If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blowout” 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 stop 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.{CAUTION:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without
the appropriate safety equipment and training.
The jack provided with your vehicle is
designed only for changing a at tire. If it is
used for anything else, you or others could be
badly injured or killed if the vehicle slips off
the jack. Use the jack provided with your
vehicle only for changing a at tire.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
5-67
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need is in the trunk.
1. Turn the center retainer
nut on the compact
spare tire cover
counterclockwise to
remove it.
2. Lift and remove the cover.
You will find the jacking instructions label on the
underside of the tire cover.3. Turn the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift
off the adapter
and remove the
compact spare tire.
SeeCompact Spare
Tire on page 5-79
for more information
about the compact
spare tire.
4. Remove the jack and wrench from the trunk. Your
vehicle’s jack and wrench are stored in a foam tray.
5-69
