If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to ‘‘blow out’’ while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and
grip the steering wheel firmly,
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a st,ot, well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control
by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go, It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop -- well off the road if possible,
If
a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly t,o a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Cham- ng a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can
slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly,
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transmission tu
FIRST (1) or REWRSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle wan? move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would
be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite ~ end,
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