Rear-Ended at Stop Sign
 

Well, it happened. My 2018 GT86 Black Edition was rear-ended while I was at a stop sign. The driver was kind enough to admit they weren't paying attention and gave me their insurance information. Looks like the insurance is going to cover the damages.

I was wondering if anyone thinks there are some structural damages based on these pictures? The impact seemed much harder than the pictures show (my wife and I suffered whiplash) and the trunk seems to protrude out and doesn't align with the rear panels the way it used to.

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Body shop will figure that out for ya.

I am a repair manager at a body shop and I can tell you that there is most likely NOT structural damage, but there is a good chance that behind the bumper there are hidden damages.

Impact bars and absorbers are safety items, so any damage what-so-ever to them and it is an immediate replacement, no questions asked.

If I were to take a guess:

- Rear bumper needs to be taken off and inspected. From the pictures, it looks like repair work would be easily do-able but if there are torn tabs then it is a replacement
- Lower rear valence needs to be replaced, those cannot be repaired
- Impact Bar most likely needs to be replaced (we have no absorber)
- Rear bumper guides might need to be replaced (plastic brackets from bumper to quarter panel)

There MAY be some damage to the rear body panel, which will require a small amount of repair work, but that can only be done after the DFR (Disassemble For Repair) where they take the rear bumper off and reassess damages.

Hard to tell from pictures but it appears that the only bad gaps are from bumper to quarter which is a good indication that the rear body panel either has none or very limited damage to it

Let us know what comes of it!

Well, PandaEighty-Six, that's too bad - :sigh:

It appears that your car took the hit pretty well.

I reckon a body shop could fix it up first class for about $1,000.

OR

Go for the Bubba method. Use touch up paint on the gash and wait a couple of weeks and see if it still bothers you - :iono:

A body shop wanted $1,000 to fix mine (new bumper and paint).

This looks entirely cosmetic to me. Maybe bumper bar, and internal supports for the bumper/trunk lid but those aren't a big deal to get fixed.

I'd go with ArrrB up there - looks mild, but our rear bumper cover can hide alot due to its flexibility.

It's likely not structural, but it is probably worse than it looks.

This. Look at the rear side of the spare tire well to see what damage there actually is to the structure, or just take the bumper cover off. It's likely pushed in there.

I experienced a very similar collision in my 2016 Corolla. It had similar damage as your 86, and I felt whiplash from the collision. My car was repairable, it required a new trunk lid, rear bumper, crash bar, and a new section was welded in the lower trunk area. One replacement tail light was also needed. And of course a full respray of the rear of the car.
With your car being a special edition of the 86 I really hope it will be an easy fix, and if done properly shouldn’t affect how your car drives. Be careful about the whiplash you both experienced. Not saying you need to take the guy to court with fake neck braces on [emoji16] but be aware of any pain you feel in the coming weeks. Get checked out by your doctor. Luckily the 86 has really good seats that support you well, but spine damage can happen with a force like that. Especially if you or your wife tensed up before the impact. Trust me I know, I ended up needing a spine fusion many years ago from an injury that didn’t seem very severe at the time. (Not the collision in my Corolla) Best of luck to you and your health and your 86!


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Probably just cosmetic. I'm sure the body shop will check the crash support stuff but that bumper looks fine for the most part. At least it was a good square hit.

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The guy up there nailed it. I would think there is more than just cosmetic. The car looks like it did what it was supposed to. I am thinking there is damage behind the bumper bar, but not a ton.

I would take it easy and not worry about the damages too much, make sure it gets taken to a reputable body shop and let the other persons insurance pay

Thanks for your replies, everyone! Got the car back today. Over 4k worth of damages, including:

- Rear bumper (replaced)
- Rear body and floor panel
- Unibody damage
- Impact bar replaced
- Damage to heat shield
- Damage to rear muffler (replaced)

The car looks fine save for the panel gaps on the left trunk/rear panel are slightly narrower than the panel gaps on the right. I'm not sure if that's normal after this kind of collision or if this is something that could have been easier to fix:

Gaps look like they are probably within new car specs much less repair ones. All is good

Conversely, I had a very similar situation with my 2003 Corolla, where everything looked pretty intact from the outside (but man, let me tell you, me and the car took a real shot from this guy as I was coming to a stop at a light). The car still drove, but when I got home I realized there was a lot more going on. Since the car was getting picked up to get evaluated the next morning, I went about removing my belongings from the car.

Went to pop the trunk, and it actually *popped* open with some force vs. the normally easy and smooth opening it did for over a decade. First clue. Then when I opened the trunk the floor liner that hides the spare was hanging out in mid-air because it was being propped up by my spare tire. Despite everything looking cosmetic for damage, the guy hit hard enough that my spare tire well got indented and shoved the tire upward. At that point I knew they were very likely to total my car given its age and that level of damage, and that's what ended up happening.

To the OP, you're not wrong in thinking that there could be hidden damage, so your question was entirely valid. Glad the car is repairable and that you guys are intact. Just focus on recovering, and make sure it's at a good shop that'll do the work right so you can enjoy the car as much as you did before the accident.