I have a 2001 Accord sedan. A few weeks ago, I slid into a curb at maybe around 10 mph, since then the car has pulled to the left along with some very wobbly steering.

I took it in to a shop for an alignment and the mechanic pointed out that the driver side tire is about an inch closer to the fender than the passenger side, and the stabilizer link is at an angle (like the sway bar is still in the correct position, but the lower control arm has moved towards the fender).

They decided the problem was a bent strut and replaced those on both sides, but the car is still in exactly the same condition. After looking over it more myself, the lca doesn't appear to be bent, but it is at an angle where it's bolted into the frame.

Any advice for what to look for to find what needs to be replaced? Since the lca is angled, I'm assuming that bushing is shot and the lca needs to be replaced at the least. Is it possible that this is the only problem? Or is it more likely that everything directly bolted to the arm is bent as well?

I'll post some pictures soon when I get back under it to look for signs of the subframe shifting.

Didn't see anything that would look like the subframe moved.





Control arm shifted at frame





Link leaning forward over arm





Full view

 

Nothing?

My main concern with replacing or fixing the control arm is that the front sway bar will no longer line up and connect with it. Will I be able to adjust where the sway bar is after I've unbolted everything?

 

I can already see atleast the lower control arm is bent so quite possibly everything that touches it is bent. It might be best to try to find another car at a junkyard and strip everything on that side away and swap it over to your car. Some of your pics are too zoomed in to see the entire component to know if it's bent but it's likely they are. It's likely there is no frame damage but I can't rule it out. However it doesn't look like the damage was entirely catastrophic.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

If the sway bar isn't meant to follow the control arm like that and needs to be replaced as well, I think I'll just take it back to the shop and let them deal with it over the weekend.

I need to make a somewhat long drive Monday, so I doubt I'd have time to get over the learning curve and do all of that myself by then :/

 

*don't you love it when a forum eats a post?*

Depending on where the "wheel is pushed towards fender" will tell you what may be damaged. Best way to visually diagnose these problems is to get the car on a lift high enough to get under and look at the attachment points of the suspension links and the subframe or 'beams' as Honda labels them.

Radius rod locates the wheel fore/aft. These are very strong pieces and will most likely not bend but will break. If the replacement is the same length and shape as the original, then the RR is most likely fine and it is the front attachment point that is at fault. Either from a loose nut, damaged bushings, or the front beam has been shunted back.

Lower control arms locate the wheel laterally. These are usually malleable and can be bent/twisted, same with the knuckles. Less likely to snap in twine but can happen in a sever enough impact.

Upper control arms will have less control in locating where the wheel is in situ, but does control the camber/caster curves. Unless the car sustained a massive impact or the upper wheel sustained an impact, there is less likely to be any damage/distortion done to the upper arms.

Attachment points.
Radius rods are attached to the front of the car at the Front Beam, this is the same method used on 90-02 Accords. 98-02 cars are slightly different as the front beam(#9) is C shaped and attaches directly to the rear beam(#1) with bolts(#23 in the below shot). After an impact that is hard enough to move the wheel fore/aft, check that the beams have not been shifted. Look for witness marks at the four major attaching bolts(#20/#32). The large rubber isolators(#10) used will allow for some misalignment so look for other damage, clean spots of metal/paint now exposed, deformed bushings, etc.

In a front impact what may happen is the wheel hits the curb and stops, vehicle body is still in motion and pulls on the radius rod attached to the front lower control arm, these compononets are strong enough and the force is transmitted up into the chassis through the front beam, pulling it backwards.

Look for deformation in the front beam 'legs' that attach to the rear beam.

A proper frame shop would be able to pull up the correct areas and dimensions to check for any bends. If you have a plumb bob, you can hang it from the attachment bolts(#20/#23) kitty-corner and verify they are still square.

 

Thanks for all the info Mike! Sorry I was ambiguous. If you're facing the driver side wheel, it is about an inch further to the right (closer to the door) compared to the passenger side wheel. My nautical terms are a little rusty, but I'm guessing that's the fore/aft direction.

I didn't see any signs of shifting from bolt 23. I did notice some bluish markings on the sides of the front beam, but nothing that they could have rubbed against to cause the marks. I need to check out bolt 20.

If bolt 32 is what attaches the rear rod (connected to the lca by the stabilizer link), then I don't think that has moved.

 

#32 holds up the rear beam, which contains the rack and pinion and front sway bar. These will not affect the wheels location.

You will need to look forward to the front beam #9. The radius rod attaches there, and it is most likely pulled rearward from the impact. That is most likely where the damage is.

 

Would it be fair to assume that I didn't bend one of the beams from a low speed curb hit? Most likely I damaged the bushings of the radius rod and lower control arm?

 

It's possible it didn't. They are fairly strong but it just depends.

 

As Manny said, depends.
In the past members have simply shifted their beams, others have twisted/distorted the beam. Look for distorted sheetmetal on the front beam, it should be symmetrical. There was a member a few years back that actually disclocated and ripped out the cups where the front radius rod bushings attached to.

 

Just got the car back from the shop, and still no fixes. The guy said it looks like the "trail rod" is bent and he would have to order a new one from Honda.