Is It Safe as Long as the Car Doesn't Stall When Driving Through Water?
2 Answers
If the car doesn't stall when driving through water, it indicates the engine is functioning normally. Here are some precautions when driving through flooded areas: Observe the water conditions: Pay attention to the water depth. Watch other vehicles currently driving through the water to assess whether your vehicle can pass safely based on their water level and position. Check the road surface: By observing previous vehicles that have crossed, identify shallow areas and sections without potholes. Driving through water: Always maintain low speed. For manual transmission vehicles, depending on the water depth, it's recommended to use second or third gear. In cases of deep water or heavy traffic, use first gear. Avoid pressing the accelerator pedal hard—accelerating is the least advisable action. Many drivers, fearing stalling, press the accelerator hard and drive quickly, which often causes more problems.
That's not entirely accurate. Last time I helped a neighbor inspect a water-damaged car, I learned this the hard way. Although the engine didn't stall, indicating the air intake wasn't submerged, water might have entered through the transmission vent during flooding, mixing with transmission fluid to form emulsion. What's more dangerous are the hidden potholes underwater - when the chassis took a hard hit, there was no immediate abnormal noise, but two days later we discovered the front subframe had deformed causing steering deviation. After last year's heavy rain, I handled three vehicles that had driven through floodwater without stalling, only to have their wheel speed sensors short-circuit causing ABS false alarms - these actually proved more troublesome to repair than vehicles that had stalled.
