Did That Curb Damage Your Car Tires, Wheels or Suspension? 

Wheel Alignment Problems

Symptoms: Curbs can throw your alignment out of whack, little by little, causing your car to pull to the side. You may also notice uneven tire wear, sidewall damage, and bent rims.

Why: With each Kansas City pothole and curb you hit, your alignment is altered ever so slightly. Over time, that misalignment results in the “crooked pull” of a steering wheel.

Solutions: A proper wheel alignment is recommended after hitting a curb, as well as once or twice every year. Replacing your rim is also essential if yours has been bent, and if you have uneven tire treads or sidewall punctures, you’ll need new tires. Our Kansas City collision centers can handle all curb damage problems.

Severe Suspension Problems

Symptoms: If the curb damaged your suspension, you’ll notice one striking problem: a lot of bouncing, especially over rough terrain or over speed bumps.

Why: The front suspension of your car consists of several components, such as control arms, spindles, and steering knuckles. When your control arms are damaged by a curb, your car becomes a bounce house—just not the fun kind. That’s because the control arms are unable to control how much give your car allows over bumps. A damaged spindle or steering knuckle can also result in difficulty with steering.

Solutions: Commonly, if your suspension has been damaged by a curb, it’s best to get suspension repair right away, as those problems can get worse quickly. The best solution is to replace anything broken with OEM car parts. That ensures your vehicle’s suspension is as good as new.

Transmission Problems

Symptoms: Most commonly, curb damage causes transmission problems in FWD vehicles, resulting in shifting issues.

Why: While rare, a tall or jagged curb can break transmission cases, damage shafts and axles, disconnect cables and cooling lines, or even bust your oil pan.

Solutions: First, you’ll need a thorough transmission inspection to determine the extent of the damage. Sometimes, a simple line replacement or case housing repair is all that’s needed. Other times, you may need to repair the entire transmission.

Steering Problems

Symptoms: Your car is swaying or steering oddly—swaying is different than bouncing—after hitting a curb, and you may even hear rattling when driving around turns.

Why: Curbs can do damage to tie rods, which connect your wheels and driveshaft to the steering column, allowing you to control the vehicle through turns. Sway bars or anti-roll bars control how well your vehicle handles around turns. Any damage to these components will result in poor overall handling and a loose steering wheel.

Solutions: Replacing your tie rods or sway bars is the only solution to remedy this type of curb damage. If left unrepaired for too long, your vehicle may be at a higher risk of rollovers, specifically when taking sharp turns.

Exhaust Problems

Symptoms: Drops in fuel economy or illuminated “check oil” dash lights.

Why: Sharp edges of curbs can pierce fuel lines, mufflers, and catalytic converters, especially on older vehicles. This obviously is a dangerous problem that should be fixed as soon as possible.

Solutions: Your exhaust system is not very complicated, but repairing mufflers, catalytic converters, or the undercarriage of your car can be pricey. It’s important to receive an inspection and free quote from your mechanic before agreeing to exhaust repairs.

McCarthy Collision Centers Offer Curb Damage Repair in Kansas City

Don’t ignore car damage caused by hitting a curb! Those problems won’t fix themselves, and oftentimes they’ll lead to more issues and even higher collision repair costs down the line.

Trust the experts at our auto body shops near Kansas City. Our highly trained staff and technicians will inspect your vehicle for signs of curb damage, and recommend pertinent repairs to correct those problems. We utilize authentic car parts and state-of-the-art equipment to perform all collision repairs.

Schedule an appointment or get a tow to one of our collision centers near Kansas City by dialing 1-800-NEW-AGAIN. We have 5 convenient locations in the KC area!

Sources:

https://www.nsford.com/blogs/2500/service-parts/how-to-know-if-hitting-a-curb-damaged-your-car/

http://www.youfixcars.com/car-hit-a-curb.html