Potholes are a hazard on many American roadways. According to the 2021 Infrastructure Report Card by the American Society of Civil Engineers, about 40% of the country’s roads are in poor condition. Much of that decay is attributable to a lack of upkeep, weather events, and the sheer amount of roads in the country that require maintenance.
Road damage is dangerous for a few reasons. First, if one is driving on a poorly maintained road at a high speed, one may hit a bump or pothole. This can cause them to lose control of their vehicle. It could result in injuries to themselves or those around them. Second, a bad enough road can cause significant damage to a vehicle.
As a mechanic, TikTok user Brandon (@mopartechbrando) is well aware of the damage that a bad road can cause. Still, he found himself surprised at just how poorly this 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee allegedly took a pothole. He shared his shock in a video with over 95,000 views.
What happened to this Jeep Grand Cherokee?
In his video, Brandon shows a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee that’s been lifted into the air.
“Customer states that the vehicle is sitting on its butt, basically really low in the rear after hitting a big pothole,” he starts.
As the video progresses, Brandon shows the underside of the vehicle, noting that the car has an air suspension. While everything looks normal at first, he eventually gets to the rear of the car. At this point, he discovers something startling about the air suspension on one of the wheels.
“Looks like the bag blew out and it’s dragging up on the axle here,” he says, showing an air suspension bag with a significant hole in it. “You don’t really see this too often, but it’s gonna need a new bag and it’s gonna probably—I’m gonna check the line, [it] might need a new line.”
The damage is so significant, in fact, that Brandon expresses some skepticism about what actually caused the damage.
“Yeah, buddy, I think you hit a pothole or something,” he shares. “I don’t know what the h*** you hit, but that’s pretty bad.”
How common are popped air suspension bags?
While air suspension bag pops aren’t unheard of for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, they do not appear to be especially common, even though there are several reports of people having issues with their suspension.
In the comments sections of posts on various social media surrounding the issue, users claim that fixes like these are relatively easy and low-cost for an avid DIYer, as the parts and labor involved are comparatively minimal.
That said, more expensive fixes are definitely possible depending on the severity of the accident, as Brandon himself writes in the caption of his video that this will likely be “a pricey fix.”
In general, air springs, as they are sometimes called, are fairly durable, with most lasting between 80,000 and 100,000 miles.
@mopartechbrando Customer States he hit a pothole… Yeah right lol. 24 Jeep Grand Cherokee, will be a pricey fix. #foryoupage #mechanic #jeep #grandcherokee #broken ♬ original sound – Brandon
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users expressed their surprise that such significant damage occurred as a result of a pothole hit, with a few claiming that such damage was a result of the poor quality of Jeep vehicles.
“That airbag looks like something you’d see on a little tikes or fisher price toy,” wrote a user.
“Isn’t jeep supposed to be like ‘off-road rated’ and it can’t take a pothole hit?” asked another.
“The air bags on these new gens are GARBAGE,” declared a third. “Cannot tell you how many people I know have had theirs fail under completely normal use.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Stellantis via email and Brandon via TikTok comment.
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