If My Suspension Is Damaged, Is My Car Totaled?

Can Suspension Damage Total A Car?

Yes, suspension damage can total your car. However, several factors go into determining whether the damage is enough to total your car.

In most cases, it is your auto insurance company that determines the totaled status of your car. To be considered totaled, the damages of your car must exceed the value of your vehicle.

Depending on which state you live in, though, your damage might only need to be 70% of your car’s value to meet “totaled” criteria.

Suspension damage alone, though, can put your car into the “totaled” category with your insurer. This is due to the high cost of suspension repairs.

This system is interconnected and when you replace one piece, you often also have to replace neighboring parts.

This can add up quickly, making your final bill pretty high.

How Do You Know If Your Suspension Is Damaged?

Because the suspension system keeps your ride smooth, balanced, and controlled, you’ll be able to tell if something isn’t right.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of a damaged suspension:

1. Bumpy rides: Broken shocks or struts that are no longer able to absorb the impact of uneven roads will have you feeling every bump on the road.
2.  Your car is rocking: If your suspension is damaged, it won’t be able to keep your car stabilized. You’ll notice your vehicle rocking forward, backward, and sideways when driving.
3. Uneven tire wear: If one side of your suspension is damaged and can no longer support the weight of the vehicle, the tires on the side will take on the brunt of the weight and wear down faster.
4. Sunken vehicle frame: A damaged suspension can result in your car’s frame being much lower than normal as the suspension cannot support the weight of the entire vehicle.
5. Oil around the shocks: If you look under your car and see oil around the shocks, then your suspension needs fixing as shocks should not leak oil.  
6. Creaking, squeaking, crunching, or knocking noises: A damaged suspension might make noise as parts collide and brush against each other, especially when you drive over rougher roads.
7. Car pulling to one side: This is related to the lack of stability that comes with a damaged suspension.

What Causes Suspension Damage?

The suspension is built to last a long time and generally only needs repair once your car nears 100,000 miles. However, there are many scenarios that can cause premature damage including:

• Head-on collisions: Whether you collide with another vehicle or a non-moving object, damage to the front of your car can affect the chassis and in turn, the suspension system.
• Hitting a pothole: Hitting holes at high speeds or ones that are large or deep can put too much stress on your suspension, causing it to break.
• Hitting debris on the road: Large or sharp objects, or simply those traveling at high speeds, can collide with the underbody of your car and bend, damage, or break your suspension.
• Driving over curbs: Just like potholes, curbs can put excess stress that your suspension isn’t built to handle, thus, causing damage.
• Overloading your car: Putting more weight into your car than it is able to support can cause your suspension to collapse.
• Rust: Living either in a humid environment or a cold one where road salt and snow combine can cause your metal suspension to rust, corrode, and eventually collapse.
• Driving off-road: If you drive off-road when your vehicle isn’t equipped with the appropriate configurations, your suspension can sustain damage from the rocky road.

Suspension Damage Repair Costs

A repaired suspension system comes with a sizeable bill to match. Your suspension is a delicate network of interconnected parts and some parts go hand-in-hand.

This means that although you might only have one broken part, you might still need to purchase other components to ensure that everything fits properly.

Here are some examples of repair costs for various suspension components:

Repair	Cost of Repair
Shock absorber and strut replacement	$200 - $5,000 total
Ball joint replacement	$250 – $2,200 total
Coil spring replacement	$550-$770
Control arms replacement	$115- $305 for each arm
Total suspension replacement	$2,100 - $5,500

Wheel alignment is usually also needed for suspension repair. This service ensures that your car is perfectly aligned and balanced. This service can be complementary or can cost between $20 and $400.

Sell A Car With A Damaged Suspension

A damaged car suspension can be a hassle to deal with. Not only is it unsafe to drive with a broken suspension but it can cost thousands to repair.

You can skip all the worrying and wondering by selling your damaged car to WeBuyTotaledCars. Whether it’s a broken suspension or an accident-damaged fender, we’d love to buy your car.

Here’s how it works:

1. Get an offer by entering your vehicle’s details into our calculator.
2. Wait less than two minutes to get your estimate.
3. Accept our fair market offer.
4. Schedule a vehicle pick-up and get paid!

Both the estimate and vehicle pick-up are free and you can be done within 24 to 48 hours! Find out what you can get for your car with damaged suspension today!