Driving into a good-sized pothole will not only rattle your teeth and spill your coffee, it can do some serious damage to your tires and wheels, as well as your steering and suspension components. Potholes can knock your wheels out of alignment too.

The folks in the next country up know a thing or two about these car-crunching road caves, so Car Care Canada put together a list of symptoms you might notice after making contact with a pothole.

1) Loss of control / swaying when making routine turns / bouncing or bottoming-out: These are warning signs that your vehicle’s steering and suspension may have been damaged. The key components are the shocks and/or struts, the steering knuckle, ball joints, the steering rack/box, bearings, seals and hub units and tie rod ends.

2) Pulling in one direction: Instead of maintaining a straight path, your car wants to drift in one direction of the other. This could mean your wheels have been knocked out of proper alignment.

3) Uneven tire wear: This sign may take a little longer to appear, but tires that wear unevenly or prematurely may be another indication that your wheels are misaligned.

4) Bulges or blisters on the sidewalls of your tires / dents in the rim: These problems are easy to spot. Any damage to a tire, especially in the sidewall, should be inspected by a tire professional immediately as it can lead to a blowout and loss of vehicle control.

And here are a few suggestions to help you avoid the full brunt of pothole damage.

1) Keep your tires properly inflated. The air or nitrogen within the tires will provide at least some protection for your vehicle.

2) Leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the car in front of you. You’ll have more time to react safely to damaged roads.

3) Before swerving to avoid a pothole, make absolutely sure your evasive action won’t cause an accident. Always be aware of the other cars around you.

4) If you can’t avoid a pothole, try to slow down before you hit it. The faster you’re driving when you hit the hole, the more damage you’re likely to do to your car.

5) Don’t slam on the brakes while you’re directly over the pothole. That will cause your car’s weight to shift to the front of the wheel, which may cause more damage.

Need help with a pothole-battered vehicle? Click here to contact the Mountin View Tire location nearest you.