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When you drive over a curb, you shouldn’t hate yourself. It is a common problem that affects even the finest drivers.
This issue happens typically during winter, but it can also happen anytime.
For instance, sometimes you are in a hurry to park the car that you don’t see the curb, or sometimes you underrate a turn.
When this happens, you may ignore it, yet it has caused severe damage to one of the components in your car.
So, it would be best if you tried to determine the extent of the damage and sort it out.
What Should I Check After I Drove Over The Curb?
You may have slightly hit a curb and thought that you did not cause damage to any component.
But you should know that hitting a curb at a speed of 5-10 miles per hour can cause severe issues to the various components such as the suspension, the transmission, etc.
Therefore, pull the car over and do the following when you drive over a curb.
Determine How Serious It Is
The first thing you should know is that curb hits differ in magnitude and damage.
For instance, if you drove over the curb at high speed, you probably caused severe damage to your car’s components.
However, if you were driving at less than 5 miles per hour before hitting the curb, the extent of the damage will be low.
Therefore, understanding how serious the curb hit will help you narrow down the possible damages to your car.
Once you know how serious it is, you can proceed to the next step.
6 Affected Parts To Check After Driving Over The Curb
Now that you know the extent of the damage, you can check the various parts. If the hit was less severe, you should only concentrate on the most immediate hits.
However, if the impact was huge, you should check all the following parts.
1. Tires Or Rims
The tire and the rim are the parts that will have direct contact with the curb during such an accident.
Therefore, they should be the first parts you should check when determining the possible damage.
But it is essential to know that the tires will be affected more than the rim. Luckily, an issue with the tire you can quickly identify.
When you hit a curb, the tire will tear and start deflating. However, it may not deflate instantly; hence you may have to wait for a few minutes to know if the tire is affected.
Also, the leak may not be due to a tear but a bent rim.
The wheel rim is made of aluminum alloy, carbon fiber, iron, etc., and can bend from its edges. It will let out gas, just like a tire tear can when it does.
But the two issues shouldn’t scare you since you can repair them quickly.
2. The Wheels
Your wheels are the next part you should check when you hit a curb. An impact will make the wheel misalign with its standard position.
It can be significantly dangerous when the front wheel is affected. In this case, you will have difficulty controlling the car.
It will also be challenging to steer the car since more force is needed to reduce the friction between the front wheel and the road.
Therefore, you should resolve it as soon as possible to lower fuel consumption, reduce wear on the tires, and resolve your safety.
3. The Suspension
The function of the suspension is to ensure a good grip between the tires and the road. It also supports the weight of the car and absorbs vibrations.
All these make the ride safe and comfortable. But since suspensions are in contact with the road, a curb hit will also affect it.
However, this part is usually affected when you hit a curb at high speed.
Many components in the suspension system can be affected by a curb hit. However, a curb hit mainly affects the tie rod.
The tie rod is a part that provides stability in the car. They are made of rigid metals that can bend or break when you hit a curb.
Therefore, if you hit a curb and suddenly your car losses stability or rolls over, you have a damaged tie rod.
A faulty tie rod should be replaced or repaired immediately. It is because it will affect your safety and make the ride boring.
It can also make other healthy tie rods fail due to vigorous bouncing. It will increase the cost of repairs.
4. The Control Arm
The control arm supports the suspension; hence, it is prone to damage when you drive over a curb.
So, after hitting a curb, the control arm should also be checked and repaired if it is damaged.
The good news is that a bent or damaged control arm will make the car produce noise when driving over speed bumps or turning a corner.
But this part should always be the last to be examined since the control arm is not easy to break.
5. The Steering
The steering is linked to the suspension; hence the two usually work together when operating the car.
Therefore, anything that affects the suspension might affect the steering. However, for the steering to get damaged, the impact of the curb hit should be huge.
Damaged steering will make it hard to steer the car. In most cases, you will need to apply extra force to operate it.
So, if you run into this situation after driving over a curb, you may have damaged steering that needs to be repaired.
It is recommended that you fix it immediately if you have the technical know-how.
But if you don’t know how to repair it, you should head to the mechanic shop straight away.
6. The Transmission
It may sound impossible, but driving over a curb can damage the transmission. However, this is more prone to front-wheel drive vehicles.
When you hit a curb, the axle and wheel shaft might shift to the transmission. It will negatively affect it.
Bear in mind that even a minor hit by the axle or shaft will cause the transmission to misbehave.
Also, when you drive over a curb, the curb will disconnect the transmission cables and linkages.
A damaged transmission will start leaking and developing shifting issues. So, it is also vital to check it out when you drive over a curb.
If the transmission is damaged, repairing it as soon as possible will save you the agony of lousy shifting when driving.
What You Should Do When You Drive Over A Curb? – Summary
Driving over a curb may seem like a less serious issue, but in reality, it causes damage to various components in your car.
Therefore, when you find yourself in such a situation, you should stop the car and examine it for possible damage.
Driving over a curb can affect the various parts: the tire or rim, suspension, control arm, steering, and suspension.
So, you should check them and have them repaired if they are damaged to avoid poor car performance and safety issues.
With comprehensive experience in writing exceptional quality articles and blogs about cars and related stuff, Daniel is one of the finest bloggers and a hardcore car lover we have. He is an ASE certified technician with an across-the-board experience of 10 years in the industry. He could not help tinkering with anything he got his hands on from a young age, which led to his remarkable career in the automotive repair industry.
When he is not under any hood, you can find him on the water or in the woods to pursue his passion for hunting and fishing. He has been writing for multiple sectors and is a regular contributor to several publications.
He currently owns a Nissan 300ZX TT and a Pearl Yellow but plans to upgrade it to 550 HP. His favorites include the Koenigsegg CCX and Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 VT, but for him, the Ferrari 360 Spider is one of the sexiest cars that exists to date.
Being an avid world traveler, he has spent most of his time analyzing the automotive markets, latest technology, and local favorites to enhance his knowledge base. He is currently living in North Caroline, where it’s all about food and coffee and, of course, cars.
