NHTSA Complaint #11486809 — 2006 FORD E-250

When I go to the lake boating, I always remove my battery from the engine compartment and take it with me as a backup in case my boat battery should fail. on September 26, 2022, when leaving the lake, I reinstalled the battery bas I always do and closed the hood. It appeared closed when the hood surface aligned with the side panel. After leaving the boat ramp I turned onto FM 2272 and was accelerating to the posted speed limit of 55. At 40 mph, all of a sudden, the hood flew up into the windshield shattering it from one side of the vehicle to the other. My view of the road was completely obstructed as I was covered in pieces of broken glass. Fortunately, I was able to see the white lane marker through the bottom of the windshield as there was about a 3-inch gap between the bottom of the hood and the bottom of the windshield so I could safely pull my vehicle off the roadway. I know I closed the hood before leaving the boat ramp and even if I hadn't fully closed the hood the secondary hood latch should have prevented the accident from occurring. The secondary. latch is not dependent on the release mechanism and is 100% a mechanical device requiring a person to physically push on the release lever under the hood in order to open it. Had the hood opened while I was on an interstate highway or at night the accident could have been fatal.