Insurance and Offroading

Alright people I searched everywhere and could not find a thread addressing this. I can sum it up in one question:

Will an insurance company pay to fix your truck if you crash it/roll it/F**k it up while offroading out in the woods/desert/etc... ??????

One of my buddies at work told me that his friend bough a new F150 and took it offroad, crashed it into the side of a hill (rolled it) and the insurance company wouldn't pay. Ouch !!!!!!

So what are your thoughts...this should be a good discussion


Oh, and please bring up a specific situation if you've experiance one and let us know how it went...should we just keep quite about how it really happened or be honest (don't want insurance fraud issues).

Thanks!

 

Honestly I don't know the answer but i'd sure like to since I do do some wheelin'. subscribed.

 

I have Geico and I just reviewed my contract, it does not mention anything about not being covered off-road etc. I've been meaning to call about atv insurance and to see how much they want to cover custom accessories.

 

My buddy rolled his 99' tacoma in the desert and insurance covered it all.

Granted, his premiums went up, but it was covered. I'll have to ask who his company is.

 

x2 on the Geico renewal -- I don't do anything serious, but would be good to know if they would cover it...

 

It depends on the insurance company and the situation.

I knew a guy who sank his tacoma in a huge mud hole (we told him NOT to do it). He tried to start it (BAD IDEA) and he bent a rod & trashed his engine which totalled his truck. His insurance company covered the whole thing.
To be completely honest - I don't know what he told them.

I've had other folks be denied of coverage.

Personally, if my husband and I could fix everything ourselves, I'd never contact the insurance company. If someone was hurt by it or the vehicle was a real mess, yeah - I'd contact them. But I wouldn't expect much and I'd probably end up begging and bitchen to get some financial assitance in making repairs. That's another reason why we wheel another rig - my daily driver stays at home and safe.

I would highly recommend NOT lying to the insurance company about what happens in order to get coverage. A cousin of mine (who was an art teacher at the time) lied about a snowmobile accident to claim coverage. A few years later....someone got wind of it and it was plastered all over the area newspapers. He lost his job and rather embarrassing situation.

 

I know a guy who sunk his nearly new and modded FJ in a creek nearby- He told his insurance company that he was driving on a logging road and get stuck in an area of running water. (All technically true because it was a numbered/labeled road) They covered his loss- but specifically mentioned that his policy did NOT cover off roading damage.

You gotta read the WHOLE policy to make sure you are covered or find out what your limits are.

 

Can you find out what insurance company?

 

From my Geico policy....

EXCLUSIONS
When The Physical Damage Coverages Do Not Apply ​

1. An auto used to carry goods for hire is not covered.

2. Loss due to war is not covered. ​

3. We do not cover loss to a non-owned auto when used by the insured in the auto business.

4. There is no coverage for loss caused by and limited to wear and tear, freezing, mechanical or electrical breakdown or failure, unless that damage results from a covered theft.

5. Tires, when they alone are damaged by collision, are not covered.

6. Loss due to radioactivity is not covered.

7. Loss to any tape, wire, record disc or other medium for use with a device designed for the recording and/or reproduction of sound is not covered.

8. We do not cover loss to any radar or laser detector.

9. We do not cover trailers when used for business or commercial purposes with vehicles other than private passenger, farm or utility autos.

10. We do not cover any physical damage to an auto being driven in or preparing for any racing, speed, or demolition contest or stunting activity of any nature whether or not prearrange or organized.

11. There is no coverage for loss that results from nuclear exposure or explosion including resulting fire, radiation or contamination.​

12. There is no coverage for loss that results from bio-chemical attack or exposure to bio-chemical agents.

13. We do not cover loss for custom parts or equipment unless the existence of those custom parts or equipment has been previously reported to us and an endorsement to the policy has been added.

