Hurricane Katrina was a national tragedy. It killed thousands and destroyed New Orleans. Within all this destruction, flood damage cars have emerged from their watery tombs and have started to appear on the used car market.

It is estimated that as many as half a million hurricane cars may have been restored to one degree or another and are being offered for sale.

Aren't flooded cars and water damaged trucks a danger to the consumers? How can unscrupulous people buy flooded cars, restore and sell them? Technically there are no laws to prevent this practice although the seller is supposed to disclose the vehicle's history. Not surprisingly, however, most sellers are not anxious to admit that the car on which they are trying to make a profit sat under water for weeks. Consumers need to be aware of the potential risks of driving such a vehicle and of the ways to spot a potential "Katrina car."

Issues of Driving a Flood-Damaged Car

The section of the car that suffers the most from flood damage is the electrical circuitry. In modern cars, microchips have replaced many of the functions of their mechanical predecessors and quite sensitive to water damage. For instance, in many cases when a flood car is restored, the air bag will not be changed. Due to water damage to the sensors that detect an impact, the air bag will, in all likelihood, not deploy during an accident. This is a potentially fatal flaw not just for the driver but for passengers.

Water damage cars also present a risk of fire due to the compromised nature of the circuitry. Unless the car has been completely rewired, the potential for multiple shorts throughout the vehicle's systems is high. A short in the wrong place can easily cause a fire or cause cascading damage throughout the engine.

Almost all of these cars will have rust on the frame or will develop it in the near future. Rust on a vehicle is insidious, causing extensive damage over time by eating into the frame and engine parts. If the underside of the car looks as if it's just received a coat of paint, it probably has - to hide the rust.

Continue to: Factors to Consider When You Buy Flood Damage Cars

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Watch Out for Hurricane Damaged Cars

Issues of Driving a Flood-Damaged Car

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