If a Tire Goes FlatIt is unusual for a tire to blowout while you are driving,especially if you maintain your vehicle’s tires properly.If air goes out of a tire, it is much more likely to leak outslowly. But if you should ever have a blowout, hereare a few tips about what to expect and what to do:If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that pullsthe vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off theaccelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently braketo a stop well out of the traffic lane.A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like askid and may require the same correction you woulduse in a skid. In any rear blowout remove your foot fromthe accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under controlby steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It maybe 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 domaintenance or repairs is dangerous withoutthe appropriate safety equipment and training.The jack provided with your vehicle isdesigned only for changing a flat tire. If it isused for anything else, you or others couldbe badly injured or killed if the vehicle slipsoff the jack. Use the jack provided with yourvehicle only for changing a flat tire.If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use thejacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.Changing a Flat TireIf a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damageby driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your vehicle’shazard warning flashers. See Hazard Warning Flasherson page 3-6 for more information.5-72
