standby position and the retract position. The release lever operably engages the secondary latch as the release lever rotates from the standby position to the release position. The release arm engages the release lever wherein responsive movement of the release lever between the standby position to the retract position responsively effects movement of the release arm between the deployed position and the retracted position and movement of the release arm from the deployed position to the releasing position responsively effects movement of the release lever rotating the secondary latch from the latching position to the unlatching position.