[here4theb33r]

Synopsis: We were rear ended at a ridiculously low speed in the passenger rear corner. Almost no visible damage besides a small scratch and cracked reflector. Result: every warning light went off on the dash, every safety feature disabled, sunroof stopped working and the rear hatch stopped working intermittently. I removed the rear bumper and found the radar sensor bent down along w/ the bracket that holds it. I know how close the tolerances are for those, so just decided to take it in to the dealership; was shocked to hear the impact also damaged the wiring harness and soft metal that holds the radar bracket....at least $3000 to fix it. My reason for this post? I'm a little aggravated that this car was unable to take such a light impact without being so severely crippled. I get that things are designed w/ safety in mind, but this whole thing has really left me with a sour taste towards the overall design....so much so that I've considered selling the car after repair for something a little more durable. Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[SubieTim]

I’ve heard similar stories on other models. I think it’s simply a reality of having all the sensors built into the bumper. I mean, they really aren’t “bumpers” like they used to be but a continuation of the car body.

I’d be curious if you find otherwise and which models do hold up to an impact. But I feel it’s been this way since bumpers became integrated with the rest of the car body and has only become more pronounced with all the sensors built in.

(Not that I’m complaining, I prefer having the sensors but acknowledge the cost of minor incidents gets frighteningly high fast)

 

[Jim_in_PA]

It may be good to take a moment and consider how vehicles are engineered to protect the human occupants as a first priority. A key part of that strategy is to absorb impacts through "crumpling". Unfortunately, that also results in the kind of damage you describe from what could be considered a minor impact, but on a corner like that, it can result in more stuff behind the scenes as you describe.

If everything were engineered to be stiff and hard so these impacts bounced off, folks would at a minimum be visiting their chiropractors after even minor accidents or worse...

The good news is that it can be fixed and insurance should take care of things. And with a rear-end like that, the party that hit you is responsible in almost all cases.

 

[AgentK]

Our old 2010 Toyota Corolla was also rear ended twice, both were same exact scenario, both times the driver behind us stopped and when he thought we moved forward he advanced to the visibility line of the intersection, except we didn’t went on yet. Keep in mind the Corolla had no sensors at all in the rear bumper, no proximity, blind spot, radars, nothing. Both times there were a few scratches on the plastic bumper but nothing too bad, if insurance wasn’t paying for it I bet most folks would just leave it be, first time the bill was 3500$, second time was 1000$ for non eom parts. These bumpers are not meant for bumping, they just cover the unibody which is also not meant for bumping but rather to distribute the forces to keep the occupants safe.

 

[Ruben Marin]

Unfortunately low speed impact testing is done with head on impacts not corner impacts as you mentioned, it would be hard to quantify how well any vehicle would do in that scenario. Especially given most subarus do well in the low speed impact tests, but again those are done head on not at an angle.

 

[Titanrx8]

@here4theb33r good luck finding any car, SUV, pickup that won't have expensive damage from even minor collisions.

In the 70's when the govt mandated energy absorbing bumpers that would keep lighting and safety equipment intact after minor impacts, the front bumpers were rated for 5 mph and the rears only 2.5mph. Essentially nothing more than parallel parking "by feel".

 

[rfuree11]

I'm an auto appraiser for an insurance company. Every car, if they get hit in the area of that radar sensor, is going to be expensive to fix. The reason the radar units are mounted there is because there tends to be a decent sized cavity behind the bumper with plenty of room to mount it. It won't work correctly if any metal is blocking it, so it needs to be exposed. So between the bumper, the radar unit, fixing the lower quarter panel, calibrations, scans, paint and materials, that sounds about right.

 

[Cosmo]

Wow.

