Vehicle Care 305{ WarningSpecial tools and procedures arerequired to service a run-flat tire.If these special tools andprocedures are not used, injury orvehicle damage may occur.Always be sure the proper toolsand procedures, as described inthe service manual, are used.It is unusual for a tire to blow outwhile driving, especially if the tiresare maintained properly. See Tires0 289. If air goes out of a tire, it ismuch more likely to leak out slowly.But if there is ever a blowout, hereare a few tips about what to expectand what to do:If a front tire fails, the flat tirecreates a drag that pulls the vehicletoward that side. Take your foot offthe accelerator pedal and grip thesteering wheel firmly. Steer tomaintain lane position, and thengently brake to a stop, well off theroad, if possible.A rear blowout, particularly on acurve, acts much like a skid andmay require the same correction asused in a skid. Stop pressing theaccelerator pedal and steer tostraighten the vehicle. It may bevery bumpy and noisy. Gently braketo a stop, well off the road,if possible.{ WarningLifting a vehicle and getting underit to do maintenance or repairs isdangerous without theappropriate safety equipment andtraining. If a jack is provided withthe vehicle, it is designed only forchanging a flat tire. If it is used foranything else, you or others couldbe badly injured or killed if thevehicle slips off the jack. If a jackis provided with the vehicle, onlyuse it for changing a flat tire.If this vehicle does not have run-flattires and a tire goes flat, avoidfurther tire and wheel damage bydriving slowly to a level place, welloff the road, if possible.1. Turn on the hazard warningflashers. See Hazard WarningFlashers 0 159.2. Set the parking brake firmly.3. Put an automatic transmissionin P (Park) or a manualtransmission in 1 (First) orR (Reverse).4. Turn off the ignition.5. Inspect the flat tire.{ WarningDriving on a flat tire will causepermanent damage to the tire.Re-inflating a tire after it has beendriven on while severelyunderinflated or flat may cause ablowout and a serious crash.Never attempt to re-inflate a tirethat has been driven on while(Continued)
