Utah roads have a lot of potholes, but our state is not in top 10 in the US with the worst potholes. According to Google ranks, the worst states for potholes are New York at 10, then Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, and Washington at number one. Potholes can wreak havoc on vehicles, so you need to drive aware and try to avoid them, even if they don’t look big.

Potential Issues

Potholes can puncture your vehicle’s tires if they big enough and if you hit them just right. If your tire gets punctured, it can either blow right there, requiring an immediate fix or even cause you to crash. Potholes can also bend or crack your wheels, which is usually a pretty costly fix. Sometimes a pothole can damage the tire’s sidewall or belts (which are the steel chords that help retain the tire’s shape), causing you to have to get a new tire, which generally means at least two, if not all four at once.

One of the most common issues from hitting a pothole is it can knock your vehicle out of alignment. If you’ve hit a big bump and you notice your car is starting to pull afterward, you need to bring it in. It only gets worse over time, causing more damage the longer you wait. Other issues from potholes include damage to the shocks or struts or harming the car’s suspension.

It’s common to hit a pothole and then deal with the issues for a while afterward thinking maybe it wasn’t too bad. But the truth is, waiting to get your car repaired will likely make the repairs more costly because other issues have now arisen. If your car starts pulling or the steering feels loose or you notice some strange vibrations or noises, those are all indications of larger issues.

Sometimes if the pothole is large enough, it can even cause damage to the undercarriage of your vehicle or the exhaust system. Listen for strange noises, watch out for loose or broken pieces hanging off your car, or any loss of power after you hit a large bump.

Be careful with potholes that you don’t swerve so quickly or so far that you end up rolling or crashing into another vehicle. With the many road construction projects around the state, hazards exist all over. And potholes are just a part of Utah roads in part because of our extensive weather changes. Asphalt is a common road base here, and it’s typical to see potholes in roads that are not consistently maintained. If you see a big pothole that hasn’t been addressed, you can report it to the Department of Transportation.

For all your car needs, Transmission City and Auto Repair is at the ready to help you. With the warmer weather and school coming to a close, travel is increasing and you want to be sure your car is in tip top shape before going on any road trips. For maintenance and repairs, trust in us today.