Changing a Flat Tire
▼Changing a Flat Tire
NOTE
If the following occurs while driving, it
could indicate a flat tire.
Steering becomes difficult.
The vehicle begins to vibrate
excessively.
The vehicle pulls in one direction.
If you have a flat tire, drive sl owly to a
level spot that is well off the road and out
of the way of traffic to change the tire.
Stopping in traffic or on the shoulder of a
busy road is dangerous.
WA R N I N G
Be sure to follow the directions for
changing a tire:
Changing a tire is dangerous if not done
properly. The vehicle can slip off the jack
and seriously injure someone.
No person should place any portion of their
body under a vehicle th at is supported by a
jack.
Never allow anyone inside a vehicle
supported by a jack:
Allowing someone to remain in a vehicle
supported by a jack is dangerous. The
occupant could cause the vehicle to fall
resulting in serious injury.
NOTE
Make sure the jack is well lubricated
before using it.
1. Park on a hard, level surface off the right-of-way and firm ly set the parking
brake.
2. Put a vehicle with an automatic transmission in Park (P), a manual
transmission in Reverse (R) or 1, and
turn off the engine.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher.
4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle and away from the vehicle and traffic.
5. Remove the jack, tool, and spare tire
(page 7-3).
6. Block the wheel diagonally opposite the flat tire. When blocking a wheel,
place a tire block both in front and
behind the tire.
NOTE
When blocking a tire, use rocks or
wood blocks of sufficient size if
possible to hold the tire in place.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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▼Removing a Flat Tire
WA R N I N G
When jacking-up a vehicle, always shift the
shift lever to 1st or R position (manual
transmission vehicle) or shift the selector
lever to P position (automatic transmission
vehicle), apply the parking brake, and place
wheel blocks in the position diagonally
opposed to the jack:
Changing a
flat tire without using wheel
blocks is dangerous because the vehicle
may move and fall off the jack even with
the shift lever in 1st or R position, or the
selector lever is in P position, which could
result in an accident.
1. If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel cover, pry off the wheel cover
with the beveled end of the jack lever.
NOTE
Force the end of the jack lever firmly
between wheel and cover, or removal
will be difficult.
2. Loosen the lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise one turn each, but do
not remove any lug nuts until the tire
has been raised off the ground.
NOTE
If your Mazda is equipped with the
optional antitheft wheel lug nuts, a
special key must be used to unlock the
locking lug nut for each wheel. For
details, refer to the Locking Lug Nuts
on page 7-10.
3. Place the jack on the ground.
4. Turn the jack screw in the direction shown in the figure and adjust the jack
head so that it is close to the jack-up
position.
1. Jack head
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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5. Place the jack under the jack-upposition closest to the tire being
changed with the jack head squarely
under the jack-up point.
1. Jacking position
6. Continue raising the jack head
gradually by rotating the screw with
your hand until the jack head is
inserted into the jack-up position.
1. Tire blocks
2. Jacking position
WA R N I N G
Use only the front and rear jacking
positions recommended in this manual:
Attempting to jack the vehicle in
positions other than those
recommended in this manual is
dangerous. The vehicle could slip off
the jack and seriously injure or even kill
someone. Use only the front and rear
jacking positions recommended in this
manual.
Do not jack up the vehicle in a position
other than the designated jack-up
position or place any objects on or
under the jack:
Jacking up the vehicle in a position
other than the designated jack-up
position or placing objects on or under
the jack is dangerous as it could deform
the vehicle body or the vehicle could fall
off the jack resulting in an accident.
Use only the jack provided with your
Mazda:
Using a jack that is not designed for
your Mazda is dangerous. The vehicle
could slip off the jack and seriously
injure someone.
Never place objects under the jack:
Jacking the vehicle with an object
under the jack is dangerous. The jack
could slip and someone could be
seriously injured by the jack or the
falling vehicle.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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NOTE
When raising the jack head into the
jacking position and aligning the
groove in the jack head with the rail
under the vehicle body, the top of the
jack head contacts the vehicle's
underbody without the rail contacting
the bottom of the groove.
7. Insert the jack lever and attach the lug wrench to tire jack.
8. Turn the jack handle clockwise and
raise the vehicle high enough so that
the spare tire can be installed. Before
removing the lug nuts, make sure your
Mazda is firmly in position and that it
cannot slip or move.
WARNING
Do not jack up the vehicle higher than
is necessary:
Jacking up the vehicle higher than is
necessary is dangerous as it could
destabilize the vehicle resulting in an
accident.
Do not start the engine or shake the
vehicle while it is jacked up:
Starting the engine or shaking the
vehicle while it is jacked up is
dangerous as it could cause the vehicle
to fall off the jack resulting in an
accident.
Never go under the vehicle while it is
jacked up:
Going under the vehicle while it is
jacked up is dangerous as it could result
in death or serious in jury if the vehicle
were to fall off the jack.
9. Remove the lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise; then remove the
wheel and center cap.
▼Locking Lug Nuts
If your Mazda is equipped with the
optional antitheft wheel lug nuts, a special
key must be used to unlock the locking lug
nut for each wheel. The key is stored in
the glove compartment, center console
storage, storage box,
or trunk. Register the
key and lug nuts with the lock
manufacturer by filling out the registration
card and mailing it in using the
accompanying envelope. If the key is lost,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer or
use the lock manufacturer’s order form to
order a new key.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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Antitheft wheel lug nuts cannot be
installed on a steel wheel spare tire. When
installing a temporary spare tire, use one
of the original lug nuts in place of the
locking lug nut. The original lug nuts are
stored inside your Mazda.
