The dreaded pothole has plagued drivers for seemingly as long as paved roads have existed. And if you are driving around the Northeast, you are guaranteed to encounter more than your fair share. Pothole season usually starts around March, but winters with heavy rainfall and extreme temperature dips can bring them on even sooner. Unfortunately, some potholes – and pothole damage – are unavoidable, but there are ways to protect your car.
How Do Potholes Form?
Potholes are created when groundwater seeps into the ground underneath the pavement. If the water freezes, it will expand, causing the pavement to expand, bend and crack. When the ice melts, gaps or voids are left in the surface under the pavement. As this process is repeated, the pavement continues to weaken.
When cars begin to drive over this weakened surface, the weight continues to break down the pavement to the point where pieces of the roadway will come loose and be displaced. Once this happens, you have a pothole. “In addition,” said AAA’s Car Doctor John Paul, “the pothole can fill with water again, refreeze and break off more asphalt and the pothole becomes a car-eating crater.”
Because potholes are dependent on water freezing, they often form during the winter, but it usually isn’t until all the ice and snow recedes from the roadways that they become noticeable and start to wreak havoc.
An Expensive Nuisance
A 2022 AAA survey found that 1 in 10 drivers sustained vehicle damage significant enough to warrant a repair after hitting a pothole. With an average price tag of almost $600 per repair, damage caused by potholes cost drivers a staggering $26.5 billion in just one calendar year.
“When a vehicle hits a pothole with any kind of force, the tires, wheels and suspension get the brunt of the impact and fixing any of those items is pricey,” said Mary Maguire, vice president of public and government affairs for AAA Northeast.
Tire Damage and More
The repercussions of driving over a pothole can be as minor as knocking a car out of alignment. This can usually be corrected with a trip to a repair shop.
In other cases, the damage can be much worse. Wheels and tires can become damaged to the extent that they are unusable. A pothole can puncture your tire and leave you with a flat and in need of roadside assistance. And it may not be just one tire – it could be both tires on the side of the vehicle where you encountered the pothole. It can also cause your rims to dent or bend.
Low-profile tires and lighter wheels on sporty vehicles are especially prone to being damaged, according to AAA.
Some damage is not as easily noticeable. Steering and suspension parts also can be damaged, causing severe handling issues and rapid tire wear. If you hit a pothole and feel like something is a little off, you may still want to get your car checked by a professional mechanic.
Visit your nearest AAA Approved Auto Repair Facility. Members can save up to $75 per visit – that pays for your membership!
“In what I would call the worst case,” Paul said, “part of the drivetrain (engine and transmission) can suffer enough damage that the component loses oil and fails completely, requiring a complete rebuild or replacement.” The damage may be covered by your car insurance. In addition, you could try submitting a claim with the municipality that is responsible for the roadway.
Schedule an appointment with a AAA Insurance agent to discuss your coverage options.
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Download NowMore Ways to Prevent Pothole Damage
While potholes are a reality for many drivers, sustaining vehicle damage does not have to be. AAA recommends the following:
“The absolutely most important way to battle against potholes is to properly inflate tires,” Maguire said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that only 19% of consumers properly inflate their tires. Regularly check that your tire pressure is at the manufacturer’s recommended level, which can be found on a yellow sticker on the driver-side door jamb or in the owner’s manual.
You also want to make sure your tires aren’t overly or unevenly worn. To easily check the wear on your 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, it’s time to start shopping for new tires.
Changes in vehicle handling, excessive vibration or uneven wearing of tires are 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 a trusted mechanic.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road
To fight back against potholes, drivers must keep ample distance between their car and the car in front of them and diligently scan the road, especially at night and during rainstorms, to identify potholes and react to them.
Standing water or puddles may disguise a deep pothole. Avoid driving through standing water, when possible, but if you can’t, drive through slowly and as though there may be potholes hiding beneath the water.
There may be times when you cannot avoid hitting a pothole. In that case, safely reduce your speed as much as possible and avoid braking abruptly, particularly as you go over the pothole as this compresses your suspension and adds extra force to the tire. Striking a pothole at higher speeds increases the chance of severe damage including knocking the wheels out of alignment, affecting the steering, and bending or even breaking suspension components.
If you hit a pothole, pay attention to any new or unusual noises or vibrations. If you detect something is off with your vehicle, take it to a trusted repair facility for a full vehicle inspection as soon as possible.
Tell us your thoughts about potholes in the comments below.
This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.
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21 Thoughts on “How Do Potholes Form? And Avoiding Pothole Damage”
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Re: CAUSE of potholes: Pure and simple, design specifications, poor quality highway construction beginning with the base course and ending with porosity of the asphalt course/ quality of concrete. Missing dowels/ reinforcement in concrete pavement construction joints. And , of course there is inadequate quality control during construction and maintenance post construction. Finally, and most common, is failure to upgrade rural roads as they become major thoroughfares, down to and including road base courses, as traffic volumes and vehicular weights increase significantly over time. All comes down to money and how much are the taxpayers willing to pay.
