Having access to the components underneath your F-150’s hood is crucial to checking their condition and performing regular maintenance that will keep your truck running in optimal condition. Most vehicles allow you to unlock their hood via a latch or button found within the cabin, but if you’re a first time Ford F-150 owner, you might not know where the hood release is.
The process of opening your Ford F-150’s hood will depend on which model year and trim you own. Generally, you can open the hood on Ford F-150 models by lifting the hood release lever located inside the vehicle (generally found near the driver’s seat) and releasing the latch found in the center of the hood.
In this article, we’ve provided a step-by-step guide on how to open the hood on a variety of Ford F-150 model years and trims, including the Ford F-150 Lariat. We’ll also list some of the most common problems people experience when trying to open their vehicle’s hood, and how to solve them.
How Do You Open the Hood on a Ford F-150: Model Years 2015-2022?
Although there can be slight variations in how to pop the hood on a Ford F-150, the good news is that the necessary steps are the same for any model made between 2015 and 2022.
To open the hood on a Ford F-150 2015-2020:
- Open the driver’s side door and locate the hood release lever. This is most commonly found on the left-hand side (closest to the door) directly to the left of the brake pedal and left-foot resting pad.
- Lift the hood release lever until you hear the hood pop
- Go to your Ford F-150’s hood and lift the hood as far as it will go
- While holding the hood in place with one hand, slip the other into the gap and find the second release latch (this is usually located somewhere towards the front-center of the hood
- Release the latch with one hand and pull the hood up with the other
Once you feel the second hood latch release, you should be able to open your Ford F-150 hood freely. From here, you can use the prop rod (found in older models) or rely on the support arms (found in newer models) to keep the hood open and stable while you access your truck’s interior components.
Here’s a quick video walk-through of the steps to open an F150 hood:
Having Trouble Finding and/or Releasing the Levers?
If your Ford F-150’s interior hood release lever isn’t located on the interior trim as mentioned in step 1, it might be found:
- On the driver’s side floor where you would step up and into the truck
- Underneath the steering wheel
- Underneath the driver’s side seat.
Before you pull any latch, confirm that it is the right one. Other essential latches for features like the trunk, steering wheel, or gas cover are likely located near or around your hood release latch, making it easy to mistake one for the other.
The quickest way to confirm that you have the right latch is to check for an image depicting a vehicle with a raised hood. Alternatively, you can check your Ford F-150’s owner manual for your model’s hood release latch location(s).
The secondary release latch found directly underneath the hood can usually be released by pushing it to the left, but some trims might require you to push the latch backwards or pull it forwards.
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Troubleshooting Ford F-150 Hood Issues
Hopefully, you were able to follow the guide above and open your Ford F-150’s hood without an issue. If you did follow the steps carefully and still find that your truck’s hood won’t open or are experiencing a different hood-related issue, we might be able to help.
The most common issues people experience with their vehicle’s hood include:
- Hood is jammed shut and refuses to open
- Hood won’t shut properly
We’ve provided potential explanations and solutions for each of these issues below. If none of them work for your Ford F-150 and/or you aren’t confident or interested in resolving this issue yourself, your best option would be to take your Ford F-150 to a professional mechanic or the nearest Ford dealership’s service center.
Hood is Jammed and Refuses to Open
It can be extremely frustrating to properly follow all the steps to open your Ford F-150’s hood, only to find that it’s firmly stuck in place.
The first thing to check in this instance is both your latches to confirm that they were fully released. The interior latch, in particular is a common culprit, because it is not always lifted high enough to pop the hood.
- Once you’re certain that the issue isn’t caused by your levers or mis-followed directions on your part, the next step would be to determine which latch is at fault.
- If the hood won’t even pop so you can access the secondary latch, than the primary interior latch is probably faulty or broken.
- Of course, that means that if the hood does pop but you can’t release and open it, then your secondary release latch is probably to blame.
The most common explanation is that the hood is either stuck in place due to build-up of dirt and debris or rusted in place. Triggering the safety release connected to this latch will help you release it and open the hood enough to assess the issue and resolve it.
Hood Won’t Shut
If the hood won’t shut after you have opened it, then there are a few things that can be causing the issue.
The first is that the primary latch is misaligned. This means that when you close the hood, the two parts of the latch don’t line up properly and cannot be engaged.
The second cause could be that the hinges are bent or worn out. This can prevent the hood from closing properly and holding in place.
Lastly, there may be obstructions inside the engine bay preventing it from shutting completely.
In either case, carefully inspect each of these components to determine if they are at fault and take appropriate measures to repair or replace them.
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Final Thoughts
Now that you know the proper way to open your Ford F-150’s hood, future attempts should be a simple and easy process that takes mere seconds. Remember that if you experience any issues fully opening or closing your truck’s hood, you can resort to our troubleshooting options discussed here or opt for professional help.