Broken struts on a car can be dangerous. A broken strut puts the car off balance. A car that is off balance can be very difficult to steer both when driving at highway speeds and when braking at any speed. Struts can be expensive to replace as it is usually a repair that has to be done in the shop.

Here are some telltale signs that a car may have broken struts:

• Stand off to the side of the car and notice whether the front end is higher or lower than the trunk area. The car should be level. If it is not, then it probably has broken struts.
• When making a turn, notice if the body of the vehicle sways toward the outer side of the turn. If it does then the struts could be broken. A car that sways toward the outer side during a turn is dangerous to drive as it is prone to rollover on its side. Make turns in both the left and right directions because sometimes only one strut is broken.
  
• Have someone watch the back of the vehicle as the driver accelerates. If the back end dips when accelerating, then the struts are probably broken. A car should always stay level when accelerating.
  
• After accelerating then slam on the brakes. A car with broken struts will have the front end dip down toward the pavement. It will also be difficult to steer the car when braking quickly.
• Drive slowly over a nice size speed bump and see if the car scrapes across the bottom of the frame. This is another sign of broken struts and it is dangerous because of the hot muffler and fuel tank.

Even a fairly new car can have broken struts. They can occur from driving across the median, over curbs, through pot holes or other rough treatment. It is a dangerous condition that can result in a serious accident especially at highway speeds or when making sharp turns.

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