It is unusual for a tire to blowout while you are driving, especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes out of a tire, it is much more likely to leak out slowly. 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 would 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, avoid further tire and wheel damage by driving slowly to a level place and turn on your hazard warning flashers. See Hazard Warning Flashers .

Caution: Your vehicle, when new, did not include tire changing equipment or a place to store a tire in the vehicle. Special tools and procedures are required if a tire needs to be serviced. If these tools and procedures are not used, you or others could be injured or killed while trying to change or service a truck tire.

Your truck, when new, did not include tire changing equipment or a place to store a tire in the vehicle. Few drivers of these vehicles have the necessary equipment aboard to be able to change a flat tire safely. For example, you would need a truck jack that can lift several thousand pounds and a torque wrench that can generate several hundred foot-pounds (N·m) of twisting force.

Caution: If you try to put air back into a tire that has run flat, even a tire that was extremely low on air, the tire can have a sudden air-out. This could cause you to lose control of the vehicle and have a serious crash. Do not refill a flat or very low tire with air without first having the tire taken off the wheel and checked for damage.

So if you are stopped somewhere by a flat or damaged tire or wheel, you should get expert help. See Roadside Assistance Program .