1. Antitheft lug nut
2. Special key
To remove an antitheft lug nut
1. Obtain the special key for the antitheftlug nut.
2. Place the special key on top of the
antitheft lug nut, and be sure to hold
the key square to it. If you hold the key
at an angle, you may damage both key
and nut. Do not use a power impact
wrench.
3. Place the lug wrench on top of the key and apply pressure. Turn the wrench
counterclockwise.
To install the antitheft lug nut
1. Place the special key on top of the nut, and be sure to hold the key square to it.
If you hold the key at an angle, you
may damage both key and nut. Do not
use a power impact wrench.
2. Place the lug wrench on top of the
special key, apply pressure, and turn it
clockwise.
Nut tightening torque
N·m (kgf·m, ft·lbf) 108―147 (12―14,
80―108)
▼Mounting the Spare Tire
1. Remove dirt and grime from the
mounting surfaces of the wheel and
hub, including the hub bolts, with a
cloth.
WA R N I N G
Make sure the mounting surfaces of the
wheel, hub and lug nuts are clean
before changing or replacing tires:
When changing or replacing a tire, not
removing dirt and grime from the
mounting surfaces of the wheel, hub
and hub bolts is dangerous. The lug
nuts could loosen while driving and
cause the tire to come off, resulting in
an accident.
2. Mount the spare tire.
3. Install the lug nuts with the beveled edge inward; tighten them by hand.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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WARNING
Do not apply oil or grease to lug nuts
and bolts and do not tighten the lug
nuts beyond the recommended
tightening torque:
Applying oil or grease to lug nuts and
bolts is dangerous. The lug nuts could
loosen while driving and cause the tire
to come off, resulting in an accident. In
addition, lug nuts and bolts could be
damaged if tightened more than
necessary.
4. Turn the jack handle counterclockwise using the lug wrench and lower the
vehicle.
5. Use the lug wrench to tighten the nuts in the order shown.
If you are unsure of how tight the nuts
should be, have them inspected at an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Nut tightening torque
N·m (kgf·m, ft·lbf) 108―147 (12―14,
80―108)
WARNING
Always securely and correctly tighten
the lug nuts:
Improperly or loosely tightened lug
nuts are dangerous. The wheel could
wobble or come off. This could result in
loss of vehicle control and cause a
serious accident.
Be sure to reinstall the same nuts you
removed or replace them with metric
nuts of the same configuration:
Because the wheel studs and lug nuts
on your Mazda have metric threads,
using a non-metric nut is dangerous.
On a metric stud, it would not secure
the wheel and would damage the stud,
which could cause the wheel to slip off
and cause an accident.
6. (Aluminum wheel eq uipped vehicle)
Remove the center cap by tapping it
from the backside o f the wheel using
the lug wrench.
7. Store the damaged tire in the trunk (4-door) or luggage compartment
(5-door).
8. Secure the damaged tire to the vehicleusing the following method.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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(Vehicles without flat tire hold-down
bolt)
1. Secure the damaged tire to thevehicle using the spare tire
hold-down bolt removed when
removing the spare tire.
9. Place the trunk mat (4-door) orluggage mat (5-door) on the damaged
tire.
10. Remove the tire blocks and store thetools and jack.
11. Check the inflation pressure. Refer to Tires on page 9-9.
12. Have the flat tire repaired or replaced
as soon as possible.
13. After repairing or replacing the flat
tire, install the wh eel cover (vehicles
with steel wheels) or center cap
(vehicles with aluminum wheels) using
the following procedure.
(Wheel cover)
1. Align the notch on the wheel cover with the tire valve of the wheel and
install the wheel cover to the
wheel.
1. Notch
2. Tire valve
CAUTION
Always align the notch on the wheel
cover with the tire valve of the
wheel. Otherwise, it could cause
damage to the wheel cover and the
tire valve.
(Center cap)
1. Align the center cap with the center hole of the wheel and install the
center cap to the wheel.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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CAUTION
In addition, the
effectiveness of the
braking may diminish so you may need
to depress the brake pedal more strongly
than normal to stop the vehicle.
▼ Electronic Brake Force Distribution
System Warning
If the electronic brake force distribution
control unit determines that some
components are operating incorrectly, the
control unit may i
lluminate the brake
system warning light and the ABS
warning light simu ltaneously. The
problem is likely to b e the electronic brake
force distribution system.
WA R N I N G
Do not drive with both the brake system
warning light and ABS warning light
illuminated. Have the vehicle towed to an
Authorized Mazda Dealer to have the
brakes inspected as soon as possible:
Driving when the brake system warning
light and ABS warning light are illuminated
simultaneously is dangerous.
When both lights are illuminated, the rear
wheels could lock more quickly in an
emergency stop than under normal
circumstances.
▼ Charging System Warning
Indication/Warning Light
If the warning light illuminates while
driving, it indicates a malfunction of the
alternator or of the charging system.
Drive to the side of the road and park off
the right-of-way. Consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving when the charging
system warning light is illuminated
because the engine could stop
unexpectedly.
▼Engine Oil Warning Indication/
War ni ng L i gh t
This warning light indicates low engine oil
pressure.
CAUTION
Do not run the engine if the oil pressure is
low. Otherwise, it could result in extensive
engine damage.
If the light illuminates or the warning
indication is displayed while driving:
1. Drive to the side of the road and park
off the right-of-way on level ground.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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