Inside frame rail impact release mounted tow hook with and automotive vehicle with impact release mounted tow hooks

A tow hook for an automotive vehicle, the automotive vehicle having a frame that has right and left side frame rails;

• the tow hook comprising:
• a front portion and a rear portion, the rear portion receivable in a channel of one of the side frame rails with the front portion extending forwardly from a front of the side frame rail;
• and
• the rear portion having at least one open slotted mounting member having a slot therein that extends rearwardly from an open front end of the slot,
• wherein the rear portion has more than one said open slotted mounting member with one open slotted mounting member being a front mounting member and another open slotted mounting member being a rear mounting member, and
• wherein the front and rear mounting members are longitudinally spaced from each other.

An automotive vehicle, comprising:

• a frame having frame rails including a longitudinally extending left side frame rail and a longitudinally extending right side frame rail, wherein each frame rail has an interior channel;
• a tow hook releasably mounted to the left side frame rail and having a front portion extending forwardly from a front side of the left side frame rail and a rear portion received in the channel of the left side frame rail, and another tow hook releasably mounted to the right side frame rail and having a front portion extending forwardly from a front side of the right side frame rail and a rear portion received in the channel of the right side frame rail;
• the rear portion of each tow hook has more than one open slotted mounting member, including a front open slotted mounting member and a rear open slotted mounting member;
• the front and rear open slotted mounting members are longitudinally spaced from each other, and each of the front and rear open slotted mounting members has a slot therein that extends rearwardly from an open front end of the slot;
• and
• each of the front and rear open slotted mounting members are secured to a wall of the side frame rail to which it is mounted by a fastener that extends through the slot and tightened to that open slotted mounting member at a torque that allows the rear portion to release from the side frame rail to which it is mounted when the tow hook is impacted at a low impact force.