Maryland potholes leave drivers frustrated: "It's terrible"

Masood Alvi, who owns Hampden Tires in Baltimore, says about 20% of his customers need repairs after a battle with Maryland potholes.

Alvi told WJZ that the state's potholes appear to be getting worse.

"We're seeing greater damage to cars," Alvi said. "Some potholes are huge. Literally, cars have fallen through and the whole suspension is ripped off the cars."

Alvi can't explain why potholes appear to be worse, but it's an expensive fix.

"And even to the extreme, at times, we actually have told our customers to refer to their insurance companies to repair the problems because they're so severe," Alvi said.

AAA said that 40% of its calls in Maryland in 2024 had to do with tire troubles that ultimately required a tow.

Potholes are caused by moisture running down into pavement cracks and freezing and expanding, and then thawing and collapsing, leaving a dip in the road, according to AAA.

"It's destroyed cars"

Nichole Burch says Baltimore is littered with potholes, and it's frustrating trying to avoid the obstacles in the roads.

"It's terrible," Burch said. "Some of them need signs by them because they will take out the whole bottom of your car."

Burch says potholes are many times unavoidable.

"It's very frustrating because I've had it where it's made lights come on in my car, so yeah, it's really frustrating," Burch said.

Kevin Bartram told WJZ he has to replace his tires twice a year.

"It's awful, it shakes, it bumps, it's destroyed tires," Bartram said. "You sink into them. I have dents running along the bottom of my vehicle just because they're miserable, they're awful."

Compensation for pothole repairs?

Baltimore residents feel they shouldn't be responsible for car repairs caused by the city's potholes.

"They definitely need to make it a priority to fix a lot of these potholes," Bartram said. "Tires are not cheap."

"I think that we need to be compensated for the potholes," Burch said.

WJZ reached out to the Baltimore Department of Transportation but we have not yet heard back.

Meanwhile, AAA says the best thing people can do is drive slowly and keep a spare tire in the trunk just in case.