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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, le vel surface off the
right-of-way and firm ly set the parking
brake.
2. Put a vehicle with an automatic transaxle in Park (P), a manual
transaxle in Reverse (R) or 1, and turn
off the engine.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher.
4. Have passengers get out of the vehicle
and away from the vehicle and traffic.
5. Remove any luggage, the jack, tools, 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
transaxle vehicle) or shift the selector lever
to P position (automatic transaxle 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. 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.
2. Place the jack on the ground.
3. Turn the jack screw in the directionshown in the figure and adjust the jack
head so that it is close to the jack-up
position.
Jack head
4. Place the jack under the jack-upposition closest to the tire being
changed with the jack head squarely
under the jack-up point.
Jacking position
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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6. Insert the jack lever and attach the lugwrench to tire jack.
7. Turn the jack handle clockwise andraise 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.
8. Remove the lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise; then remove the
wheel and center cap.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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▼Locking Lug Nuts
If your Mazda is equipped with the
optional antitheft whe
el lug nuts, a special
key must be used to unlock the locking lug
nut for each wheel. The key is stored in
the glove compartmen t, 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.
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.
Special key
Antitheft lug nut
To remove an antitheft lug nut
1. Obtain the special key for the antitheft
lug 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)
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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▼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.
WARNING
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.
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 lug wrench counterclockwise and lower the vehicle.
5. Use the lug wrench to tighten the nuts in the order shown.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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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)
WA R N I N G
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. (Without flat tire belt)
Store the damaged tire in the trunk.
(With flat tire belt)
Open the trunk mat.
7. Remove the belt for securing the flat tire.
8. Put the flat tire into the trunk on the
left and toward the back.
9. Fold the seat back f orward on the right
side of the rear seat.
10. Thread the belt thro ugh the rear seat as
shown in the figure.
11. Thread the buckle through the wheel as
shown in the figure and secure it so
that the buckle does not contact the
wheel.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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Towing Description
We recommend that towing be done only
by an Authorized Mazda Dealer or a
commercial tow-truck service.
Proper lifting and towing are necessary to
prevent damage to the vehicle. Particularly
when towing an AWD vehicle, where all
the wheels are connected to the drive train,
proper transporting of the vehicle is
absolutely essential to avoid damaging the
drive system. Government and local laws
must be followed.
Wheel dollies
A towed FWD vehicle should have its
drive wheels (front wheels) off the ground.
If excessive damage or other conditions
prevent this, use wheel dollies.
When towing a FWD vehicle with the rear
wheels on the ground, release the parking
brake.
Refer to Electric Parking Brake (EPB) on
page 4-99.
A towed AWD vehicle must have all its
wheels off the ground.
WA R N I N G
Always tow an AWD vehicle with all four
wheels off the ground:
Towing an AWD vehicle with either the
front or rear wheels on the ground is
dangerous as the drive train could be
damaged, or the vehicle could trail away
from the tow truck and cause an accident.
If the drive train has been damaged,
transport the vehicle on a flatbed truck.
CAUTION
Do not tow the vehicle pointed backward
with driving wheels on the ground. This
may cause internal damage to the
transaxle.
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Towing
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Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage your vehicle. Use
wheel-lift or
flatbed equipment.
If the parking brake cannot be released
when towing the vehicle, transport the
vehicle with all front and rear wheels
raised
off the ground as shown in the
figure. If the vehicle is towed without
raising the wheels off the ground, the
brake system could be damaged.
Wheel dollies
Tiedown Hooks*
CAUTION
Do not use the front and rear tiedown
eyelets for towing the vehicle.
They have been designed only for securing
the vehicle to a transport vessel during
shipping.
Using the eyelets for any other purpose
could result in the vehicle being damaged.
▼ Tiedown Hooks
1. Remove the tiedown eyelet and the lug
wrench from the luggage compartment
(page 7-3).
2. Wrap a flathead screwdriver or similar
tool with a soft c loth to prevent
damage to a painted bumper, and open
the cap located on the front or rear
bumper.
Front
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Towing
*Some models.7-23
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