Ford puts pothole protection technology in its new Fusion V6 Sport

(WJBK) - AAA estimates pothole damage costs drivers $3 billion a year, or about $300 per car. Potholes may be unavoidable, but Ford has figured out a way to make them less jarring.

Ford is rolling out a computer-controlled shock absorber system, which helps to significantly reduce the unpleasant feeling you get when you're driving down a riddled road. The technology detects the potholes ahead and adjusts the car's shock absorbers to automatically stiffen and essentially "roll over" the pothole. The computer technology also sends a "message" to the rear wheels that a pothole is ahead.

"Our new pothole mitigation technology works by actually detecting potholes and 'catching' the car's wheel before it has a chance to drop all the way into the pothole," explains Jason Michener, an engineering expert with Ford.

Ford is adding this technology at no extra cost in its Fusion V6 Sport, which hits showrooms this summer.