Does hitting a pothole damage your car?
Potholes can puncture your tire or bend or crack your wheel. It can damage your tire’s sidewall or belts. Even a minor impact may knock your vehicle out of alignment. A pothole strike can damage your shocks or struts, or harm your suspension.
What happens to your car when you hit a pothole?
Pothole damage to your vehicle can easily be extended. Damage to the vehicle’s tires, hubcaps, struts, and alignment can quickly add up leaving some drivers with repairs up to a thousand dollars or more. Filing a pothole damage claim is easy, but whether or not you should is something you should consider.
Can a blown out tire be repaired in a pothole?
These can happen because potholes often have a hard edge that compresses the tire against the wheel on impact, slicing the rubber or snapping the belts that hold a tire together. Driving on a blown out tire isn’t safe, but you may be able to repair it. However, a tire with a sidewall bubble or separated tread needs to be replaced right away.
What should I do if I hit a big pothole?
If something big enough to damage the underside of your car is sticking out of it. Don’t brake: “It can cause a wheel to lock and transmit a harsher impact to the vehicle,” says APA’s Iny. Have a driving question?
Is it safe to drive with a blown out tire?
Driving on a blown out tire isn’t safe, but you may be able to repair it. However, a tire with a sidewall bubble or separated tread needs to be replaced right away. Cars with low-profile tires are particularly prone to pothole damage. Make sure your tires are always correctly inflated to help prevent these types of issues.
Hitting a pothole is never fun. But those holes in the road can do more than spill your latte. Potholes can puncture your tire or bend or crack your wheel. It can damage your tire’s sidewall or belts. Even a minor impact may knock your vehicle out of alignment. A pothole strike can damage your shocks or struts, or harm your suspension.
These can happen because potholes often have a hard edge that compresses the tire against the wheel on impact, slicing the rubber or snapping the belts that hold a tire together. Driving on a blown out tire isn’t safe, but you may be able to repair it. However, a tire with a sidewall bubble or separated tread needs to be replaced right away.
How did the other driver hit my tire?
The other driver hit my tire hard enough that the tire is tilting inward. The alignment is totally off and and it’s difficult to steer the car. I could smell something burning too in the short 1/2 block drive back to my house.
Is it OK to roll through a pothole?
The good news is that most potholes aren’t big or deep enough to pose a threat to your car. With correctly inflated tires and aligned suspension, chances are it will roll right through them. However, as seasons change and potholes grow, you need to stay alert and avoid them as best you can.