After your car was struck by another vehicle in an accident, you may have noticed some dents in the side but feel as though the damage was not significant. However, the frame itself may have sustained damage, even if you are unable to see it. Look for the following signs that your car's frame was bent in the accident and needs repairs.

1. Car No Longer Drives Straight

One sign you should look for to determine whether or not your car's frame is bent is an inability to drive straight. If the damage sustained is located on the side of your car, you may notice some difficulty while driving.

Usually, the frame keeps the front and back of your car in a straight line, which helps to keep the steering base even. However, when the frame is bent, the back and front are no longer in alignment. While you drive down the road and look in your rearview mirror, you may notice that the back of the car looks crooked.

When you try to steer the car, you may need to pull hard on the steering wheel whenever you turn it one way or the other. Then, you may have to keep a hard grip on the wheel to keep it in the direction you want.

This difficulty in steering is due to the misalignment of the steering base. If the frame is slightly bent, you may only notice some difficulty. However, if the bend is severe enough, you may have to constantly fight to keep the wheel in position. If the damage is this severe, your vehicle is not safe to drive and needs to be inspected as soon as possible.

2. Trunk and Doors Do Not Close Properly

Even if you do not experience any difficulty while driving your car, the bend in the frame could affect your ability to open and close your trunk, hood, or doors. Since the frame creates the base outline of your car, any damage done to the base can affect the hinges and locks.

After your accident, you may notice that you have to slam your trunk or hood shut. Then, even after you hear the latch, you may notice one or two gaps between the body of the car and the sides of the trunk or hood. These gaps are the result of a twisted or bent frame near the back or front of the vehicle.

In addition, one or more of your doors may no longer latch easily. Or, even if they are closed as tightly as possible, the doors may have gaps around them. These gaps are indicative of frame damage in the center of your vehicle.

Even if you are able to fully latch your trunk, hood, or doors, the damage that creates a problem with closing them easily or creating gaps can be a serious safety issue. Just because you are able to close them now does not mean that they will stay latched in the future.

If you are driving down the road and the hood flies up, you could easily cause a serious accident. If the trunk opens, any contents inside could hit the drivers behind you. And, if your doors open while going down the road, you or one of your passengers run the risk of serious injury.

If your car's frame is bent, the damage does not necessarily mean that you can no longer drive the car. But you should bring your car to Cambron Body Shop so we can assess the extent of the damage and, if needed, use one of our frame machines to straighten the frame.