HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Many motorists in Hutchinson have dealt with street flooding, especially the past three weeks.

According to Nathan Mcconaghie with Midwest Ford in Hutchinson, even a small amount of water can cause problems for your vehicle, some in ways many people don’t think about. “There’s a chance of getting water . . . inside your differential and axle housings,” Mcconaghie said. “Brakes can get wet and, if extremely hot, can cause warping of the rotors. Of course, it can cause corrosion in any of your brake components.”

Mcconaghie says one area that people don’t think about is in the many electronic sensors that are on newer cars that can fail if they take on too much water. “There are electronic components that go down to the axles and if you’re driving in water halfway up on the wheels, there is a chance you could be getting water up in some electrical components,” Mcconaghie said. “There’s all kinds of sensors around the grill area. There are surrounding sensors around the vehicle for blind spots monitoring and lane departures.” Mcconaghie says such damage may cause your blind spot or lane drifting alerts to fail without notice.

Flood water can also get in your vehicle causing mold and other electronic damage especially if you have electric or heated seats.