Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice

What happens when you hit a curb with your car

What happens when you hit a curb with your car

Here’s what happens when you hit a curb with your car. The impact can cause the following damage in addition to tire and wheel damage:

• bent steering components like tie rod and steering knuckle
• bent suspension components like control arms and struts
• transmission damage from the axle being forced into the transmission
• undercarriage damage from component contact or component shift.

What to check after you’ve hit a curb

Is your steering wheel off center or the car pulls to one side?

If so, you’ve bent a steering or suspension component.

Does your car make noise when turning the wheel or driving down the road?

Making noise when turning is a sign of steering system or suspension damage. Noise while driving down the road can be caused by components dragging on the ground or contacting other components.

Does your transmission shift smoothly and on time?

A curb impact can damage internal damage to a transmission, resulting in hard or late shifting or noise.

Why so much damage just by hitting a curb?

Hitting a curb, even at a slow speed, can cause a lot of damage. Suspension and steering components on modern cars and trucks are made from lighter weight materials than decades ago and they can bend easily in an impact

What are the typical repair costs from a curb impact

If the steering wheel is no longer centered, you’re usually looking at a bent control arm and tie rod at a bare minimum. Let’s take a look at price for a few different vehicles with a bent control arm.

picures of bent control arms after sliding into a curb

Bent control arm

Control arm replacement cost on a 2018 Honda Civic sedan

A genuine Honda control arm costs around $225
The labor to install it is about 1-hour plus 1- hour for an alignment: At a shop rate of $130/hr the total is around : $485
• If the tie rod is also bent you’ll have to replace the entire rack for around $3,187
• If the strut is also bent add another $414.00

Control arm replacement cost on a 2018 Toyota Highlander

A genuine Toyota control arm costs around $225
The labor to install it is 8.6 hours plus 1- hour for an alignment. At a shop rate of $130/hr this repair will cost around $1,473
• If the tie rod is also bent you’ll have to replace the entire rack for around $2,300
• If the strut is also bent, add another $469

bent tie rod and bent control arm

Bent tie rod

Picture of cracked steering knuckle after hitting curb

Cracked steering knuckle. Steering knuckle replacement cost runs about $1,000

Will insurance cover the cost of the curb impact?

If you carry collision insurance, they’ll cover the cost of the repairs, but you’ll have to pay the deductible.

©, 2015 Rick Muscoplat

Posted on by Rick Muscoplat



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