Thursday night, I was stopped in traffic when I was hit hard from behind in my '04 Scab. Pulled over and was in the mood to beat somebody. Then I realized that this idiot had hit me square on the hitch receiver and only put a ding in my hitch cover. He was driving a Toyota 4Runner and had pushed his front bumper up into his radiator, puncturing it, bent the fender into the driver's side tire, and broke the turn signal on that side. When we were exchanging information he was slurring his words and was walking funny. My wife smelled alcohol on his breath. Thankfully, no one was hurt. In the end, I have to thank Ford for designing a well built truck.

 

Glad you're okay. Did you call the cops on his drunken #*$?

 

We did call the cops, but since we had already exchanged info, he left and they couldn't do anything.

 

You might want to make sure the impact didn't do any hidden damage. Might want your shop to take a look at the alignment, etc. just as a precaution.

 

Alot of tow hitch impacts can result in a bent frame. Be sure to get this checked out.

 

We will be getting it checked. Thanks for the advice.

 

well i think i still would've hit him lol

 

Darn, a drunk almost nailed me the same night. Got the poor lady in the other lane, after I dodged. The ABS saved me, but not her. He went to jail, but I don't think he had any insurance, at least the cops didn't think so. No one hurt, I think. Old black Explorer totaled a newer red Cavalier. The ABS shuddered badly, but did work as I was able to steer while brakeing full on.
Hope no hidden damage on your truck,
Chris

 

I would definitely take it in for an all-over check to make sure no hidden damage was done. Before I got my '03 Expedition, I had a '99 Tahoe and was rear-ended by a van. It hit in a very similar spot, right at the hitch, so it didn't cause any damage to the Tahoe, or so I thought, but busted the van's front-end up. Well, about 4 months later I began having driveline trouble, which the mechanic attributed to a hard jolt or impact of some kind because of the type of damage that he was observing. So, I traded for a new Expedition. That was in August of '02.

 

Just took my truck in to the body shop to check it out. $600 damage, all paid by the drunk's insurance. Scratch on tailgate, replace hitch cover, replace step cover on bumper, check rss, and re-align bumper.
I'd hate to see what the damage on his totals.
Thanks everybody for the advice.

 

Just took my truck in to the body shop to check it out. $600 damage, all paid by the drunk's insurance. Scratch on tailgate, replace hitch cover, replace step cover on bumper, check rss, and re-align bumper.
I'd hate to see what the damage on his totals.
Thanks everybody for the advice.


Same thing happend to me a few days ago when a Honda Accord hit me from behind at 25mph. I thought the only thing that needed done was a bumper re-alinement but it turns out that Honda acually bent the hitch a little which will need to be replaced. So all in all, I need a bumper re-alignment and a new hitch. Estiment is 657.63 The frame was not touched the dealer said and is in perfact shape, he said the hitch took all the impact. These trucks do extreamly well in a crash though, ford did great making this truck safe and built strong!

 

I'm thinking of getting one of those hitches just for the protection. If only they didn't cost $400 +