A car accident can happen for many reasons. Sometimes, accidents are due to the negligence of another party, while other times, they are unavoidable. If you had a car accident, it might be beneficial to consult with an experienced attorney with experience of similar cases in the past.
A car collision can cause both visible and hidden damages to your vehicle. Visible damages can be easily identified, including paint transfer, broken glass, and missing trim pieces. Inspecting your car after the accident is essential to make sure it isn’t damaged in any way you can see—such as with leaking fluids or bent metal—however, many times, the damage is not visible to the naked eye.
Hidden damages can be just as significant as visible ones but harder to identify. There may never be any signs that hidden damage ever existed in some cases.
10 Examples of Hidden Damages You May Find After a Car Accident
Here we have listed down the Hidden damages that your vehicle might face.
1. Airbag Damage
Airbags, as occupant restraints in automobiles, are designed to go off when coming into contact with the vehicle’s surface. The bag fills with highly compressed gas (normally Nitrogen) and can save lives by preventing or lessening injury during a collision. Unfortunately, many car accidents involve an airbag deploying in the vehicle. This causes hidden damage that can be difficult to identify. One example is that if the airbag deploys while your car is parked it will leave a burn mark on the paint, which cannot be removed. This means you’ll have to get your whole car repainted if that happens.
2. Carpet Damage
Carpet damage is another common hidden damage in an accident. If the other party’s car runs through your vehicle and drags across the carpet, it could cause unseen stains or deep rips in the material that can’t be fixed without completely replacing it. Carpet damage due to automotive collisions is common, especially when there are no airbags deployed during the accident. When an airbag deploys, it can absorb some of the impacts, decreasing its chance of causing interior carpet damage.
3. Dashboard Damage
Some of the most common damage to a car are dents, scratches, and collisions. The dashboard in your vehicle can majorly contribute to all these. Your dashboard is one of the essential parts of your car because it controls many things like sunlight, ventilation, and the stereo system that you use while driving. Dashboards are an essential part of your car, so sometimes, when there is too much pressure being applied to your vehicle because of a collision, the person behind the wheel may have no choice but to push the brakes suddenly, and the force of that step on brakes will exert tremendous pressure to the dashboard of your car.
4. Interior Trim Damage
There is a good chance that on the way home from work or during any drive in your car, you have experienced some damage inside your vehicle. Most of this was caused by various environmental factors, and not all car owners can determine such a cause, but it can be interior vehicle trim damage. Internal trim damage can also go completely unnoticed after a car accident. If the other party’s car runs into yours and throws a part of it towards your vehicle, this can easily damage a door panel or a piece of the roof. These pieces are expensive to replace and often go unnoticed until the damage is too severe to fix.
5. Engine Damage
Many people don’t realize how fragile an engine is. Even if there isn’t visible damage, hidden engine damage can exist if an object or another car comes into contact with it. The fluids and fluid lines are also extremely sensitive to damage during an accident. An engine requires certain things to function correctly, including gasoline, oil, water, and air. Without these, the engine will not run because it won’t create fire for combustion. The gas that you put into your car is flammable, meaning that the engine can only function if there is a steady supply of oxygen present as well. The other thing besides gasoline, oil, and water is compression.
6. Air Conditioner Damage
A car air conditioner can be damaged if the AC clamp breaks. This is a principal reason for the failure of an air conditioner. In most cases, it happens due to high temperatures and extreme pressure. It only takes a small crack in the tube to happen, which causes damage from there on out. While most accidents don’t involve the air conditioner, they’re not indestructible. For example, if a car runs into damage to the hood, this could damage the condenser and the compressor, causing the air conditioner to break.
7. Undercarriage Damage
The undercarriage of a car is the underside of the vehicle. It’s everything that you don’t see when you look at your car, except when you pop the hood and look in there. Front hose and bumper, suspension components and axle shafts, differentials, and maybe even the exhaust system. Even if a car accident leaves no visible damage to your vehicle, you should still be concerned about undercarriage damage. If another car runs into yours and damages its wheel or bumper, there exists a possibility of it doing damage to your engine or frame as well. This damage can be costly because it requires an entire undercarriage replacement.
8. Fuel System Damage
The fuel system in your car is designed to deliver a predetermined amount of gasoline to the engine. Each mechanical component functions in an arranged sequence, operating together as a system. Fuel pressure is generated by the mechanical action of the fuel pump, which derives energy from engine rotation (driven off the camshaft). Fuel pressure is present when the engine starts and maintains adequate pressure during all engine operating conditions, especially at high speeds and loads. When a car accident occurs, there’s always a risk that fuel could leak from your tank and onto the ground. If this happens and another vehicle runs into yours, this can damage the fuel system. If not immediately recognized, this damage will lead to your car leaking gasoline into your engine and possibly starting a fire or causing an explosion.
9. Axle Damage
An axle houses the wheels of a vehicle. If it is bent during an accident, it can cause severe transmission and engine problems. This is hidden damage that you should take a good look at once you stop your vehicle after an accident. The damage to your car axle can happen in more ways than you might think, especially when it comes to driving conditions driving over a pothole or a bumpy road. This happens when you hit a hole or bump, and the force is transmitted to the left and right sides of your axle. Also, when you corner your car, the inner side of the curve is usually more complex than the outer part of it, and your vehicle may lose control and hit the guardrail.
10. Alignment Damage
There are many reasons you might experience alignment damage to your car. The most common factors include hitting a pothole or curb on the road, which severely damages one of your wheels, getting into a car accident and losing control of the car, and speeding or racing your car on a track. Alignment is essential to the integrity of your car’s suspension. If it’s not right, this can cause problems with your car shifting gears even and adequately putting too much stress on your brakes and tires.
Conclusion
Whether it’s issued with brakes or suspension, poorly repaired car parts are undoubtedly one of the main reasons why you should care for your vehicle like it’s supposed to be. There is nothing more dangerous for the vehicle’s performance than hidden damages in its mechanics. Hidden damages can make you uncomfortable while driving, but they also have a much more severe impact on the car itself. These unnoticed damages can grow exponentially and become a much bigger problem if they are not treated in time. In other words, what seems to be a small stone chip on your windshield today could become an irreparable crack the next day.
Ryan is the CEO and Founder of STIL SWANGN Auto Paint & Collision, a premier collision shop based in Phoenix, AZ. With over a decade of service in the Phoenix valley, STIL SWANGN has built a reputation for delivering exceptional auto paint and collision repair services. Under Ryan’s leadership, the shop has become a trusted name for quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. Ryan’s dedication to excellence and his passion for the auto industry have driven the success and growth of STIL SWANGN, making it a go-to destination for all collision repair needs in the area.
