If you are a driver in the United States, you have probably experienced the jolt and startling sensation of hitting a pothole. Road damage causes millions of dollars in damage to vehicles every year in the United States. In some cities and areas of the country, this road damage is becoming so severe that it is presenting a hazard to people who are driving on the roads.
And don’t expect the problem to get better any time soon. Money has always been an issue for municipalities and states trying to keep up with road repair needs. Now, added to funding concerns, asphalt repair company also have to struggle with the difficulty in finding skilled laborers as well as asphalt and oil shortages. Instead, minimize your risk by choosing to take better roads when possible and drive slowly and carefully on damaged roads.
Alignment
The alignment of your vehicle is what makes your tires travel exactly parallel to each other. Hitting potholes, cracks, washboards, or other areas of damaged roads can knock your tires out of alignment. When you hit a pothole, your tires are frequently jarred or knocked in more than one direction at the same time. If you notice that your car does not drive as straight as it used to or there is a wobbling feeling while you are driving, you might have an alignment issue.
Tires
Driving over potholes or other areas of damaged pavement can cause tire issues. In severe cases, you can cause your tire to get punctured or even blow a tire if you hit a pothole hard enough. This happens because the rough broken edges of the pavement can damage the sensitive side walls of your tire. You can also damage your tire if you hit the side of a curb or broken piece of pavement hard enough to cause a dramatic change of pressure inside of the tire.
Wheels
While it’s less common than damaging a tire, you can also damage the metal rim of your wheel if you hit a pothole, deep crack, or another area of damaged pavement hard enough. Dented rims can change the way your vehicle feels while you’re driving by creating a wobbling sensation or making it feel like you’re driving over a very bumpy road. If the dent is bad enough, it can actually interfere with the seal your tire creates and cause a leak. Any time you have hit a pothole or curb very hard, or you are noticing that your car drives differently than it used to, you should have your wheels, tires, and alignment checked.
Suspension
Vehicle suspension can be damaged any time it experiences a jarring blow that causes the suspension to undergo abnormal stress. The bouncing and jumping feeling that you experience when your vehicle hits a pothole or goes through a dip too quickly is also damaging your suspension. Suspension is designed to ease the jarring effect of bumps, but if it receives blows or jolts that are too hard, the suspension itself is damaged and has to be replaced.
Body
The body of a vehicle, especially a small vehicle like a car, can be damaged when it travels through a pothole or dip in the road. This usually occurs when the pothole or dip is deep enough to drag the bumper of the vehicle on the pavement. It can also happen if the vehicle is twisted violently from striking a pothole or a dip in the road.
Frame
If a vehicle hits a pothole hard enough, it can actually bend or damage the frame. This is rare but can happen. Occasionally the frame is damaged badly enough that the vehicle cannot be fixed. This type of severe damage is why it is so important to slow down and try to avoid potholes if possible. If the pothole can’t be avoided, there are often ways to minimize the damage, whether it is by slowing down or avoiding striking the pothole dead-on.
Exhaust and Undercarriage
Low vehicles that don’t have much clearance can easily hit the undercarriage if they strike a dip or pothole, which is especially deep. Low-clearance vehicles are usually small cars or sports cars, and the undercarriage is often damaged while driving along uneven streets or parking lots. Along with receiving damage to the undercarriage, these vehicles can also receive damage to the exhaust pipes and other parts of the exhaust system, which is often placed lower than the rest of the vehicle.
Engine and Radiator
It may seem unbelievable, but vehicles can experience damage to their engines and radiators if they strike road-damaged areas hard enough. This usually takes the form of cracks in the engine or the radiator, and it is caused by the twisting and jarring the car receives when one tire hits road damage, and the other one does not. This is the same type of twisting blow that can cause damage to the frame or the plastic on the vehicle.
Dangerous Wrecks
Even worse than the severe damage that your vehicle can receive from striking potholes, cracks, and washboards is the potential for a dangerous wreck. When drivers swerve to avoid road damage, it can cause a chain reaction that results in an accident. Severely damaged vehicles can also cause accidents because they are hard to maneuver. One of the most common forms of road damage that can contribute to an accident is potholes because a tire blowout can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Accidents can also happen when vehicles strike damaged areas of the road so hard that the vehicle begins swerving or fishtailing into other lanes.