A hood stay device for a vehicle includes a housing, support, and latch. A proximal end of the housing is pivotably coupled to the hood or vehicle body. An inner end of the support is within the housing. The support extends through a distal end of the housing to an outer end of the support that is pivotably coupled to the other one of the hood or vehicle body. The support is slidable relative to the housing along an axis and includes teeth arranged in a rack along the axis. The latch is coupled to the housing and movable between locked and unlocked positions relative thereto. When in the locked position, the latch engages the teeth to inhibit movement of the support member along the axis. When in the unlocked position, the latch is apart from the teeth to permit movement of the support along the axis.