1999 HONDA CRX User Comment / Complaint

While driving to work on 1/14/05, southbound on highway i-75, my hood latch opened. my hood started to lift; before i could safely pull to the shoulder of the highway the hood latch safety failed. the hood instantly lifted and slammed against my windshield - completely obscuring my vision. luckily no vehicle was in the lane to my immediate right. i was able to safely steer the vehicle to the road shoulder. the impact of the hood against the frame of the windshield warped the hood hinges, crumpled portions of the hood and broke molding around the windshield. fortunately, i was able to partially close the hood and secure it with bungee cords. i was able to return home, driving at a slow speed, without further incident. i currently have an insurance claim being processed and will take the vehicle to the collision shop on 1/17/05 for inspection. i am shocked that the safety latch on the hood could fail under normal driving conditions. if the highway traffic would've been more dense, i'm sure this problem would've resulted in an accident. my vehicle is a 1999 honda cr-v.