Hinged Connector Feature for Terminal Retainment and Position Assurance for High Mating Cycle Applications

An electrical connector comprising:

• housing having a mating end and an oppositely facing conductor receiving end, the housing having a first surface and an oppositely facing second surface, positioning projections extend from the first surface;
• a terminal receiving cavity extending from the conductor receiving end to the mating end;
• an opening provided in the first surface, the opening extending to the terminal receiving cavity;
• a terminal positioned in the terminal receiving cavity, the terminal having a mating portion and a conductor terminating portion, the mating portion having a mating face and an oppositely facing securing face;
• a terminal retainer movably mounted to the first surface of the housing, the terminal retainer having a terminal retention projection and retainer positioning projections;
• wherein as the terminal retainer is moved to a second position, the terminal retention projection cooperates with the securing face of the terminal to prevent movement of the terminal;
• wherein as the terminal retainer is moved to the second position, the retainer positioning projections of the terminal retainer cooperate with the positioning projections of the housing to prevent the movement of the terminal retainer in a direction which is in line with a longitudinal axis of the housing.