Hit and run while parked...

[xplorre]

So my lovely truck was parked in front of my house the other night and somebody smashed into the left rear, messed up the bedside and hit my rear tire knocking me forward about 5 ft. Bedside and left rear tail light are jacked, bumper took a tiny bit of damage. Frame is good, drives well.

Couple of questions here:

1. Because of the force my front tires turned towards the curb where my truck came to rest. Truck still tracks straight, but my steering wheel is off 10 or 15°. I gave it some hard turns left and right, nothing feels loose or out of the ordinary. I'm concerned since something obviously gave way either in the rack and pinion or in the steering wheel shaft. Can anyone advise?

2. I'm thinking of making the repairs myself, and taking the payout from insurance, I have plenty of technical know-how to do so. Are there any fun modifications I should be looking at? It would be cool to find an aluminum replacement flatbed, buying new would be cost prohibitive. I should have about $4,500 left over after the repairs.

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[awd.nv]

Man, I would have someone measure the chassis to make sure it is all still straight. Man, people suck sometimes.

This is just my guess, especially since the front bumping the curb shouldn't knock the alignment off, since it could have climbed it easily.

1: the rear axle is no longer straight, kinda looks like the tire has an impact mark on it.
2: Damage to the steering rack?

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

Definitely agree with the above… I would absolutely take it to a shop where they can put it on a rack and take measurements to make sure the chassis is straight. When it comes to damage like that, I’m not sure I’d take the risk of handling repairs myself. It could be just cosmetic OR there could be damage in spots that you can’t see. Is that a gamble you’re willing to make?

If your truck got pushed 5 feet and the alignment is off, it definitely got hit hard. Just because it drives ok now doesn’t mean a couple weeks down the road you won’t start having issues. Let’s say the frame has a tiny little crack that you can’t see or the axle was damaged, it’s only going to get worse over time until it becomes a catastrophic problem. Once you’ve taken that money from insurance, you’re on your own.

 

[NotBudule2]

I would turn that one over to insurance, might be hidden damage... plus it may start "shifting weird" and need a new transmission now that it was hit while parked...

 

[Nomad]

Xplorre,

I agree with the others—don't jump into DIY repairs just yet. A truck being shoved 5 feet while parked likely caused internal transmission damage, and that crooked steering wheel means something is definitely bent. Plus, those taillights are packed with expensive sensors, not just light bulbs.

At the very least, some baseline things to consider:

EPAS (Electronic Power-Assisted Steering) – The 15° offset is concerning. Rangers use an electric steering rack. You may likely have a bent inner/outer tie rod, or the impact sheer force damaged the internal gearing of the EPAS rack.

Rear Axle & Leaf Springs – Taking a hit to the rear tire that pushes the truck 5 feet will often shear things. Take a look at the leaf spring center pin (for a break) or the axle flange (to see if it is bent). This will cause the truck to "dog-track" down the road.

10R80 Transmission – If your Ranger was in 'Park', our lovely/problem ridden 10-speed transmission absorbed that 5-foot shove. The parking pawl inside the gearbox is likely damaged, bent, or has sent metal shavings into the pan.

BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) – You mentioned the left rear taillight is jacked. On the 2019+ Rangers, the BLIS radar module is built directly inside the taillight housing. This is an expensive part that requires dealership software (FORScan/FDRS) to recalibrate.

Fully Boxed Frame – The Ranger uses a fully boxed high-strength steel frame. It is tough, but a direct hit to the rear wheel can tweak the rear frame rails or spring hangers.

Other factors to consider:

Hidden Costs of Cash-Out – If you take the insurance payout and sign a release, you are on the hook if the transmission starts slipping in two months or if the EPAS steering rack fails at highway speeds. You need a shop to put the truck on a laser alignment rack to check the thrust angle and inspect the transmission.

Flatbed Sensor Integration – Putting an aluminum flatbed (like a UTE bed or Aluma) on a mid-size Ranger looks incredibly cool. However, you will have to custom-mount and recalibrate the rear backup camera, parking sensors, and those BLIS radar modules that currently live in your taillights. That custom fabrication and wiring will eat into your $4,500 budget very quickly.

BLUF – Get a full diagnostic sweep done by a certified collision center first. Let insurance cover the hidden mechanical damage and then decide if you want to tackle the bed replacement yourself.

Hope this helps with your decision,
NOMAD

 

[veedubtuner]

So my lovely truck was parked in front of my house the other night and somebody smashed into the left rear, messed up the bedside and hit my rear tire knocking me forward about 5 ft. Bedside and left rear tail light are jacked, bumper took a tiny bit of damage. Frame is good, drives well.

Couple of questions here:

1. Because of the force my front tires turned towards the curb where my truck came to rest. Truck still tracks straight, but my steering wheel is off 10 or 15°. I gave it some hard turns left and right, nothing feels loose or out of the ordinary. I'm concerned since something obviously gave way either in the rack and pinion or in the steering wheel shaft. Can anyone advise?

2. I'm thinking of making the repairs myself, and taking the payout from insurance, I have plenty of technical know-how to do so. Are there any fun modifications I should be looking at? It would be cool to find an aluminum replacement flatbed, buying new would be cost prohibitive. I should have about $4,500 left over after the repairs.

That sucks man, sorry that happened.

 

[AzScorpion]

I would turn that one over to insurance, might be hidden damage... plus it may start "shifting weird" and need a new transmission now that it was hit while parked...

This! When my '19 was hit it didn't look like much damage at first. When they really looked into it there was WAY more than expected and even the appraiser had said "there's most likely more further damage we still can't see" and they totaled it. With the price of parts and repairs now it doesn't take much for the costs to really add up.

 

[Fordup]

Insurance, looks like the frame is tweaked and possibly totaled.

 

[xplorre]

Excellent input all, thank you for that. You guys are a valuable resource

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Are your figures from the adjustor’s visual inspection or with additional input from a body shop?

Who knows what hidden damage there might be. Dave’s truck didn’t look too bad until they found a host of stuff at the shop. You just never know.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Dang, sorry to see that damage.

Good advice from all the above remarks.

 

[xplorre]

Are your figures from the adjustor’s visual inspection or with additional input from a body shop?

Who knows what hidden damage there might be. Dave’s truck didn’t look too bad until they found a host of stuff at the shop. You just never know.

The body shop estimate was $6k. I called this morning and told them to order the parts. I have 143k miles on it though so if they find extra issues, I could be nearing the totaled mark pretty quickly

 

[Fordup]

Be sure to have the police file a hit and run accident report. They could possibly find the culprit. The insurance company will want a copy.

 

[NotBudule2]

6k sounds way too cheap.imo..just the bedside and taillight alone would be half that...

 

[xplorre]

Police report already filed, top notch collision center made it sound like the cost may well come up depending on what they find

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