A single pit in a critical point can cause a great deal of damage. One example is the explosion in Guadalajara, Mexico on 22 April 1992, when gasoline fumes accumulated in sewers destroyed kilometers of streets. The vapors originated from a leak of gasoline through a single hole formed by corrosion between a steel gasoline pipe and a zinc-plated water pipe.
Firearms can also suffer from pitting, most notably in the bore of the barrel when corrosive ammunition is used and the barrel is not cleaned soon afterwards. Deformities in the bore caused by pitting can greatly reduce the firearm's accuracy. To reduce pitting in firearm bores, most modern firearms have a bore lined with chromium.
Pitting corrosion can also help initiate stress corrosion cracking, as happened when a single eyebar on the Silver Bridge in West Virginia, United States failed and killed 46 people on the bridge in December 1967.
In laboratories, pitting corrosion may damage equipment, reducing its performance or longevity. Fume hoods are of particular concern, as the material constitution of their ductwork must suit the primary effluent(s) intended for exhaust. If the chosen vent material is unsuitable for the primary effluent(s), consequent pitting corrosion will prevent the fume hood from effectively containing harmful airborne particles.