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.
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
to
a level place. Turn on your
ha
~ rd warning flashers.
Changing 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 transaxle shift lever in
PARK
(P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST
(1)
or
REVERSE
(R).
To
be even more certain the vehicle won't
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.
3.
Turn
off
the engine.
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