<p>The results of an experimental study of the effects of local damage induced by a low-energy impact and geometric nonlinearity due to gravity on the characteristics of nonlinear forced vibrations of a cantilever rod made of multilayer carbon fiber-reinforced plastic with a woven structure are presented. The experimental studies were carried out using a setup consisting of two electrodynamic vibrators connected in series to excite bending vibrations and contactless recording of their characteristics. Copper was used to induce local damage to the specimens under study. Resonance vibrations were studied for undamaged and damaged specimens in horizontal and vertical positions. Analysis of the amplitude-frequency characteristics (AFC) of the specimens’ vibrations showed that the frequency of maximum resonance shifts with increasing driving force, indicating the presence of local damage. Thus, for the damaged specimen, a greater decrease in vibration frequency at peak AFC values was observed compared to the undamaged specimen, accompanied by an increase in the driving force amplitude. It has been established that the influence of geometric nonlinearity due to gravity is significant and must be accounted for in the analysis of the dynamic behavior of composite structures. The obtained data provide new information that serves as a basis for developing new vibration diagnostic signs of local damage to composite structural elements, based on the analysis of their nonlinear vibrations.</p>