Driving over potholes can cause serious structural – and even electrical – issues in vehicles of all types that can lead to automotive malfunctions, roadside breakdowns, and even serious accidents. In this blog entry, the expert Chicago towing service technicians here at Chicago Towing will detail the various ways that potholes can damage vehicles.

Tire Issues

When cars hit potholes, tires can be seriously damaged. Potholes cause tears in tire sidewalls, destroy tire interior structures, and especially damage overinflated tires or low-profile tires.

Wheel Issues

Potholes can cause cracking, bending, and breakage of wheels. Wheel damage is very expensive, and alloy wheels are very easily damaged – and are more expensive than typical wheels.

Suspension Issues

When car wheels hit potholes, they can be damaged from both vertical and horizontal force. When horizontal force is particularly strong, steering linkage and suspension can easily get damaged, or wheels can be crushed out of proper alignment. Improperly aligned wheels make driving very dangerous and uncomfortable – and additionally causes tires to wear down more quickly.

Shock Absorber

Shock absorbers are easily damaged by potholes. Shock absorbers quickly wear down with regular driving on bad roads. One sign that your shock absorber requires repair or replacement due to pothole damage is if oil is leaking from it. To make sure your shock absorbers are working right, press down a couple of times on a corner of your vehicle, and let go when the car is as low as it can go. If your car is bouncing, the shock absorber is damaged and will need to be changed.