What’s the Most Catastrophic Mechanical Failure You’ve Ever Seen?
Nobody likes to think about their own twisted metal, but we’re here to swap stories, so why not.
Not to piggyback off someone else's bad day, but that new Jeep Wrangler that went kaboom after being flat-towed in 4-Low has me curious. What could be worse than that, from a mechanical standpoint? Have you ever seen the like, from grenaded transfer cases to blown-apart engine blocks? Surely someone here has a great story.
I'd also like to see pictures if you've got 'em. If you don't, it's no biggie, but you get extra internet points for showing proof.
Lucky for me, I can't say I've ever had a car do what that Jeep did. The closest I've ever come to a mishap like that was when the dump-bed frame on my '66 Ford split apart with five tons tilted toward the sky. It could've been a lot worse, seeing as it didn't jolt my truck on its side with me in the cab. Also, I just so happen to know a guy—my brother-in-law—who got me fixed in one afternoon.
I wrote an entire post about how we fixed it, and I'm getting ready to see how long it'll last as we put it to work this spring.
Enough about me and my silly trucks, though. I want to hear your stories, whether they happened at the drag strip, going down the highway, or in the backwoods somewhere. They can also be someone else's mechanical failure, like something you'd find on r/justrolledintotheshop, but make sure to include a link if that's the case.
I'll see you in the comments, along with some of my buddies from The Drive. I'm sure the Car Bibles crew has some tall tales they'd like to share, too.
Got a question or a tip? Contact the author here: caleb@thedrive.com
