Potholes: The most likely types of damage to your car

How much damage do potholes cause to vehicles?

When a tire roles over irregularities in the road, most of the force exerted on the suspension is directed upward because the bottom of the tire is what touches the road. The higher up the tire the impact is, the more force there is pushing the tire both up and back.

When a wheel hits a pothole, it drops into the hole and has to roll out of it. The damage is almost never due to the wheel entering the hole, but rather the impact on exit. The amount of damage depends on the diameter of the tire, the depth and length of the pothole, and the speed of the vehicle. The smaller the wheel diameter, the more severe the impact, especially if the depth of the hole is the same as the diameter of the wheel.

Longer potholes cause the most damage—to things like the vehicle frame or platform— because at practically any speed, the tire is likely to hit bottom before exiting.

One hole in the road: Many types of damage

When you drive into a pothole, it’s not just the tire that absorbs the impact. Other components are also affected. The most common types of damage are loss of a hubcap, a damaged tire, a bent or broken wheel, wheels knocked out of alignment, damaged suspension components, bent steering parts, and damaged shock absorbers.

Hubcaps can easily fly off

Hubcaps are often attached to wheels only by pressure clamps. So it’s easy to lose them when your car rolls into a pothole. Replacing them costs $20 to $150 per wheel.

Tires, the frontline for potholes

The tire absorbs the impact first, and this can break its interior structure, tear the sidewall, or both. An overinflated tire runs a greater risk of structural damage, whereas an underinflated tire might rupture when squeezed between the pothole and the wheel.

Low-profile tires—more and more late-model cars are equipped with them—can sustain severe damage from this kind of impact. If you have any doubts, it would be wise to have your tires examined by a specialist. They’ll be able to tell if a tire’s belt is broken, which could pose a serious safety hazard.

A replacement tire can cost anywhere from $70 to more than $400.

Wheels are also harmed by holes in the road

If the tire doesn’t absorb the full impact—if it’s underinflated, for example—the wheel will suffer the consequences. It may bend, crack, or break as a result.

Repair options for a wheel are quite limited, so more often than not it will have to be replaced. Alloy wheels are more fragile and more expensive. While a new steel wheel may cost $40 to $200, some alloy wheels sell for more than $500.

How potholes affect your suspension

When a wheel falls into a pothole, it is subject to both vertical and horizontal force. These forces are transmitted to the suspension, which is meant to move up and down. If there is enough horizontal force, suspension parts (like the suspension arm) as well as the steering linkage (or tie rod) can be damaged and the wheels knocked out of alignment. A replacement linkage can cost between $75 and $250, depending on the make of car, while a new suspension arm can lighten your wallet by $150 to more than $350.

If the wheels are not realigned, tires can wear quickly and driving may become noticeably uncomfortable. A wheel alignment can cost $50 to $150 or more, depending on how sophisticated the steering system is and how much damage has been done.

Potholes cause collateral damage to shock absorbers

Shock absorbers rarely break from impact with potholes. They usually wear out due to extensive driving on bad roads.

There are ways to tell if a shock absorber is reaching the end of its useful life. Oil leaking from a shock absorber is a bad sign, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it needs replacing. The reverse is also true, however: A shock absorber may show no signs of leaking, but that doesn’t mean it’s still in top shape.

The best way to check is to push down hard two or three times on a corner of the vehicle, then let go when the car is at its lowest point. If the car bounces twice or more, it’s time to change that shock absorber. Repeat the test on all four corners of the vehicle.

You may have no choice but to replace the shock absorbers at either end of the same axle. A shock absorber can cost from $50 to upwards of $500.

Your legal remedies for pothole damage

Although Quebec municipalities and the provincial transport ministry were released from liability for pothole damage to vehicles in 1993, you may still be entitled to compensation.

Your car insurer can also lend a hand. But you’ll need to see if submitting a claim is worth it, depending on the deductible specified in your policy.

Know that you have the option not to submit a claim to your insurer, even after a claim file has been opened and the costs assessed. But your claims history in the central claims registry (the Fichier central des sinistres) will be flagged “Fermé sans indemnisation” (“File closed without compensation”).

With potholes, it’s all about safety

Don’t try to swerve around a pothole if doing so could cause an accident.

If you’ve gone through a pothole and want to stop and inspect the damage, be sure to park in a safe place. If you think your wheel is too damaged to drive, don’t take any unnecessary risks—call a towing company.

Never stop on a highway to attempt to recover a lost hubcap: you could be struck by a passing vehicle. If you do stop for this reason on a slower, less busy road, make sure there is no danger to yourself or other road users.