Got rearended coming to work this morning. I was stopped when some nitwit in a Honda Civic cut off the car behind me, getting into our lane. When he realized he wasn't gonig to stop in time, he swerved to the right and laid on the brakes. His front driver side corner rode up under my passenger side rear corner.

Damage? To mine - the bumper cover is scuffed and the tailpipe is slightly bent. Couldn't see anything else but am taking it to the dealer this afternoon.

His (girlfriends) Honda? Broken headlight assembly, dented hood and fender.

I told him I had to have it looked at because it is a Hybrid and the battery pack and air conditioner and all that. Scared the crap out of him when I told him all the things that could be damaged.

I doubt anything is hurt - since the bumper cover is the grey plastic one and not the painted one like on my '05, I doubt I'll have that fixed - we'll see what the bodyshop says.

Broken ankle one week, rearended the next week, what next?

be gentle, after all he WAS driving a civic

Best fill 66.7 MPG, best tank 801.5 miles



laurie, central minnesota

nitramjr,

Silver lining is his insurance must pay. Hopefully the impact is strictly body damage, giving you a much wider choice of places that will repair your Escape. That was the case in the two times I've been rear-ended. One of those times was infront of the headquarters for Blue-Cross, Blue-Shield. Too bad they don't cover for drivers with issues.

60.3mpg lifetime - 71mpg in winter months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

I have an appointment with the body shop at the dealer where I bought it. If the damage is limited to the scuff on the bumper cover and the tailpipe, I may not even get it fixed. If the damage is more than that then I will definitely get it repaired.

I was actually quite impressed with how little the apparent damage is based on how hard he hit me. I'm just glad I didn't get pushed into the car in front of me.

Update later after the bodyshop visit.

Man, stay away from me!

Ouch, that's rough. Glad to hear the FEH seemed to have weathered it well, sucks that it happened though.

First 4WD Hypermiler

Have you read the FEH FAQ?

Live in Michigan? Let it be known in Michigan Roll Call

Not as well as I had hoped unfortunately....

I took it to the dealer body shop yesterday and was told that the shock absorbers in the bumper are collapsed and one of the bumper brackets is bent. Looking at a minimum of $600 unless they find more when they take it apart. Looks like I have to go the insurance route after all.....

Good news is no paint damage, no body damage and no hybrid parts affected.

To be continued....

That's really not too bad these days. Seems like it's a miracle if you can get out of a body shop for less than a k-buck.

Your right Steve - I have absolutely no complaints regarding how the car did in the accident. The bumper and all the underside components did their job and protected the car and the occupant. I used to be really obsessed with keeping the car all original and so forth but after seeing how well my '01 Focus got repaired after a fender-bender, I don't worry about it any more.

I am just really glad I was in the '06 which has the black plastic cover and not the '05 which has the painted bumper cover.

Insurance companies have communicated and I was found 0% at fault. The joke of an appraisal was $700 but the insurance adjuster told me that they intentionally low-ball these things to encourage you to get it repaired. He knows there will be a supplement. That means getting the appraiser to the dealer and letting them negotiate - 2-3 extra days or more without my FEH in other words.

They allowed about $500 for the bumper cover and labor. Another $200 for the new muffler/tailpipe with labor. I will keep the $200 and live with a dented and scratched exhaust rather than having them cut into the exhaust.

And the other good news, the other guys insurance is renting me a 2006 Escape - not a hybrid but it will be a good reminder of how bad the V6 is on gas.

Overall, not a horrible experience - just wish it never happened. Dealership says it will probably be a week or so drop off to pick up.