Questionable tow points

[78calico]

I know we've had some good threads on the subject of tow points. Here is some more food for thought.
It's essential to have tow points and have them installed properly. Just because the OEM installed a tow hook, doesn't mean it safe for the abuse we can put them through.
A couple months ago I witnessed a factory tow hook on a new Jeep JK fracture and become a projectile that went through a tailgate on another truck. Four inches higher and it would have gone through the back window instead. Scary thought. the jeep was only high centered in a snowbank. It was not stuck that bad and it didn't take a hard pull to get it out. It could have just been a casting flaw, but after taking a good look at it, I think it is a poor design. There is a lot of leverage placed on the top two bolts and not very much material surrounding them. The one I saw fail, broke across these bolt holes and the top half became a projectile. I know I won't be hooking a strap to one.
I don't think we have any JKs in the club at the moment, but we will eventually or we may come across them on the trail. I would recommend that these hooks be replaced with a D-ring mount or another type of tow point. Below is a picture of the questionable hooks.



I took pictures of the aftermath but they were accidentally deleted. I know others took some as well. I will try to aquire copies to add to this thread.

I think just requiring tow points isn't quite enough. We should be taking a careful look at proper mounting and safe design as well. I don't want to see any tragedies while we are trying to have fun.