Yes, a broken cambelt (also known as a timing belt), has the potential to cause significant damage to your engine, especially interference engines. When a cambelt snaps, the pistons collide with the valves which can result in bent valves, broken piston heads and potential damage to the cylinder head and walls.

For non-interference engines, the pistons and valves don’t share the same space which means an lower risk of serious damage. However, it will still result in an inoperable car and necessitate a timing belt replacement, which can be a costly repair.