The fuse panel inside the vehicle is usually for the headlights
and electrical accessories such as the heater, radio, power
windows, seats, defroster, etc., while the one under the hood
(which is sometimes called the "power distribution center") is
for high amp systems such as the ignition circuit, fuel
injectors, starter motor, fuel pump and antilock brake system
Most domestic cars built up until the late 1980s had only the
one fuse panel inside the vehicle. The other high amperage
electrical circuits were typically protected by "fusible links,"
special pieces of wire that were designed to melt just like a
fuse if the circuit was overloaded. The Japanese and Europeans
started using a separate fuse panel under the hood for the
engine-related circuits almost a decade before the domestic
automakers primarily because most of these vehicles were fuel
injected. As fuel injection became more common on domestic-built
cars, the need for a second fuse panel became obvious and
fusible links were soon replaced with fuse