# Did GM forget to put a recovery hook on these cars?



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I actually thought the same thing about the front, with the bumper plastic so low it seems where ever they hook to underneath the car will do possible damage to the bumpers. I think in the rear one would just hook to the main axle beam but would have to look if this would interfere with the zlink.


----------



## phantom (May 20, 2011)

on my cruze, the tow is not attached to the car and is kept together with the tire iron. 

here is the tow which you need to screw when needed. note the thread on one end.









below are pix of where the tow is to be attached when needed. 

front facia : 
you need to remove that parallelogram shaped cap in the picture which is actually just a cover, once the cover is removed, you can see under there where you screw the tow. 









rear facia - located on the right side - remove cap to access where the tow is to be attached.


----------



## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

My car does NOT have those cut outs. What yr is yours? USA car? I cant see your location on the phone app.

Sent from my DROID X2


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I never noticed any cruze with tow setup like that in the U.S.


----------



## phantom (May 20, 2011)

silverram323 said:


> My car does NOT have those cut outs. What yr is yours? USA car? I cant see your location on the phone app.
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2


Sorry, I forgot to mention in my post that I am from the Philippines.  Its a 2011 1.8L Manual. 
My VIN tells me that its from Korea, same as Cruzes in some European countries. 

The Holden Cruze has the cutouts too.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Our US-spec Cruzes do not have those cutouts. I don't think I even have that tow hook since mine doesn't have a spare tire or jack.


----------



## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Let's just hope if we ever do need a tow we have pros towing us haha which will be hard to find in my town.

Sent from my Droid


----------



## iCruze2 (Dec 16, 2011)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> Let's just hope if we ever do need a tow we have pros towing us haha which will be hard to find in my town.
> 
> Sent from my Droid


Hillbilly deluxe with big pick-em up trucks!!!


----------



## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

iCruze2 said:


> Hillbilly deluxe with big pick-em up trucks!!!


Pretty much haha Mae roll backs with stupid drivers 

Sent from my Droid


----------



## mido (Sep 28, 2011)

Mine has it..Korean cruze


----------



## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

Why did they drop this for USA cars?

That sucks.

Sent from my DROID X2


----------



## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Saves them $12.


----------



## wallbngr (Feb 2, 2012)

They don't put them on ANY American Cars ...Why I don't Know


----------



## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

All tow trucks made these days are able to lift cars by the wheels. Much safer than hooking to the frame. Or, the car is loaded on a flat bed.


----------



## D29 (Apr 6, 2011)

GoldenCruze said:


> All tow trucks made these days are able to lift cars by the wheels. Much safer than hooking to the frame. Or, the car is loaded on a flat bed.


Not to many towns, cities, or villages have these type of tow trucks. Most of them are flat bed trucks wit a winch to pull the vehicle up.


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

GoldenCruze said:


> All tow trucks made these days are able to lift cars by the wheels. Much safer than hooking to the frame. Or, the car is loaded on a flat bed.


A wheel lift isn't any good at pulling a car out of the ditch in the winter time. Recovery hooks are a life saver.


----------



## wallbngr (Feb 2, 2012)

WHY didn't the US version get that tow package .. I live in Northern Montana , does GM think we don't get snow ..


----------



## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

Those attachments are primarily for oversea shipping. The Korean units have them because they export globally. The US made ones only service North America.


----------



## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

gonna have to buy a overseas bumpers to get the slit,lol


----------



## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

> Not to many towns, cities, or villages have these type of tow trucks. Most of them are flat bed trucks wit a winch to pull the vehicle up.


 I honestly don't know of any flat bed two trucks that are built without the wheel lift mechanism. If you take a look the next time you see a flat bed two truck, I'll bet that you'll spot the wheel lift tucked away under the back of the bed. It not only makes the truck more versatile, it allows them to clear a two car accident by putting one of the vehicles on the bed and towing the other behind it.


----------



## D29 (Apr 6, 2011)

GoldenCruze said:


> I honestly don't know of any flat bed two trucks that are built without the wheel lift mechanism. If you take a look the next time you see a flat bed two truck, I'll bet that you'll spot the wheel lift tucked away under the back of the bed. It not only makes the truck more versatile, it allows them to clear a two car accident by putting one of the vehicles on the bed and towing the other behind it.



The 6 location dealership i work at doesn't have any tow trucks with that set up. Only one tow company has the front wheel setup, any they strictly tow Box Trucks and Semi's. Maybe its a location thing for what types of trucks are used.

You would think Chevy would have thought of something when it comes to towing the Cruze. Its funny how manufacturers overlook the small things that can make a difference.


----------



## cruzeRS00 (Jan 26, 2014)

Can you measure your tow hook for length and thread size? I'd mainly like to know the length from the threads to the start of the hook. shaft length I guess you'd say.




phantom said:


> on my cruze, the tow is not attached to the car and is kept together with the tire iron.
> 
> here is the tow which you need to screw when needed. note the thread on one end.
> 
> ...


----------



## Jeepin_J (Jan 31, 2014)

Does anybody know if the threads are in place on the US Version? I'd be ok with drilling out my bumper and plugging it with a grommet


----------



## josh2012eco (Oct 6, 2014)

Pulled my '12 eco out of a ditch by wrapping a strap around the torsion beam, hooked it to my civic with some tire chains, and pulled it out no problem.


----------



## LizzieCruze (Feb 17, 2014)

wallbngr said:


> They don't put them on ANY American Cars ...Why I don't Know


I guess ours won't ever need a tow!


----------



## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

I remember a time that I helped out a PTCruiser with my tow strap on my truck. It actually had tow hook loops built in to subframe in the rear.


----------



## boneheaddoctor (Dec 10, 2014)

TSURacing said:


> Those attachments are primarily for oversea shipping. The Korean units have them because they export globally. The US made ones only service North America.


EXACTLY, those are tie down points for when they are transported on the ships. They just come in useful for other things at times. (yes I've shipped a car to Europe (Brehmerhaven, Germany specifically) on a car transport I drove it on and they strapped it down while I was getting out of the car and leaving the keys with them.


----------



## 802man (Mar 30, 2020)

silverram323 said:


> I was looking around under the car and there is not much to hook to if for some reason you ever get stuck or go off the road in the winter (Minnesota).
> 
> I'm surprised GM did not put a recovery hook in the rear.


I got stuck in the mud something terrible yesterday the body of the car was touching the ground after hours of digging I called a friend when I decided it wasnt coming out in it's own, (should have realized that as soon as it bottomed out) but we hooked directly too rear axle and pulled it out like nothing with a 4x4 Silverado


----------



## WillL84 (Aug 5, 2019)

I know the Gen 2 cars come with one in the trunk tool kits. You pop off a cover on the bumper and thread it in


----------



## Cruze-Meister:Rev. K.A69 (Jan 8, 2022)

Reply OP, All: 

listen up I’m a climber so this shits pretty natural to me but I guess tow Dicks would know it too

you don’t even want a hard attachment point on these unibody whips, you wanna wrap some frame parts with mondo webbing (tow strap) and hook into that

my Cruze has seen more action than most I got a cheap strap from Lodi outta Ohio


----------

