FR-S meets spare tire at 70 mph

[dulaman]

Sadly I must add my story to the growing list of FR-S accidents. Was driving home from Thanksgiving dinner when I slammed into a spare tire in the middle of my lane on I-75 in Detroit. I never saw it until the car in front of me swerved at the last second. I knew I didn't have time myself to swerve (lest I risk hitting it with my tires and losing control), so I just squared it up hoping it was just some shredded rubber. Much to my surprise, there was a rim attached and it just jammed into the front of my car.

I pulled to the shoulder, let out some choice four-letter words, and surveyed the damage. Fortunately just the plastic fascia cover and plastic undercover sustained damage. I jacked it up once I got home and confirmed no steel parts or radiator was bent at all, so I feel fortunate. You can see the damage to the spare tire in the picture to see that there was a fair amount of force involved. I'm actually impressed that I didn't have any further damage. In fact, upon closer inspection the next morning, I'm pretty sure the undercover is actually fine, and just the plastic fasteners sheared off. The only real lingering thing that bothers me is knowing I'll have to have a collision shop painted replacement bumper instead of a factory paint job.

[JohnS_Rosamond]

If I had to guess, I'd say that the big dent in the steel wheel wasn't from your car hitting it. Since the bead on that spare has been compromised, I'd say that it dampened (a little) the impact. This wheel was likely under the bed of some old Truck and the long steel rod rusted so bad that the wheel just let go (that's why it was flat on the road and not rolled off to the side of the road.) Anyway, sorry to hear that your car was damaged by someone else's negligence. (..and glad that you are okay. I think you did the best thing that you could under the circumstances, making a big swerve at the last second.... well could'a been much worse).

[Texas BRZ]

Yikes, very painful to see and hear about.

It's easier for me to say, but these kind of incidents can happen as we drive our car(s) out on public roads... Out of our control, as we realize.

You're taking the negative incident very well in your mind, so I know that the situation will heal very soon. Don't put too much stress on yourself, my friend... Things are bound to get better with your positive attitude, no worries.

[Bristecom]

Yeah, a lot of people are completely negligent when it comes to looking after their car. I see so many people driving with nearly flat tires or parts hanging off their cars. I remember driving behind a Honda one time and the guy was just dragging his entire exhaust with sparks flying everywhere for about a mile until it finally just fell completely off! I mean, he had to have known about it... And that could have easily caused an accident. But yeah, sorry about your luck.

[JimmyMac]

At first I thought this was in relation to the new Toyota recall for spare tires falling off their trucks.

Anyways, that sucks. Would of been a scary site. I remember dodging furniture down the highway once. Our pickup has a chain around the spare just in case something like this happens. Hope it all gets sorted out properly for ya.

[wbradley]

That is scary and luckily you got through it relatively unscathed.

When something like that happens on the 401 in Toronto it can cause a huge chain of vehicle collisions or worse.

Then again, that's the most travelled highway in North America on a daily basis.

[Dake]

Gah - that sucks. I get so irritated at the unsecured stuff I see people hauling around on highways. I've run over aluminum step-ladders, the remains of easy chairs and more unnamed items than I can count in my old car (all because they're usually combined with heavy traffic so swerving is not an option). My only comfort is knowing I'm not on the expressway as much as I used to be at my old job, so maybe I'll go a bit longer before faced with this prospect.

Glad it was all cosmetic damage for you.

[TheGuyWithTheFireStorm]

Same thing happened to me over summer in the RSX.. Car in front of me swerved out of the way, and I was left to just run it over. It was a shredded tire from a big rig. Needed to replace my bumper as well as the plastic in the wheel well. Hope your repairs go by smoooth! And if you end up needing to replace the front bumper, ask them not to drill holes for your licence plate! (I think the front end looks a lot nicer without them)

[Cjm005]

What is it with these cars always being wrecked or damaged? My wife's car is in the shop thanks to an ass hat and 8000 worth of damage.

[whaap]

If you have already reported this to your insurance company I'm sure they will handle it as a collision loss (hitting a non-moving, fixed object). If you reported to your insurance company that another car hit it in a different lane and sent it bouncing in front of you (missile), they will handle it as a comprehensive claim. Of course the other car continued on and you didn't get his license number.

Comprehensive claims should not have any effect on your rates.

[JLMtm]

Who the f*** leaves a spare tire in the middle of a highway