Your vehicle probably has some obscure features that you don't even know about. Here are some of those hidden wonders lurking in every car.
The 10 Most Obscure Car Features Explained
Published on Feb. 03, 2025
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Square Panel on Front Bumper
One strange car part is that little square plastic panel on your car’s front bumper. Pop it out, and you’ll see a grooved slot called a tow eye. If you have to be towed, the tow truck driver will thread a tow hook into it, which makes it safer to pull and tow the car. There’s probably one or two on your back bumper, too.
Pickup trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles don’t have them because they have room to include a large metal hook(s) near the grill, which serve the same purpose.
Other covers on car bumpers serve various purposes, such as hiding headlight washers or holes where fog lights could be installed. Or they can be for front cameras, which were not installed on the trim level you purchased, says Chris “Moose” Pyle, an automotive expert with JustAnswer.
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Little Hairs on Tires
Those little rubber whiskers — aka sprue nubs, gate marks or nippers — that are all over new tires are actually byproducts of the manufacturing process. One of the final steps in making a tire is putting it in a mold, where it’s squeezed under high heat. These molds have tiny vent holes to release air and moisture, but rubber ends up escaping through them, too.
“If you see these whiskers, it means the tire you bought has never been run on the road,” says Pyle. “They will wear off within a week of use or get brittle and fly off from the sidewall within a couple of months.”
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Little Button on Lap Belt
When a seat belt is in use, near the front center of the lap belt, you’ll notice another strange car part: a plastic rivet through the webbing. This stop button, aka retainer button, is there to stop the metal latch plate — the part you click into the buckle — from sliding too far down when you’re not using it.
“It has no purpose for safety; it is for convenience,” says Pyle. “The button placement keeps the latch/buckle about midways between your armpit and waist so it is easy to grab with one hand and one motion as you connect the seat belt to the receiver.”
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Interior Grab Handles
We commonly use grab handles to help us get in and out of a vehicle, but that’s not what they’re actually designed for. Instead, they’re there to help you comfortably shift your position once you are seated and to stabilize yourself on rough terrain and around sharp turns, says Eric Ruble, a senior communications specialist with Nissan.
In fact, Nissan’s vehicle owner manuals warn against using them to get in and out of the vehicle, stating, “This may cause damage to the assist grip and cause you to fall.”
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Shark Fin on the Roof
That shark fin on your roof is your antenna for internet, GPS, SAT radio and AM/FM, or whichever combination your car is equipped with.
“Technology has improved to the point where antennas no longer need to be three feet tall, but it still needs to be up a little off the metal roof to get a good signal without interference from the curvature of the roof,” says Pyle.
Shark fins are designed to have minimal wind resistance and be strong enough to survive a car wash. “Also, its design is to prevent a wind noise whistle from coming from it,” says Pyle.
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Little Slot Next to Gear Shifter
Automatic transmission vehicles have a little slot next to the gear shifter. It often resembles a mini SD card port, but it actually houses the shift lock release button. Normally, cars won’t allow you to shift out of park unless the key is on and the brake is depressed.
“That’s a safety feature to prevent kids from knocking the vehicle out of park or a driver accidentally doing so while reaching into the car,” says Pyle.
However, mechanical problems like a dead battery or failed fuse can lock the car into park. The shift lock release button serves as an emergency bypass, allowing you to shift into neutral.
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VSC Dashboard Symbol
VSC stands for vehicle stability control. It is part of the ABS brake system and helps prevent skidding. If a VSC light lights up or flashes on your dash, it is likely just an alert that the safety system has engaged.
“Newer cars will do all they can to help you in the event of panic,” says Pyle. “They have sensors all over, so you are skidding, swerving or losing traction, they will try to help you regain control and not end up in the ditch or over-correcting and heading into traffic on the wrong side of the road. It is not like a self-driving Tesla, but it does help.”
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Gas Tank Indicator Arrow
Another light you might notice on your dash is an arrow next to the gas symbol. It will point either left or right, indicating which side of the car your gas tank filler is located on.
“You don’t really need this information when you drive your own car,” says Ralph Robert, an automotive expert with Way.com. “However, if you are driving a friend’s car or renting a car for a short road trip, it can be a challenge to remember where the car’s gas cap is.”
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Pickup Truck Bed Grooves
The grooves in your truck bed aren’t just for looks, they serve several purposes. First, they add structural support, making the truck bed stronger, so it can handle heavy loads without bending or warping.
They also improve cargo grip, since the textured surface offers better traction, says Scott Harmon, senior director of training for LINE-X. “Plus they provide more efficient water drainage by helping channel water toward factory drain holes, which helps protect your truck bed from pooling and rust,” he says.
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Vents on the Front Bumper
Fins or vents on the outer edges of your front bumper are called air curtains. Just like how front grills are designed to channel air into the car’s engine to keep it cool, air curtains help channel air for better aerodynamics.
“Air curtains are just one of the many aero vents that improve the aerodynamics of a car,” says Robert. “The reason why most cars have air curtains, hood vents, roof scoops and shark gills is to channel air in a particular way, with each design taking air flow and air friction into account.”
About the Experts
- Chris “Moose” Pyle is a master-certified technician with 20-plus years of automotive experience. He has also worked as an expert for JustAnswer since 2006.
- Ralph Robert is an expert writer for the Way.com blog and auto app, and an auto enthusiast who has been writing about cars for seven years.
- Scott Harmon is senior director of training for LINE-X bedliners, vehicle accessories and customizations. Senior Director of Training.
- Eric Ruble is senior communications specialist for technology and safety at Nissan.
