Hit a deer

Hey guys, hope this is appropriate forum. Quick question regarding those more knowledgeable of 3rd Gen bodywork.

I live in East TN near a lake, WMA, and a bunch of public land so we have a pretty big deer problem. Last night hit one broadside at about 15mph. Deer bounced off and ran away.

Just curious what ya'll would do with this damage. My truck (2019 TRD OR 6-spd) stays outside and I off-road, hike with dogs, etc so not easy on it. Plan on keeping it until it's no longer reliable. Deductible is $500. The driver's side hood line looks about a mm wider than the passenger's side which just worries me that there's core support or bumper damage, but it's very minor. Otherwise just some busted clips. If its $2k+ to repair I'd file a claim but at the same time if it's just a few clips and then not worrying about the very mild hood alignment I'll just fix it myself.

 

personally, i'd drive it like it is. only noticeable super close and even then only if you are looking for it. but thats just me.

can't really see the other side of the hood to see the gap on that side and how much it may have shifted, but from the one angle, it doesn't look too bad.

 

Check your headlight tabs too.. they tend to break easily

 

thanks, here's the other side. I measured and the gap on driver's side (where the deer's shoulders hit) is 1mm wider. Barely noticeable but present.



Kind of inclined to fix the clips and drive as is; I don't plan on selling the truck anytime soon but at the same time if it's a few $k repair it would make sense to file a claim for resale value..

 

Are you considering aftermarket bumpers at all? That would help cosmetcially as well as for the future potential threat of more deer strikes

 

maybe the hood can be adjusted at the hinges. if thats whats bothering you.

 

Yeah this is a great excuse to spend the deductible on an aftermarket bumper.

the hood doesn’t really bother me but if it indicates core support damage that could result in some sort of structural issue 10 years down the road I’d fix it, don’t really think it would just sayin.

 

mine came misaligned from the factory. I realigned it 2 years later when I installed ditch lights lol (that was last month)

 

@95tojo is an expert in the subject of “hitting deer with Tacoma”

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QbSFxlfuf9s

 

This !

Also the black piece on the lower front bumper is supper brittle anyways. Get some double sided tape or something to hold it in place.

I'd bet the farm that you don't have any core support damage.

Deer #2 was a full broadside hit. Cant remember the speed i was going. No structural damage, just lots of plastic breaking.

 

Cool, thanks for the info. I’ll fix the bumper and not worry about the rest.

 

I would insurance claim it . Had a fender bender once in a parking lot .baking out with my old car hit a newer Toyota . It didn’t have any significant damage to it . So we went down to a auto repair shop to avoid a insurance claim . They quoted around 4K for repairs . Toyota has a lot of parts involved in the bumper I can only image how much damage u have hitting a deer . Best of luck .