Laminated composite structures have started to play a very significant role in primary and secondary structural weight savings in high performance automobile industries. However, one of the main challenges in implementing these composites is the lack of understanding of the progress of the damage under various loading conditions. In order to understand the influence of design parameters related to the use of composite materials, a proper study of the laminated composite structures requires a complete failure analysis, which includes both initiation and propagation of damage. In this study, a new damage model was developed to predict the progressive damage of the composite, and the progress of damage was investigated by making center-notch and open-hole tensile test specimens for various lay-ups. The simulations, in agreement with experimental tests, indicate that the model is capable of predicting the failure load in open hole composite structures.