 

[Scoobydoo]

I'm not surprised at all. It's not just a Subaru thing either, most cars with the sensors and other safety features can rack up expensive bills with minimal aesthetic damage.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Synopsis: We were rear ended at a ridiculously low speed in the passenger rear corner. Almost no visible damage besides a small scratch and cracked reflector. Result: every warning light went off on the dash, every safety feature disabled, sunroof stopped working and the rear hatch stopped working intermittently. I removed the rear bumper and found the radar sensor bent down along w/ the bracket that holds it. I know how close the tolerances are for those, so just decided to take it in to the dealership; was shocked to hear the impact also damaged the wiring harness and soft metal that holds the radar bracket....at least $3000 to fix it. My reason for this post? I'm a little aggravated that this car was unable to take such a light impact without being so severely crippled. I get that things are designed w/ safety in mind, but this whole thing has really left me with a sour taste towards the overall design....so much so that I've considered selling the car after repair for something a little more durable. Anyone else have a similar experience? View attachment 15383

As you know, your rear radar sensor is in that corner, and it got hit VERY hard (in relation to its lack of protection) from the flex in the plastic. It's a vital part of your safety systems.

Sadly, it MUST be unprotected like that, because radar doesn't go through objects very well. Because of that, its harness, metal mount and of course the sensor itself, can be damaged by even slight impacts.

Neither your Ascent, nor its design, is to blame - the person who hit you is.

 

[mtmra70]

I do find it interesting that a light tap to the corner of the bumped causes the sun roof to stop functioning....

 

[here4theb33r]

@here4theb33r good luck finding any car, SUV, pickup that won't have expensive damage from even minor collisions.

Not a fair comparison at all, but I drive a newer 3/4 ton pickup that I guarantee would've fared much better. Again, apples and oranges. I get everyone's points and sincerely appreciate the input, but I still can't get over how much this affected the whole car. I should show you guys a video of the dash cluster, it's literally lit up like a Christmas tree. Not to mention looking at the bumper itself, you'd never imagine that was $3000+ to fix.

 

[RobertD]

I had the opposite happen. I was hit in the left rear and I was rather surprised there was not any sensor damaged.

 

[TSiWRX]

I get everyone's points and sincerely appreciate the input, but I still can't get over how much this affected the whole car. I should show you guys a video of the dash cluster, it's literally lit up like a Christmas tree. Not to mention looking at the bumper itself, you'd never imagine that was $3000+ to fix.

Modern vehicles really are like this, unfortunately.

I tried the slightly-overwattage mod on the headlights of my '13 Tribeca, and the dash lit up in this same Christmas Tree pattern.

There's so many systems that are interconnected or otherwise related, it can be quite a head-scratcher, sometimes.

 

[dcyvr]

It also doesn't help that US regulations halved the bumper standard in the late 80s.

Canada only followed suit in 2009.

They were used to be for protecting the vehicle, now they're designed mainly to protect pedestrians.

History of the standard:

Bumper (car) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[leky411]

The Subaru disables all its safety systems when there is an error in the system. That is just how the ECU works. $3000 is at dealership shop rates. Not all that surprising. My wife's Sonata got tapped in the rear quarter by someone reversing from a parking spot less that 5mph and a small dent/scratch and it cost $2500 at a body shop with no sensors or anything needing to be replaced because of blending, a bent bumper bracket, and having to remove the glass and so on. The car that did it was a BMW X3 for reference since Mass and angle have some affect on damage. I gouged the tailgate being stupid and it cost me $800. It's also a unibody SUV not a pickup truck. Getting hit and what damage happens is just the luck of the draw.

 

[justmatt]

May I suggest never looking at buying a Tesla! Same impact may have totaled the vehicle.

 

[tdelker]

Getting damage repaired at the dealer is like going to the emergency room without insurance. The cost is crippling! If you go through your car insurance, they will negotiate the rates at the facility, and the bill will drop dramatically. Not sure why we can't get decent consumer direct pricing in either senario!

 

[xydadx3]

Getting damage repaired at the dealer is like going to the emergency room without insurance. The cost is crippling! If you go through your car insurance, they will negotiate the rates at the facility, and the bill will drop dramatically. Not sure why we can't get decent consumer direct pricing in either senario!

The healthcare aspect of insurance you spoke about baffles me every time I see an EOB. Provider bills $65billion, Insurance pays $0.23, Customer owes $0...unless customer doesn't have insurance, then customer owes $65billion

 

[leky411]

The healthcare aspect of insurance you spoke about baffles me every time I see an EOB. Provider bills $65billion, Insurance pays $0.23, Customer owes $0...unless customer doesn't have insurance, then customer owes $65billion

Uninsured usually has a different rate. It would be 30billion and bankruptcy. Insurance billing vs what is approved is a cat and mouse game at this point.