This little T-shaped device has come stock in nearly every single one of the ~
250m new cars sold in the US since 2002.
You’ve likely never used the lever — or even noticed it — but it took a monumental effort to get it there.
An emergency trunk release (Cars.com, via YouTube)
Like many safety devices in your car, the emergency trunk release was the result of one woman’s dogged fight against a multibillion-dollar industry intent on cutting costs.
Her journey required hundreds of hours of data collection, dozens of letters sent to auto execs, and years of persistence.
And it all began with a kidnapping.