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Structural Training Reference

Structural Damage Disclosure

Annotated structural diagrams & disclosure matrix

Prepared

October 16, 2026

Disclosure requiredExisting permanent damage, removed, modified, repaired or replaced.
Replacement onlyOnly a full replacement of the component triggers the announcement.
Not applicableThis structure type does not have the component — nothing to announce.

Structural Component	Unibody	Unibody on Frame (Combo)	Conventional Frame
Frame Rails	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced
Spring Pod, Torque Box or Stabilizer Mount	N/A	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced
Cross Members (Except Bolt-On)	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced
Apron Assembly	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	N/A
Strut Tower Assembly	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	N/A
Cowl Panel / Firewall	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	N/A
Support Pillars (A, B, C*, D)	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced
Roof Braces / Bows	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced
Rocker Panel (Outer)	Replacement Only	Replacement Only	N/A
Rocker Panel (Inner)	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	N/A
Parcel Shelf Support (Structural)	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	N/A
Floor / Trunk PanelsStow ’n Go: on Pacifica, Town & Country, and Grand Caravan the in-floor compartment is part of the floor pan — kinks, tears 1" or more, and permanent distortion are disclosed on this line.	Tears 1" or More, Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced Panels	Tears 1" or More, Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced Panels	N/A
Quarter* or Cab* Panel	Replacement Only	Replacement Only	Replacement Only
Inner Quarter Panel Assembly	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	Existing Permanent Damage, Removed, Modified, Repaired or Replaced	N/A

Note: * Only applies to components deemed structural per the vehicle manufacturer.

Tears 1" or more on floor / trunk panels are a required disclosure.

UNIBODY

Sedan — Full Structure (3/4 View)

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Sedan — Engine Bay & Firewall

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Sedan — Trunk & Rear Structure

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Sedan — Rear Quarter Panel Breakdown

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Sedan — Undercarriage (Bottom View)

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Coupe — Full Structure (3/4 View)

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Coupe — Rear Quarter / Parcel Shelf Breakdown

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SUV / Crossover — Full Structure (3/4 View)

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SUV / Crossover — Engine Bay & Firewall

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SUV / Crossover — Cargo Area & Rear Structure

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SUV / Crossover — Rear Quarter Panel Breakdown

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SUV / Crossover — Undercarriage (Bottom View)

Diagram artwork pending for this view.

Minivan (Stow ’n Go) — In-Floor Storage (Interior Cutaway)

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Minivan (Stow ’n Go) — Undercarriage (Bins From Below)

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Minivan (Stow ’n Go) — Open Compartment (Top-Down)

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UNIBODY ON FRAME (COMBO)

Body-on-Frame SUV — Full Structure (3/4 View)

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Body-on-Frame SUV — Engine Bay & Firewall

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Body-on-Frame SUV — Trunk & Rear Structure

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Body-on-Frame SUV — Rear Quarter Panel Breakdown

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CONVENTIONAL (PICKUP)

Pickup Truck — Frame & Body Relationship (3/4)

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Pickup Truck — Ladder Frame (Bare)

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Pickup Truck — Undercarriage (Frame From Below)

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STRUCTURAL TOOLS

Kink vs Bend

Decide whether deformation on a structural component is a repairable bend or a kink that has to be announced as structural damage.

A bend on the inner wheelhouse and spare tire well area — Bend — smooth, continuous deformation with no sharp crease.

A kink on the inner wheelhouse and spare tire well area — Kink — sharp, localized crease or buckle with an abrupt shape change.

Definitions

•Bend: metal pushed out of shape smoothly and continuously; it can normally be straightened.
•Kink: a sharp bend, typically over 90 degrees across a short distance, or permanent deformation that will not return to shape without excessive heat.
•Kinked parts are typically replaced rather than repaired.

What triggers the announcement

•Kinked structural component — announce Structural Damage.
•Replacement-only component that gets replaced because it is kinked — the replacement triggers the announcement.
•Floor and trunk panels — a tear of 1 inch or more is disclosable on its own.
•Smooth bend on a repairable structural component — repair and document, no structural announcement.

Inspection habits

•Follow the force outward from the point of impact.
•Look for broken coating or corrosion sitting inside a depression.
•Check what sits behind the panel — the inner panel is often full disclosure.
•Composite and carbon components: broken or permanently deformed substrate is treated as a kink.

Decision flow

1Identify the vehicle structure type: unibody, unibody on frame (combo), or conventional.
2Identify the damaged component and confirm it is structural for that structure type on the matrix.
3Metal or composite? Composite with a broken or permanently deformed substrate is treated as kinked.
4Is the coating broken or is there corrosion in a depression?
5Is the damage permanent — unrepairable without excessive heat? If yes, it is kinked.
6Otherwise, is the bend smooth and continuous? Smooth equals bend; abrupt equals kink.
7Record the outcome on the condition report and disclose when required.

