Car sways after hitting potholes
I recently hit some nasty potholes on the avenue and ever since then the car sways a lot when I brake or accelerate. Could I have damaged something in the suspension? How urgent is it to get it checked?
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That wobbling you're describing sounds like something shifted in your suspension, and while it's not the worst thing that can happen, it's definitely not something you should ignore. Hard bumps can break shock absorbers, throw off control arms, and leave your car's alignment completely shot. If you notice the vehicle wobbling especially when braking or accelerating, it's probably a shock absorber or spring problem that's losing stability.
How urgent it is depends on how much it's moving. If you barely notice it, you've got a few days to take it to the shop. But if you feel the car bouncing a lot or get the sense it might tip over on a curve, that's more serious and you shouldn't drive it much. One practical thing you can do before going to the mechanic: drive slowly over a small bump and pay attention to whether the car keeps bouncing for several seconds after. If it does, the shock absorbers are probably damaged. Also look underneath to see if you spot any loose or bent components.
Take it to the shop as soon as you can so they check the whole suspension, not just the shock absorbers. Better to spend money on an inspection now than on major repairs later if something breaks completely while you're driving.
First thing is to check the shock absorbers and springs because hard bumps can break or warp those components, and it's pretty likely that's what happened. It's not something you can ignore because an unstable car is dangerous when you brake or take fast turns, so get it to a shop soon - not an emergency where you need to stop everything, but it's not something you should put off for weeks either. In the meantime drive carefully and avoid big bumps because if the suspension is damaged each impact makes things worse.
That wobbling after braking or accelerating sounds like a problem with the shock absorbers or torsion bars, and yeah, hard bumps can damage those pretty easily. The thing is, it's not just about checking those components: also make sure the tires aren't misaligned, because if you hit that pothole hard, it's likely everything got knocked out of place, and misalignment can ruin your tires quickly if you don't fix it in time.
I'd say don't wait too long, because the more you drive like that, the more damage is gonna pile up. Take it to a mechanic you trust soon so they can do a full suspension diagnostic.
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