Secondary Latch System
Your vehicle has an underbody mounted tire
hoist assembly that has a secondary latch
system. It is designed to stop the compact
spare tire from suddenly falling off your vehicle
if the cable holding the spare tire is damaged.
For the secondary latch to work, the tire must be
stowed with the valve stem pointing down.
SeeStoring a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools
on page 472for instructions on storing the
spare tire correctly.{CAUTION:
Before beginning this procedure read all
the instructions. Failure to read and follow
the instructions could damage the hoist
assembly and you and others could get
hurt. Read and follow the instructions
listed next.
468
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire
and Tools
Storing the Spare Tire
{CAUTION:
The underbody-mounted spare tire needs
to be stored with the valve stem pointing
down. If the spare tire is stored with the
valve stem pointing upwards, its
secondary latch will not work properly
and the spare tire could loosen and
suddenly fall from your vehicle. If this
happened when your vehicle was being
driven, the tire might contact a person or
another vehicle, causing injury and, of
course, damage to itself as well. Be sure
the underbody-mounted spare tire is
stored with its valve stem pointing down.
{CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire, or other equipment
in the passenger compartment of the
vehicle could cause injury. In a sudden
stop or collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in the
proper place.
To store the spare tire:
1. Lay the compact spare tire near the rear of
the vehicle with the valve stem down.
2. Reinstall the plastic spare tire heat shield on
the compact spare tire.
3. If the vehicle has aluminum wheels, remove
the small center cap by tapping the back of
the cap with the extension of the shaft.
472