It’s not an exaggeration to say that vehicles (particularly cars) are the most unpredictable devices on earth.
You might be driving seamlessly across the road at one moment – and in the next, something has stalled its operation entirely!
Among many questions Bryan’s Garage has received, here is a common inquiry: If I hit a curb with my front passenger side, will anything bad happen?
Today’s article will answer that question for our dearest readers, delivering tips to identify damage signals and how to fix them.
What are you still waiting for? Click here to learn more about our tips and guidance!
I Hit A Curb With My Front Passenger Side – How Can I Check Whether That Damaged The Car?
Can hitting a curb damage your car? Yes; and to ensure no damage is inflicted, remember to check the car’s transmission, steering, suspension, and alignment.
Bring the car to professional services immediately if you detect any unusual signal or damage.
1. Check For The Overall Wheel Alignment After Hitting Curb
Can hitting a curb mess up alignment? Unfortunately, our answer is positive. Hence, the first thing to do is to check its alignment after you hit the curbs.
Does the vehicle drift or get pulled at the right or the left? If yes, chances are the car’s alignment is suffering, leading to uneven wear on the tires in at least 200 miles.
Tire damage is also at play, suffering sidewall harm that could lead to dangerous blowouts. As a result, the rim becomes bent, wobbling the steering wheels!
One secure way to inspect the vehicle’s alignment is to bring it to some empty parking spaces.
Next, drive the car straight and slowly, observing the steering wheels to see whether they point straight ahead.
Should the passenger side wheel stay cocked at one side, you must rearrange the car alignment.
2. Check The Car’s Suspension Components
Another horrible damage from curb crashes involves the car’s suspension.
In normal cases, most front suspensions comprise a few key parts, such as control arms (letting the suspension move down and up while keeping other parts on the spot) and spindles/steering knuckles to store the wheel hubs.
Any defect in these components might lead to driving and controlling difficulties, reducing the quality of your experience.
The most common signal of curb-related bad suspension is excessive bouncing. (ex: broken arms slam your car forcibly down the road whenever you encounter speed bumps).
After all, the suspension is designed to prevent the car from getting tossed around, especially on potholes or lumps!
So if you always feel like you are on roller coasters, it’s time to inspect your suspension and get it fixed. Ignoring the issue only worsens the situation.
3. Look For The Changes In Your Steering
One less known fact is that curbs can harm even the tie rods – the connection link among your wheels, driveshaft, and steering column.
Broken rods reduce the drivers’ ability to manage their car during rough turns – especially when driving in rainy San Antonio, where the roads tend to get much slicker in cold weather.
Your only solution, in this case, is to remove the rods and replace them entirely – a task that calls for some expertise from professionals.
Hitting the curbs means your sway bars/anti-roll bars might have also broken. Sway bars have always been considered a crucial part of a car suspension, preventing the passenger side tires from rolling or swaying during turns.
So check to see whether the steering wheel becomes crooked after the accident. Bad or disconnected sway bars show up in loose steering, poor handling, and rattling sounds (or worse: a total control loss).
Of course, some experienced people can still drive their cars around with broken stabilizers or anti-roll bars. However, for the vehicle’s long-term stability, we suggest you refrain from doing so.
4. Check The Transmission
Most people do not think of transmission after crashing curbs.
However, a curb you encountered weeks ago might inflict gradual harm on the transmission case, resulting in major problems with the shifting operations (particularly so for FWD vehicles).
Severe accidents can even move the wheel shaft and axle out of the way, jolting the case and damaging the engine in the long run.
Even more, once the curbs scrape your car’s bottom, it will disconnect the cables and linkages from the case housing and arrive with the following consequences:
- Damaged cooling lines and slipping transmission after changing fluids
- Leaked oil pan
- Broken valve
- Rubbing noises from the front wheels when driving
So if these signals catch your attention, have the car inspected thoroughly at a trustable service center. Any professional and well-trained mechanic can spot further issues in a blink!
FAQs
1. At What Speed Does Hitting Curbs Cause Damage?
Striking the curb at minimum speeds (from 5 to 10 miles per hour) is more than enough to wreak significant damage on your precious cars.
You might feel nothing happens immediately after the accident, but we still strongly suggest you pull the car over and inspect the signals more carefully. (based on the guidelines already given above).
Pay closer attention to the tires (and sidewalls) and look for possible harm. Even if everything seems fine, your best bet is to take the car to a repair body shop for a further and more professional diagnosis.
2. Do Car Insurances Cover The Cosmetic Damage After I Hit A Curb With My Car?
Quick answers: if the car insurance policies include collision coverage. Regardless of the objects you hit (or who were at fault) it always helps you cover necessary costs and issues.
Conclusion
Can hitting a curb cause damage? What should I do if I hit a curb with my front passenger side? Bryan Garage’s insightful article has explored that question in-depth.
Depending on the situations and problems your car experiences, adapt our guidelines accordingly to ensure the best outcome!
Of course, this issue does not always require solutions. Should your car still work fine after hitting the curb, it’s safe to leave it running for a while.
Still, to ensure 100% no damage, remember to take the car to an auto shop by the end of the month!
Do you still have any lingering questions regarding car hit curb damage? Bryan Garage’s inboxes are always open. Feel free to write to us for more help!