City of Houston: Damage caused by potholes not our liability

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Our pothole story has plenty of you talking, and sharing with us the worst roads in the area. The question now, what happens if you car is damaged by a city street?

You do not have to look hard to find a pothole. We found one deep enough to cause hundreds of dollars to your car and you will not like who pays when that happens.

Todd Brown is driving a loaner car after an encounter with a city of Houston pothole.

"I hit it and just slam," he said.

The next hit was to Brown's wallet.

"My total expense is going to end up being around $1,400," he said.

So Brown called the city.

"I would have to get it fixed and then turn it into the city attorney and possibly be reimbursed," he said.

Houston mechanic Mike Poutous sees cars with pothole damage every week.

"The potholes are getting so big that there is no clearance," he said.

Sometimes it costs a few hundred dollars to replace a tire and rim; other times it cost much more, especially if the struts are damaged.

"A lot of times the impact will be so hard it will break this rubber and the strut, this is the top of the strut, it will shoot through and hit the hood," Poutous said.

Poutous says drivers get no relief from the city of Houston when it comes to fixing the damage.

"I have had several customers try but they have not had any success in getting the city to reimburse them for anything," he said.

The city of Houston says it is immune from liability when it comes to potholes, something that is putting Brown in an even deeper hole.

"I don't have an extra $1,400 laying around always," he said.

Mechanics say cars with low-profile tires get damaged more frequently than other and the repairs are more expensive. The best advice is to just slow down.