192
Service and Maintenance
When Getting a Flat Tire
It is uncommon to have a blowout when the
vehicle is in motion, especially when the
tires are properly maintained. If the tire is
deflated, it may be a slow air leakage. How-
ever, in the event of a blowout, the following
symptoms may occur and appropriate mea-
sures should be taken: If one of the front
wheels has a blowout, the vehicle may pull
to this side due to the dragging effect.
Release the accelerator pedal, and hold the
steering wheel firmly. Make a turn to keep
the vehicle in the original lane, and then
gently depress the brake to stop the vehicle
outside the lane. If a rear wheel has a blow-
out, especially when on a curve, its behav-
ior looks like skidding, and the same
measures as for the skidding should be
taken. As long as a rear wheel has a blow-
out, the accelerator pedal should be
released. Turn the steering wheel in the
desired direction to maintain the control of
the vehicle. It may vibrate seriously and
make noise, but you can still control the
steering. Gently depress the brake to stop
the vehicle, and stop at the roadside if it is
possible.
If a tire leaks air, drive slowly to a flat place
to avoid further tire and wheel damages.
Turn on the hazard warning light. Refer to
"Hazard Warning Device" in Section 6
"Driving Failure".
Replacing tires may be dangerous.
The vehicle may fall off the jack and
roll over or fall over you or someone else.
You and someone else could be seriously
injured or even killed. Find a flat place to
replace the tire. To prevent the vehicle from
moving, the following measures should be
taken:
•
Apply the parking brake.
•
Place the select lever of the manual
transmission in reverse (R) position.
•
Turn off the engine and do not start the
engine when the vehicle is lifted.
•
Do allow the passengers to sit in the
vehicle.
•
To ensure that the vehicle cannot move,
you can place blocks on the front and
rear sides of the tire that is farthest from
the tire being replaced. In other words, it
is the tire that is diagonally opposite the
tire being replaced on the other side of
the vehicle.