14. There is no coverage for any liability assumed under any contract or agreement.

15. There is no coverage for loss or damage resulting from:

(a) The acquisition of a stolen vehicle;

(b) Any governmental, legal or other action to return a vehicle to its legal, equitable, or beneficial owner, or any claiming an ownership interest in the vehicle;

(c) Any confiscation, seizure or impoundment of a vehicle by governmental authorities; or
(d) The sale of an owned auto.​

16. There is no coverage for the destruction, impoundment, confiscation or seizure of a vehicle by governmental or civil authorities due to its use by you, a relative or a permissive user of the vehicle in illegal activity.

17. We do not cover loss that results from the operation of a non-owned auto or temporary substitute auto that is designed for use principally off public roads that is not registered for use on public roads.​

18. There is no coverage for any vehicle used to carry persons for compensation or a fee. However, a vehicle used in an ordinary car pool on a ride sharing or cost sharing basis is covered.

 

Not that this helps much, but I thought it was interesting - when I was in England I contacted my provider about insurance (I was more concerned about the liability of injuring somebody than the value of the vehicle). They told me that I was covered, as long as I wasn't being timed (eg doing a special event against the clock).

 

I knew about Radar detectors cause while getting a quote a few years back shopping for lower rates, I checked the box that I had one and they turned me down for a policy due to the fact that owning a Radar detector showed cause that I had a tendency to disregard speed laws.

As far as the others above, looks like a call is in order because the way I read it only a box stock vehicle is covered and they could even claim that the options you had chosen when you bought the truck could be considered "Custom"

 

They don't cover loss to a radar detector if it is damaged while in your vehicle, it doesn't mean that they won't cover your vehicle if you had a radar detector in it when it got damaged. I have never been asked if I had one, but I guess a company could deny you coverage if they ask about it when you first purchase their policy.

All items/options that come on the vehicle from the factory are covered and not considered custom. If you have a JLB stereo upgrade in your truck it is covered, but adding your own aftermarket stereo system is not unless you added it to your policy.

Depending on your coverage, tires are not covered when they are the only thing damaged in a collision or damaged due to road hazards (which is why tire dealers offer extended coverage warranties), but they are covered when damaged due to vandalism.

I didn't post the specifics on what is covered and when, it is just too much information and it varies on your insurance and your coverage. I suggest everyone review the specifics on your own policies if you don't know what is covered and in what circumstances. I posted from my policy only as an example as to the wording of some exclusions.


Still curious if anyone has found a policy that does not cover off-roading...?

 

One of my clients crashed their truck while in the desert. He wasn't technically "racing", but just out having fun offroading. The insurance company paid the claim, but fixed his truck back to OEM condition, rather than replacing all the aftermarket equipment.

Some insurance companies offer up to $1k (this number varies by company) worth of custom equipment without it being endorsed, but it needs to be permanently installed. You just gotta have some kind of proof that you owned whatever you are trying to get paid for. (receipts, etc..)

 

Whatever you do, if you roll it or otherwise crash it wheelin, don't walk back home or to a bar or wherever & report it stolen. That would be completely wrong. No, I've never done it so spare me.

 

Depending on exactly what you were going over, under or through the above could be used justify a denial

 

my brother hit a submerged log on a dirt road, the ins said they'd cover it but it would be considered an atfault accident and his rates would skyrocket. His rates were already high. so he just fixed it himself around $2000. oh it blew his airbags bent rims and steering components. best part, it was a smart car, ya seriously he was keeping up to 2 tacos and a jeep with a smart!!!!

 

Welcome to TW.


Thats an amazing story..

 

as an insurance agent, i would have to say that it is covered, however i think if you take your truck someplace and do things with it that could cause it to rollover or otherwise get totalled your asking to be cancelled, you would be hit with an at fault accident and if your rates go up dont complain.
personally i feel that if you want to do thoes kinds of activities you should buy a used old heap and fix it up for off road use.

in short, insurance policies were not designed to cover stupidity on trails, therefore they are not priced accordingly to take on that additional risk. racing your vehicle is never covered on any insurance policy and neither is coverage while committing a crime. so if your running from the cops and total your car your out of luck!