A kink is permanent. If the metal cannot return to shape without excessive heat, call it kinked and disclose.

Structural Alteration

Determine whether an aftermarket modification altered a structural component in a way that requires a structural alteration announcement.

Fifth wheel hitch mounted through the bed and frame rails — Hitch hardware bolted through the rear frame rails.

Square access holes cut into a frame rail — Access holes cut into a frame rail — check the size limits.

Aftermarket moonroof opening cut into a vehicle roof — Aftermarket roof opening cut into the body structure.

Lift kit suspension brackets bolted to the frame and axle — Lift or lowering hardware bolted to frame and axle.

Common modifications to check

•Towing and hauling: trailering package, 5th wheel, gooseneck, utility bumper.
•Bolt-on work: snowplow, pushbar, rollbar, side or step bar.
•Openings: sun or moonroof, access holes, other cut openings.
•Chassis work: lengthened or shortened frame, suspension lift or lowering, pillar bracing.

Unsafe or substandard triggers

•Access holes outside policy limits.
•New holes drilled for bolts that were not there from the factory.
•Born-with holes elongated or enlarged.
•Welds made to the structure to mount the modification.
•Structural components missing, cut, or sectioned to fit the modification.

How to call it

•Using an existing factory hole with factory hardware is not an alteration.
•If the altered part is not structural for that structure type, no structural announcement is needed.
•If a structural component was altered unsafely or substandardly, announce Structural Alteration.
•Photograph the mounting points, welds, and any cut or enlarged holes.

Decision flow

1Identify the vehicle structure type.
2Identify the modification that was installed.
3Identify which component the modification attaches to or passes through.
4Confirm on the matrix whether that component is structural for this structure type.
5Check the unsafe or substandard triggers — holes, welds, missing or cut structure.
6Announce Structural Alteration when a structural component was altered; otherwise record and move on.

Bolting to factory holes is fine. Drilling, enlarging, welding, or cutting structure is what turns a modification into a structural alteration.

Stow ’n Go Compartment

The in-floor Stow ’n Go compartment is part of the vehicle floor pan. When it is kinked, torn 1" or more, or permanently distorted, it must be disclosed as structural damage.

Cutaway of a minivan showing in-floor storage bins built into the floor pan between the first and second row — In-floor bins integrated into the vehicle floor pan between the first and second row seating.

Underside view of a minivan showing the storage bins nested between frame rails and cross members — The bins press down into the unibody, nested between the frame rails, cross members, and exhaust — part of the structural floor, not a bolt-in accessory.

Top-down view into an open in-floor storage compartment showing pressed sheet metal recessed into the floor pan — The deep pressed sheet-metal well recessed into the floor pan, as an inspector sees it on a walkaround.

Annotated example of a sharp kink and a tear in an in-floor storage compartment — Example conditions requiring a structural disclosure — a sharp kink (over a 90° bend) and a tear of 1" or more in the compartment floor pan.

Vehicles with in-floor bins

•Chrysler Pacifica — includes the spare-tire well and trunk floor.
•Chrysler Town & Country — bins between row one and row two.
•Dodge Grand Caravan — bins between row one and row two.

Policy basis

•Floor / trunk pan: permanent damage, modification, or tears of 1" or more must be disclosed as structural.
•Any tear greater than 1", including transport tie-down tears, is a required disclosure.
•Kinked components — a sharp bend or permanent deformation that will not return to shape without excessive heat — are structural and typically replaced.

Key notes

•Welded vs. glued-on does not matter — if it is a steel floor, it is structural. There is no glued-on exception.
•The correct term for the assembly method is a structural panel bond, not glue.
•The compartment IS a structural component unless the OEM factory documents that it is not.
•If the OEM identifies the part as a floor pan, treat it as a floor pan for disclosure.
•FCA / Stellantis charges undercarriage and Stow ’n Go storage container damage as full replacement parts, repair, and installation — reinforcing that it is treated as structure, not trim.

Decision flow

1Confirm the vehicle: Pacifica, Town & Country, or Grand Caravan with in-floor bins.
2Assess for permanent damage — kinks, tears (measure start and stop; 1" or more is disclosable), or distortion that will not return to shape.
3Call it structural. Enter it on the Floor / Trunk Pan line; if that line does not check the structural box, use the Parcel Shelf Support line to trigger the announcement.
4Photograph the kink, tear, or distortion for the condition report.
5Do not exempt for glued-on construction — only OEM factory documentation stating the part is non-structural changes the call.

The in-floor compartment is part of the floor pan. Treat it as structural unless OEM factory documentation says otherwise.

Structural Damage Training ReferenceGenerated October 16, 2026