This will come as really bad news to one client, whose 2002 BMW 325 recently required $5,800 in repairs after it struck a pothole near Irving Park Road and I-90/I-94 in the city. The pothole jarred the vehicle so abruptly and severely that the car suffered extensive damage:

• The passenger side head airbag deployed, and replacing it took several hours because we had to remove the headliner and several dashboard trim pieces. (The photos to the right show the deployed airbag.)
• The airbag control module (computer) needed to be replaced, along with the right side impact sensor for the airbag.
• The steering rack was bent and had to be replaced. (This isn’t a component you can repair.)
• The pothole destroyed a wheel and two tires. And not surprisingly, the wheel alignment was knocked out of whack. To return it to specified limits, we had to modify the strut mounts on both sides of the car.

Fortunately, the client’s insurance company paid a substantial portion of the repair bill. And while this is a highly unusual case, we urge you to be on the alert for potholes eager to dish out a dose of damage.