Patent ID: 8596696

Claim:
A vehicle latch, comprising: a ratchet having a single notch, the ratchet movable between a striker release position wherein the ratchet is positioned to receive a striker and a full striker capture position wherein the ratchet is positioned to retain the striker, the ratchet being biased towards the striker release position; a primary pawl having a shoulder, the primary pawl movable between a ratchet holding position, wherein the shoulder is positioned to engage the notch in order to keep the ratchet in the full striker capture position, and a ratchet release position, wherein the primary pawl permits the movement of the ratchet out of the full striker capture position, the primary pawl being biased towards the ratchet holding position; a pawl lever and a backup pawl that is rotatable in conjunction with the pawl lever, the pawl lever being movable between an initial position, in which the backup pawl is situated in the path of the ratchet notch so as to hold the ratchet in an intermediate striker retaining position in the event the ratchet moves out of the full striker capture position, and an actuated position, in which the pawl lever initiates the opening of the latch and the backup pawl is withdrawn from the path of ratchet notch, the pawl lever being biased towards the initial position.