Vehicle Components That May Need Repair After Hitting a Pothole

As soon as you strike a pothole, you wonder what damage it’s done to your car. You attempted to avoid it, of course, but sometimes you’re left without enough time to react.

While the car might appear to run fine, the reality is that potholes can do significant damage that you may not notice immediately. That will leave you looking for reputable auto repair shops to fix the damage.

Let’s look at the top parts on your car that a pothole can wreck.

Control arm

When the suspension bounces, the control arm is responsible for maintaining the vertical position of the wheels. Hitting a pothole can bend the control arm. This results in the steering wheel being off center and may affect how the steering wheel reacts. This damage may not be immediately noticeable, but over time, the tires will begin to wear unevenly.

Tires

Hitting a pothole is likely to do damage to the tires. This may be immediate, obvious damage like a flat tire that you need to switch out. It also could cause the liner to separate from the tire’s body. This results in a bubble in the sidewall which could lead to a blowout. It’s also possible with a severe impact that the tire’s rims may be damaged. A cracked rim can result in a tire deflating. Qualified auto repair shops will be able to determine if your tires are road-ready after striking a pothole.

Tie rod ends

These are the small ball joints that connect the power steering to the wheel. These joints can be damaged from a big impact like hitting a pothole. The tie rod end may break or the ball socket may be jostled loose. If it’s a particularly severe impact, the tie rod end can come apart. In this case, you’re going to need to have the car towed.

Struts

The front struts are the primary suspension parts responsible for absorbing the impact from potholes. Hitting a large pothole straight on can do significant harm to the struts. The shaft on the strut may bend, resulting in alignment problems and steering issues.

Stabilizer bar link

These links attach to the end of the sway bar, which prevents the vehicle from swerving when it takes a corner. Each of these links has a small ball joint on each end. Drive over a pothole, and you may hear a noise from the front of your car when you hit bumps—a sign that these joints are worn out. The stabilizer bar link can also break completely, causing the car’s suspension to go out of whack. The link may be loose, which could harm the steering or pop a tire.

When you’re looking for the best auto repair shops, trust Gabriel’s Automotive & Towing. We’re a local, family-owned and -operated shop providing full-service automotive maintenance and repair. Over the years, we’ve built a relationship of trust with all our loyal customers. Give us a call today to set up an appointment or learn more.

Categorised in: Auto Repair

This post was written by Writer