Hit a deer: Looking for advice on damage

awhitebronco

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Hey everyone,

I was coming home last night on the interstate, went to pass a tractor-trailer on the right that was going 5 under the speed limit, was driving beside him, and saw a deer (who had been hit just a minute or so before I got there) laying in the fast line. I just shut my eyes and braced myself.

The car was fine; tough evening, but I got home and noticed there was minimal front-end damage. It looks like the only real issue here (right now) is the Active Grille Shutters on one side were completely destroyed. I can't tell by the picture, but I'm also a little worried about radiator damage. I had about 25 mins left on my drive when I hit the poor guy. I kept an eye on the temp gauges, and everything was okay; everything ran and sounded fine the rest of the way.

I have a 2021 Sport Big Bend. Here's the damage. I was wondering:

1) Is it necessary to take care of the Active Grille Shutters immediately?

2) Does anyone think there is additional damage here I should be worried about that goes beyond cosmetic and could affect overall performance and routine operation?

TIA.

Ford Bronco Sport Hit a deer: Looking for advice on damage IMG_0995
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Idahobro

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Hey everyone,

I was coming home last night on the interstate, went to pass a tractor-trailer on the right that was going 5 under the speed limit, was driving beside him, and saw a deer (who had been hit just a minute or so before I got there) laying in the fast line. I just shut my eyes and braced myself.

The car was fine; tough evening, but I got home and noticed there was minimal front-end damage. It looks like the only real issue here (right now) is the Active Grille Shutters on one side were completely destroyed. I can't tell by the picture, but I'm also a little worried about radiator damage. I had about 25 mins left on my drive when I hit the poor guy. I kept an eye on the temp gauges, and everything was okay; everything ran and sounded fine the rest of the way.

I have a 2021 Sport Big Bend. Here's the damage. I was wondering:

1) Is it necessary to take care of the Active Grille Shutters immediately?

2) Does anyone think there is additional damage here I should be worried about that goes beyond cosmetic and could affect overall performance and routine operation?

TIA.

Ford Bronco Sport Hit a deer: Looking for advice on damage IMG_0995
well, not sure about the shutters, but I can tell you if you don't have anything leaking from your radiator, you should be good there. I'd make sure there isn't any shutter material lodged in the radiator fins as it might eventual wear through. I wouldn't worry about a few of the thin metal fins on the radiator being bent over.

Probably good to make sure the damage to the shutters isn't causing them to bind. I assume there is a motor of some sort hooked up to them, so a bind would likely fry it.
 
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awhitebronco

awhitebronco

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well, not sure about the shutters, but I can tell you if you don't have anything leaking from your radiator, you should be good there. I'd make sure there isn't any shutter material lodged in the radiator fins as it might eventual wear through. I wouldn't worry about a few of the thin metal fins on the radiator being bent over.

Probably good to make sure the damage to the shutters isn't causing them to bind. I assume there is a motor of some sort hooked up to them, so a bind would likely fry it.
It took me a while to find that the Active Shutters were the part with the damage. I was worried it was that entire front-end assembly, which surprisingly has no damage.

I reached out to my dealer, and they told me the Shutters are for fuel economy and not to rush on them. I don't drive it much, I work from home, so there is no real issue there.

I still will get it taken in to make sure of no additional damage to the radiator. Thanks for the help!
 

Meanderthal

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What you see beyond the shutters is probably the A/C condenser, not the radiator. You should check and be sure the A/C is still working properly, even though it is the middle of winter.
 

RSH

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The first question is are you ok? After the emotion and adrenaline wear off, yout body may stiffen up.
As for the BS, you should get it checked out just in case there is something that's not readily visible that could potentially cause an issue. There are so many plastic parts that can be damaged or fail, better safe than sorry.
 


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awhitebronco

awhitebronco

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What you see beyond the shutters is probably the A/C condenser, not the radiator. You should check and be sure the A/C is still working properly, even though it is the middle of winter.
Will do. I am planning to take it over to my dealer this week and make sure everything is ok with it.
 
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awhitebronco

awhitebronco

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The first question is are you ok? After the emotion and adrenaline wear off, yout body may stiffen up.
As for the BS, you should get it checked out just in case there is something that's not readily visible that could potentially cause an issue. There are so many plastic parts that can be damaged or fail, better safe than sorry.
Thanks for asking! I am okay, I didn't sleep very well last night but I am doing alright right now. Surprisingly I wasn't super sore this morning. Just more down in the dumps.

I am gonna have it checked out this week to make sure there is no serious damage that could stem from this. Right now, that's my biggest concern.
 

Tigger

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I agree with your plan to take it to your dealership or a trusted auto body shop. My son hit a goose on the interstate. We thought no damage because no leaks and looked fine on front. It turns out it did damage underneath that cost over $1500 to fix.
Also, if damaged, let your insurance know soon. They are not trusting when you say something happened last week
 
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awhitebronco

awhitebronco

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I agree with your plan to take it to your dealership or a trusted auto body shop. My son hit a goose on the interstate. We thought no damage because no leaks and looked fine on front. It turns out it did damage underneath that cost over $1500 to fix.
I didn't notice any underside damage, luckily it seems the skid plate did what it needed to do there.

But I'd much rather be safe than sorry.
 

Escape2Bronco

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Here we are all adding larger tires and lifts for off road or the curbs at the mall. Never even considered the errant dead deer laying in the middle of the road.
Glad you are ok! The Bronco can be fixed. Also, don’t wash it or remove any of the deer hair as they want to see that to verify it was a deer strike and not a large rock at the mall parking lot.
 


CallMeBill

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I hit a Pronghorn back in May and really only saw the same as you, Active Grille Shutters but I also had the Adaptive Cruise light come on and say it wasn't working. Ended up taking it to collision shop as part of insurance claim and they showed me all the damage that was done behind the grille that you cant see. Radiator supports, 360+ unit (between the active shutters left & right.). Didnt think it was that bad until they took the front end off. My .02 is for you to get it checked out.

Edit: original estimate was approx $1800. Supplemental ended up being another $2500 on top of that.
 
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PaulOinMA

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Ran over a raccoon in my '97 VW Passat GLX wagon. Took out plastic parts and the radiator. Learned that the core is metal and the upper and lower parts are plastic these days.

Damn, raccoons are SLOW! ?

Asked at my dealer back then, Flemington (NJ) Porsche/Audi/BMW/VW where they get body work done. Place right by my house. They had a row of BMWs. I inquired. All in for touch up. Both new from shipping and trade-ins.
 
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SapphireCat

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I hit a deer going 45 in my 2002 Dodge Stratus about 15 years ago. I thought all I'd done is busted the headlight; at that speed however, mechanic told me I had pretty much stripped all the gears out of my transmission. Thus that was the death that car. Definitely have a trusted mechanic go through your entire vehicle, not just where you think there could be damage. My transmission got me home that night. It did not get me to work the next day.

P.S. - Glad you are okay!
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