You vehicle may have wheels with exposed wheel nuts. If so, go to the Removing the Wheel Nuts section. If the vehicle has steel wheel covers with plastic nut caps, the wheel nuts are hidden behind the cap. To remove the wheel cover:

1. Do a safety check before proceeding. See Changing a Flat Tire.
2. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to loosen the plastic wheel nut caps.

If needed, finish loosening them by hand. The nut caps will not come off of the wheel cover.

The edge of the wheel cover could be sharp, so do not try to remove the cover with your bare hands. Do not drop the cap or lay it face down, as it could become scratched or damaged.

Store the wheel cover in the trunk until you have the flat tire repaired or replaced.

Once you have removed the wheel cover or plastic nut caps, use the following procedure to remove the flat tire and install the spare tire.

Removing the Wheel Nuts

1. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to loosen the wheel nuts, but do no remove them yet.
2. Turn the jack handle clockwise to raise the jack lift head.



3. Find the jacking location using the diagram above and corresponding triangular-shaped hoisting notches located on the underside of the vehicle's plastic molding.

The front location is about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) from the rear edge of the front wheel well. The rear location is about 9 inches (22.8 cm) from the front edge of the rear wheel well.

Caution: Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack you could be badly injured or killed. Never get under a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.

Caution: Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly positioned can damage the vehicle and even make the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal injury and vehicle damage, be sure to fit the jack lift head into the proper location before raising the vehicle.

4. Put the compact spare tire near you.



5. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the ground for the compact spare tire to fit under the vehicle.
6. Remove all wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.

Caution: Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to which it is fastened, can make wheel nuts become loose after time. The wheel could come off and cause an accident. When changing a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from places where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an emergency, use a cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be sure to use a scraper or wire brush later, if needed, to get all the rust or dirt off. See Changing a Flat Tire .





Remove any rust or dirt from the wheel bolts, mounting surfaces, and spare wheel.

7. Install the compact spare tire.

Caution: Never use oil or grease on bolts or nuts because the nuts might come loose. The vehicle's wheel could fall off, causing a crash.

8. Put the wheel nuts back on with the rounded end of the nuts toward the wheel. Turn each nut clockwise by hand until the wheel is held against the hub.



9. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.

Caution: Incorrect or improperly tightened wheel nuts can cause the wheel to come loose and even come off. This could lead to a crash. If you have to replace them, be sure to get new original equipment wheel nuts. Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to the proper torque specification. See Capacities and Specifications for wheel nut torque specification.

Notice: Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper torque specification. See Capacities and Specifications for the wheel nut torque specification.





Tighten the wheel nuts firmly in a crisscross sequence as shown.

Notice: Wheel covers will not fit on your vehicle's compact spare. If you try to put a wheel cover on the compact spare, the cover or the spare could be damaged.