Worst city for potholes, LA
LIKE our 19th century rail beds, terrible road construction coupled with a veneer on an election cycle.
Please send me info on AAA’s Tire & Wheel Protection Program.
Hi Bruce, thanks for reaching out! Someone from our Financial Services team will be contacting you provide more information. In the meantime, you can learn about the program here: https://northeast.aaa.com/financial/auto-loans/tire-wheel-program.html
Gas tax is supposedly to be used to fix the roads. With all the gas that is sold I’d like to know who’s pocket that money is going into. I live in the Northeast and there are plenty of potholes some roads are so bad you can’t avoid them. Bridge tunnel and highway tolls are suppose to be used to fix those things they are not. The major problem is there is no recourse when your vehicle is damaged.
I just had to replace a 4th tire on my car in 4 years, because of potholes. My last car the dealer had to send the rims out to be straightened because of the potholes here on Long Island. Fortunately, I have tire and wheel protection and didn’t have to pay for these very expensive replacements. My current insurance expires next March, and you can be sure I will be renewing it.
One overlooked mechanism for pothole initiation and expansion is Hydrofracking. Your 1.5 to 2 ton car will squeeze water into cracks in the pavement with enough force to raise existing water pressure to propagate subsurface fractures, and subsequent cars and trucks will continue to enlarge the damage.
I blame, for the northeastern part , mostly the snow plows! I can hear them during the night how they slam down the snow removal equipment, and can even hear scraping the pavement. Such force contributes already to a week asphalt on the pavement. When they come around (whenever) they do such bad job that leaves a bump on the road. I blame the governing body that has no supervision!
Hit a massive pothole in Brooklyn while it was raining. Filed a claim, and because no one reported it prior, out of luck. Back and forth to no avail….$3000 worth of damage on my 740il
If municipalities were held accountable, potholes would be repaired alot quicker. All these municipalities have a clause that shield them from paying out during winter months.
I agree the States should be hold liable for pothole damages especially in New Jersey since they added 30 cents per gallon for road repair.
I could not escape a big pothole (crater – deep and wide) on I-80 centerlane by road maker 33 and blow out my front tire. So many cars pulled in the truck rest area with damages to their car. It would be great if AAA would speak out and lobby in behalf of their members to make the States pay for the damages since AAA has a very powerful voice!
Amen! We’ve been told for years that they were going to repave a major road in my town and we’re still waiting. They said the money was there for the repaving so what are they doing with it?
5 years ago, a pothole split a seam in my radiator causing over $1,000 in repairs (new radiator, water pump, & timing belt) as I didn’t notice for a few days. I did document the potholes and had my mechanic attest to the damage. I submitted this to NYS DOT and was reimbursed!
40 MPH is just short of 59 feet per second, not “nearly 45 feet per second.” A handy reference is 30 MPH=44 FPS.
What about potholes in warmer climates? How do they form? I spend a great deal of time in the USVI and there are oodles of potholes there. The road never freezes down there.
Except in NYS where we have a governor that has no regard for the driving public.
There is a State law that they are exempt from any pothole claims for the period of October thru April.
The NYS roads on Long Islabc are tgdd Ed worst in the country
Long Island are the worst in the country!
Sorry for the typo
The typo was amusing but the point was made. I live on Long Island and totally agree with you. They are the worst, and they’re not doing anything to correct the problems. And here it is 2023! We’re getting new sidewalks and curbs, but the roads are atrocious.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just vetoed my legislation to make NYS liable for damages due to road defects all year. He vetoed my legislation passed by both legislative houses to remove NYS immunity from liability for damages due to road defects from Nov 15 to May 15. NY law makes all local governments liable all year round but exempts the state during pothole season. By his veto, the Governor is admitting his departments can not meet their responsibility to keep state roads safe and he does not want to be held accountable. Motorists should complain to Governor Cuomo that responsibility for state’s negligence should not be shifted to motorists for state roads ranked among the worst in the country. NYS Assemblymember Tom Abinanti
When you complain to the local authorities they say its a state road, not their responsibility, complain to the state department of highways or whatever. Doing well passing the buck.
I always ask myself when AAA is going to take action against the potholes PROBLEM which is so costly. In NEW York for example where l live ;it is SIMPLY a terrible SHAME and surreal to see the numbers of craters in the streets. Mechanics in New York CITY must be the richest AROUND this country. Please help us keep our sanity by saving some money in car repair……AP
To whom it may concern ,you left out one very important factor there’s just not cars and trucks on the road what if a motorcycle hits a pothole and even worse if it’s that night and you can’t see it I can go on and on about the dangers of hitting a pothole with motorcycles but I’m sure you folks know exactly what I’m talking about sincerely Steve Chauvette from the Rhode island Motorcycle Association