A vehicle latch has a housing and a ratchet pivotally mounted to the housing. The ratchet is operable to move between an unlatched position, a secondary latched position, and a primary latched position. A release lever is pivotally mounted to the housing and operatively connects to the ratchet for unlatching the ratchet from either of the secondary or primary latched positions. The operative connection has a guide pin. A cinching lever has a cam surface that slidingly engages the guide pin. The cam surface defines a predetermined path of travel as the cinching lever is drivingly reciprocated in a cinching cycle. The predetermined path enables the cinching lever to be initially out of the path of travel of the ratchet, to engage the ratchet when the ratchet is in the secondary position and drivingly rotating the ratchet to the primary latched position, and thereafter move out of the path of travel of the ratchet. The guide pin moves to urge the cinching lever out of the predetermined path when the release lever is operated in unlatching the latch.