What is the purpose of the hatch that all cars have but few know and it can get you out of trouble

No matter how old our car is and no matter how many tens of thousands of kilometers we have traveled together, there is always something we do not know about our inseparable companion.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
28 March 2023 Tuesday 23:04
22 Reads
What is the purpose of the hatch that all cars have but few know and it can get you out of trouble

No matter how old our car is and no matter how many tens of thousands of kilometers we have traveled together, there is always something we do not know about our inseparable companion. Logical, if we take into account that a car is made up of between 70,000 and 90,000 parts, as Carglass, the chain specializing in windshields and windows, assures on its blog.

Apart from the huge number of parts and components that are part of a car, it is very likely that some functionalities are totally unknown to us. One of these tools that most drivers don't know is the tow hook.

It is an accessory that is used so that the car can be towed in the event of a breakdown or accident. This tool is attached to the damaged vehicle through an anchor point placed on the front or back of the car, which is accessed by pressing a small hatch, always very hidden, as we can see in the following video posted on TikTok.

As we can see in the images, the hatch is located in the body of the vehicle. The small cover goes so unnoticed that the young woman who appears in the recording tells her partner that she has broken the car by pressing what is actually the access door to the hole where the tow hook is placed.

In this other video published on the same social network, we see how other cars incorporate the hole to install the tow hook on the front. In the case of this Hyundai model, one of the men who appear in the images presses the cover that is located on the right side of the front bumper. Once he has managed to open the compartment he screws the accessory until the hook is secure.

This hitch point offered by passenger cars can be very useful to remove a damaged car from the road before assistance arrives, especially in those cases in which it is obstructing traffic. For this, it is necessary to have the part that must be attached to the vehicle that is going to be towed and a rope to which both cars will be attached.

Although, as we have seen in the videos, the tow hook is used to carry out emergency functions, the most common thing is that it is used to tow and not to be towed. As a general rule, the cars that mount this accessory do so to tow a boat, a folding tent or a motorcycle, among many other options.

Fixed hitches are mounted when they are going to be used permanently or for a long period of time. They are cheaper than mobile or removable hooks that are indicated for those cases in which their use is occasional.

Before installing a tow hook in the car, it is advisable to check the towing capacity of the vehicle to avoid any type of accident.