Traveling at low speed near a school zone, a dog crosses my path. After applying the brakes, I can't really say I hit the dog, more like it ran into me although he was struck..it wasn't even knocked off his feet and had absolutely no injury. I was very surprised at how much damage was caused to my bumper by a dog that couldn't have weighed more than 20lbs. The lower left bumper has a very noticeable split of approx 12". I mean it split in two parts, not just a hairline split. Anyone else have any experience with the flimsy quality bumper? I'm worried about the quality of the rest of the car
What split was a bumper cover. The structural components that provide crash protection are all buried underneath what is a cosmetic plastic bumper. That is the way all cars today are built. Says nothing about the quality of the rest of the car. There are places that can repair and repaint the bumper cover with flexible paint (different from what goes over the sheet metal body parts). Find such a place.
I will do just that. I'm glad to know the safety of the car isn't compromised. So disappointed my local dealer didn't offer this info when I called to ask if this was normal. Thank you!
Even so you must have hit the dog harder than you thought to split it. It's flexible to allow some deflection without damage. If it was me I would replace the bumper cover. It's not terribly expensive and it has to be painted either way. Some used covers are already painted. See the following link for example new and used covers on Ebay: "Prius v front Bumper cover" | eBay
It is SO easy to drive into or over a sidewalk curb or parking lot curb with our very low bumper/ air foil. I eased over a curb last night. When I backed out I thought the bumper was going to pull off the car. Gotta be real careful. You cannot edge up until the tires nudge the curb like with most cars.
