There can be multiple damaged items if you have a curb strike. Control arms, Tie rod ends and steering knuckles the wheel and tire being the most common damaged parts, but I have seen subframe mounts, wheel bearings and even the unibody get damaged from very hard hits. It takes a close examination of the vehicle to find the damage. I generally start with a visual inspection of the chassis looking for things that are bent or that look bent, then the tires for bulges or bubbles or belt damage and wheels for bent or cracked areas. Then onto the alignment rack to see how far out it is before any repairs as that could also show that even though you may be sure you only hit with say, the right rear, it may have hit the front and you didn't notice, or you think you hit with the steering wheel straight but it was turned just enough that it stressed the inner tie rod. Then you make a list of what needs repair or replacement.
Now if it was only the control arm and the rest is okay (although if it bent the control arm, I would seriously check the tire and rim as it takes a lot to bend parts) it would be a replacement of the arm and an alignment.
The images are the front and rear suspension with the most commonly bent items circled. However, being this is AWD you will need to check that the impact didn't damage the axle shafts or joints as well. Especially if it was the rear suspension, they seem to be fragile.
Images (Click to make bigger)
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Tuesday, January 24th, 2023 AT 7:10 AM