It’s pothole season here in New Jersey! Usually, potholes appear in late winter and early spring due to winter conditions weakening the pavement. Excessive water from the freezing and thawing cycle can often lead to cracks and potholes. Hitting these holes in the road can do more than just spill your morning coffee! Even a minor impact can affect the vehicle’s suspension, alignment, and tire’s sidewalls and can even puncture your tire or bend or crack your wheel!
Does your steering wheel vibrate, does your vehicle pull to one side, or simply doesn’t handle well after hitting a pothole? Icy or snow-covered roads treated with salt can also be a strain on the alignment.
How Do Potholes Form?
After rain or snow, water could seep into the ground underneath the pavement. When the water freezes, it expands causing the pavement to also expand and crack. As this process repeats, the pavement will continue to weaken. When cars drive over this surface, the weight continues to break down the pavement to the point where parts of the road will displace. Once this happens, potholes form.
Because potholes form when water freezes, they often start forming in the winter causing spring to be the time of year when potholes appear.
What to Do After Hitting a Pothole?
Give Your Vehicle a Quick Inspection and check for any of the following signs of pothole damage:
- A bulge on the tire sidewall – indicates that the tire was pinched between the edge of the pothole and the wheel causing the internal plies to be weakened or severed
- Abnormal vibrations in the steering, seat, or floor.
- Your steering wheel is no longer centered or the vehicle wants to pull to one side or the other – the alignment is affected or the steering or suspension component is damaged.
- A new noise – Something may have been bent or displaced and could be rubbing on the tire/wheel assembly.
- A dashboard warning light appears
How Badly Can Potholes Damage My Vehicle?
Driving over a deep pothole, especially at a high speed, can do serious damage to your vehicle.
The damage from driving over a pothole can be as minor as knocking your vehicle out of alignment and usually can be corrected with a wheel alignment. However, in other cases, the damage could be much worse. Hitting a pothole can cause bent wheel rims, internal tire damage, alignment problems, and shock and strut issues depending on the severity of the impact.
Below are some photos that show how potholes can damage wheels or rims.
Wheel damage from potholes
Tire damage from potholes
How to Prevent Pothole Damage?
Potholes are a commonality for many drivers but vehicle damage does not have to be. Here’s what you can do to minimize the damage and avoid these hazards.
- Drive cautiously – Slow down when you’re on an unfamiliar or rough road, and avoid distracted driving.
- Be alert to what’s ahead – make sure you keep enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you so you can avoid issues.
- If you can’t avoid a pothole – take your foot off the gas and hold your steering wheel tightly. Don’t brake. This will allow you to maintain the most control during the impact.
After hitting a pothole:
- Check Your Tires-which includes tread depth, tire pressure, suspension, and alignment.
Tread depth—insert a quarter into the tread groove with Washington’s head upside down. If you can see the top of Washington’s head, start shopping for new tires. - Tire pressure—check this at least once a month using a quality gauge. Do so before driving when tires have been at rest and are not hot. Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended inflation pressure found on a sticker inside the driver’s side door jam.
- Suspension and Alignment—look for changes in vehicle handling, excessive vibration or uneven wearing of tires, and all indications of a problem with the suspension like alignment or shocks. If your vehicle pulls to the left or right, have the wheel alignment checked by one of our certified mechanics.
If you hit a pothole, pay attention to any new or unusual noises or vibrations. If you detect something is off with your vehicle, bring it down to Luke’s Auto Service in Verona, NJ for a full vehicle inspection as soon as possible!
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