Hey guys, my mom somehow managed to snap the panhard rod on her delivery car. She tied it up to the axle and made it home. It might take a few days for me to locate one for her, so is it safe to drive without it? She hasn't driven it yet, if you're wondering. From what I've researched, it keeps the non-driven rear axle from moving side to side under hard cornering. It appears that it's not a critical part, but I just want to make sure if it's ok to drive for a few days without it. Anyone who has experience with this stuff, please chime in. Thanks.

 

although I don't know the answer.... I would advise adding your location to your profile, a local may see this and have a stock one laying around for cheap.

what is this on?

 

Dude, that's your mom, no it's not safe to put her in an unstable vehicle.

 

well just think about it like this.
when that car goes around a corner the body is going to go one way and the axle another. sharp enough and its going to snap something. and i couldnt imagine driving it at highway speed. it would feel worse than slicks on the back with low air it would sway side to side so bad. if you love her you will just fix it and not let her drive it till you do


edit: reread your post and its a non driven axle. so it wont snap a driveshaft but you could break a control arm or even bend it so youd end up having to replace it anyways. but i still stand with dont let her drive it

 

Thanks for the help, I wasn't sure if the part was that important, I thought it was maybe like a sway bar, not necessary, but nice to have. So I won't let her drive it. And yeah I'm working on locating a replacement, but nobody on this board would have the same car. It's an old tank looking thing she uses to make deliveries on probably 50 miles of rough roads a day so it breaks a lot of components!!