My teenager daughter arrived home with this hanging off the bottom of her 2003 cavalier . I need to know a name for this part and if the car is still safe to drive. Its on the driver side front wheel and attaches to the frame on the front of the vehicle.

think im gonna use the broke part to beat her with in the future!!!



http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ9SCCGvviY/TC...%20%282%29.jpg

thanx

 

That's the equivalent of a trailing arm but I don't think it does much. They only use one on the drivers side and it's pretty easy to knock off if you drive over a curb. It attaches to the frame under the radiator which is pretty thin metal. You're going to need a welder and probably an alignment.

 

Welcome to the forum
lol my daughter just turned 16 and is so jonesing for a car...I know its situations like yours that I so have to look forward too....

 

cant be 100% but it looks like its just a "skid gaurd", basically for if and when the vehicle bottoms out protects the oil and tranny pan from getting crushed. seems to have done its job. not totally necessary if your experienced enough to see a bottom out coming. however cavaliers are pretty low to the ground a speed bump could cause a bottom out pretty easy. weld it back on bolt if possible either or should do fine. wouldnt hurt to look for leaking fluids either.

 

Probably the best thing to do about that is to take it to a welder and get it aligned. Your daughter may get caught in high curbs and humps which could make it sag even more. It might need a few cavalier parts for replacement too.