jacking PONTIAC GRAND AM 1998 Owners Manual
Page 222 of 370
If a Tire Goes Flat Changing a Flat Tire 
It’s  unusual  for a tire  to  “blow  out”  while  you’re  driving, If a tire  goes  flat, avoid  further  tire  and  wheel  damage 
especially 
if you  maintain  your  tires  properly.  If air  goes  by driving  slowly  to  a level  place. Turn on  your hazard 
out of a tire,  it’s  much  more  likely  to  leak  out  slowly.  warning  fla\
shers. 
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 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). 
3. lbrn off the engine. 
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. 
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