Since 1973, regulations established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have required automobile manufacturers to equip all passenger cars with 2.5 - 5 mph energy absorbing bumper systems. The purpose of this SAE Recommended Practice is to provide guidelines which will help to determine the nature and extent of damage a hydraulic or mechanical energy absorber has received, after the bumper system has been involved in a collision. It is also to suggest appropriate repair procedures for energy absorbers that have sustained minor damage and are repairable.