Approaches for protecting a component when a hard-disk drive (HDD) experiences a mechanical shock. An HDD includes a suspension comprising a load beam, a gimbal, and a flexure tongue. A component, such as a microactuator, is mounted on the suspension. The flexure tongue extends to at least the edge of the microactuator that is furthest from the gimbal. The flexure tongue prevents the microactuator from contacting the load beam when the HDD receives a mechanical shock. Alternately, the flexure tongue may comprise a tip portion that extends beyond the edge of the microactuator that is furthest from the gimbal, and the tip portion of the flexure tongue may deform to act as shock absorber when the HDD receives a mechanical shock. Alternately or additionally, a padding material may be used to prevent the microactuator or the flexure tongue from contacting the load beam when the HDD receives a mechanical shock.