Here's What Can Happen When You Drive Over a Loose Manhole Cover

New fear unlocked.

Photo by: Garage 54

By: Anthony Alaniz

Jun 1, 2025 at 10:00am ET

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Manhole covers are designed to stay in place, with their round shape preventing them from falling in. But they can become dislodged in certain situations, creating a huge danger to cars. How big a hazard? A new Garage 54 video finds out by running a couple of cars over a loose manhole cover at different speeds, and it’s not good.

The final run was the most brutal, with the Lexus ES hitting the loose cover at over 40 miles per hour. The front tire caused the cover to bounce upward, hitting the rear tire. It dented the rear rim before going under the tire and jumping into the rear bumper cover, partially ripping it off the sedan.

The crash didn’t total the vehicle, but it caused quite a bit of damage that’d be a headache for any owner to repair. The earlier runs resulted in several damaged tires and dented rocker panels, but none compared to the last.

You’d think you wouldn’t have to worry about loose manhole covers on today’s roads, but accidents do occur. In 2021, a bus in Queens, New York, hit a manhole with a loose cover. The front of the bus launched several feet into the air before slamming back down and colliding with a parked car. Nine people were hurt, which should be a good reminder to watch the road.