Got rear ended, where should I check for frame damage?

I got rear ended today. I was stopped and the guy hit me probably around ~10mph. The impact was squarely on the hitch and no visible damage on the bumper.

I keep hearing how these frames get bent from being hit on the hitch.

Where should I carefully check? I took a quick look at all the bumper gaps, body gap between the bed & cab, and the frame around the hitch mounting area. I don't see anything bent or uneven.

 

most of the bent frames come from having the tow hitch installed at the time, was yours?

 

get thrust angle checked

 

If it was a plastic bumper that hit you, you can still slide receiver into hitch, and hitch looks straight, I wouldn't worry.
Most collision centers will look and estimate repair cost free.

Front of car likely crumpled to absorb most of the impact's energy.

Mine was just recently hit too.

 

Check that ends of bumper didn't flex and chip paint off body panels. Happened on mine.

 

Nothing installed into the factory tow receiver so it was hit there.

Usually I have a ball mount installed but I didn't have it this time. So have a ball mount would most likely cause more damage?

 

His hood and bumper were not crumpled. It was a Chevy Trailblazer with a plastic bumper. Only his license plate bracket got bent a little.

 

I just checked and didn't see anything like that.

 

Get a professional to inspect the frame. There could be torsion or fractures and you probably wouldn't notice.

 

I would check the frame...

 

Better safe then sorry...

 

Here is a picture of the frame where the hitch attaches to.

 

yes when the tow hitch is installed into the receiver, it usually causes more damage because it is taking the hit and transferring the energy through the hitch into the frame. Most likely, your bumper did exactly what it was supposed to do and absorbed most of the energy

 

If it was that little damage to other car, I wouldn't worry at all.

 

get thrust angle checked

eyeballin it ain't gonna answer anything

 

Standard visual inspection many years ago when I was in that business consisted of something like the following. First check all the gaps where all the body panels line up. Are any of them uneven or different from one side to the other? Next is to get under the vehicle and look to see if there is any obvious kink in the frame. Next look to see if any bolts or plates have shifted. Like the body panels, don't just look near the area of impact. Energy moves through the frame and chassis and damage can occur on the opposite corner from an impact. Shifted bolts and plates will leave a telltale scuff or discoloration in the adjacent chassis black. Also look to see if your bed bolts have shifted. Again, there should be a tell tale scuff adjacent to a shifted fastener. After that get a helper and carefully square the frame with a tape measure. The corner to corner diagonal measurements should be identical.

 

I got hit last month. I was stopped at a stop sign (4-way) getting ready to turn left and this guy nailed me right as I took my foot off the brake to go. He admitted that he wasn't paying attention. He had to have been going about 30 in a 25.

You can see my rear panel bowed out. The pic doesn't do it justice as to how bad it was.

This was his car:

All that to say the damage amounted to $6K with parts and labor. My frame was unaffected. My tow hitch was toast but it took most of the impact.

 

wow.. guess I was lucky to get away with just scratches on the rear panel on mine. Had some body work on the tailgate, new taillight, and new bumper. Doing most of the work myself and have a plate bumper on order.