Flat tire on the highway: what to do, step by step

What should you do the moment a tire blows or goes flat?

Michelin describes a blowout as a loud bang, a strong pull to one side and vibration through the car. A slow leak feels more like a wobble, a heavy steering wheel or a tire pressure light on the dash. Either way, your first job is control, not the tire.

Michelin's blowout advice runs against instinct: do not stomp on the brake. Hard braking during a blowout can make the car spin or veer sharply out of control. Work through it in this order.

1. Grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands and keep the car pointed straight.
2. Keep your foot on the gas for a moment to steady the car, then ease off gradually and let it slow on its own.
3. Once the car is slower and tracking straight, brake gently.
4. Turn on your hazard lights and steer gradually to the shoulder as your speed drops.

Where should you stop on a Dallas highway?

Pull as far to the right as you safely can. AAA's roadside advice is to stop on the far right, stay inside with your seat belt on and keep your hazards flashing. A wide shoulder, or a frontage road or parking lot just off the next exit, beats a narrow strip next to fast lanes.

Michelin notes that driving on a flat, even briefly, usually damages the tire beyond repair. That is a fair trade when the alternative is stopping beside fast traffic on I-635 or US-75 with nowhere to stand. A tire can be replaced. If the shoulder where you are is narrow or blind, moving slowly with your hazards on to a wider spot can be the safer choice.

If the car stops in a travel lane and won't move, do not get out. AAA says that when you can't get out of the flow of traffic, you should never unbuckle or try to leave the car. Call 911 and tell them which lane you are in.

Should you change a flat on the highway shoulder?

Not when traffic is close. Changing a tire means kneeling beside the car, often with your back to traffic, and if the flat is on the driver's side, you are kneeling right next to the lanes. AAA advises against complicated roadside repairs, especially on busy roads, and suggests leaving them to professionals.

It is easy to assume the Texas Move Over law protects you. Texas Transportation Code 545.157 requires drivers to leave the lane next to certain vehicles, such as emergency vehicles, TxDOT vehicles and utility trucks using their warning lights, or slow to 20 mph below the posted limit. An ordinary passenger car with its hazards on is not on that list, so you can't count on passing traffic to give you room.

If you are in a parking lot, on a quiet side street or well away from moving traffic, changing it yourself is reasonable. Follow the steps and jack points in your owner's manual.

How do you wait safely for help?

Once you are stopped, AAA's advice is to stay in the car, buckled in, with the hazards on. Keep it in park so it can't roll into the lanes or into anyone working on it.

• Keep your seat belt on unless you absolutely must get out.
• If you must get out, use the door away from traffic, usually the passenger side.
• Move at least 40 feet from the car, and never stand between the car and traffic.
• Hang a bright cloth from a window so approaching drivers notice the car.
• Never step into the lanes or try to cross the highway on foot.
• Keep your phone charged and free so dispatch can reach you if they need one more detail.

Who should you call, and what should you tell them?

If anyone is hurt, if there was a crash, or if the car is sitting in a travel lane, call 911 before anything else. Those are emergencies, not tire problems.

For the flat itself, call Pit Stop at (214) 367-5302, day or night. The dispatcher tells you the price before a technician leaves and estimates when help will reach your stretch of road. Inside Dallas, that is typically 30–45 minutes. The call goes faster if you can give the dispatcher these details.

• The highway, your direction of travel and the last exit or cross street you passed
• Which tire is flat, and whether it went soft slowly or blew out
• Whether you have a spare, a tire inflator kit or neither
• Whether the wheels have locking lug nuts and where the key is
• Your vehicle type, especially for pickups, vans and light-duty work trucks

Spare, repair or a new tire?

If you have a spare, the technician puts it on and the flat goes in your trunk. If the wheel lock key is missing or a lug nut is rounded, say so on the call, since Pit Stop also removes locking and stripped lug nuts. A compact donut spare is only a short-term fix. AAA says not to drive over 50 mph or more than 50 miles on one, so plan to get the flat repaired or replaced soon.

Whether the flat can be fixed depends on where the damage is. Under U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association guidance, a repair should only be considered for punctures in the tread area no larger than 1/4 inch across, and a plug alone is not an acceptable repair. Damage that reaches the shoulder or sidewall can't be repaired, so the tire has to be replaced.

A blowout is different. Michelin notes that a blowout is a structural failure of the tire, so in most cases it has to be replaced rather than repaired. When there is no usable spare, Pit Stop can also deliver a used or new tire and fit it where you are stopped. The dispatcher confirms the size, availability and price before anyone drives out. If what you describe doesn't sound like a roadside fix, the dispatcher says so on that call; if the technician only finds it at the car, a $35 to $75 service fee replaces the quoted price and the rest is refunded. The dispatcher tells you the exact fee for your job before you pay.

How can you lower the odds of the next flat?

Most of it comes down to air pressure. NHTSA's advice is to check the pressure in all four tires and the spare once a month, before driving, when the car has been parked for at least three hours. Use the pressure on the label on the driver's door edge or in your owner's manual, not the number molded into the tire.

Heat matters here too. NHTSA lists long drives in hot weather as one kind of sustained heat that can make a tire deteriorate, and a tire in that state can fail through a blowout or tread separation. In a Texas summer, that monthly check is worth keeping.

• Keep a tire pressure gauge in the car. A pothole or a curb can drop a tire's pressure suddenly.
• Try the penny test: put a penny in the tread with Lincoln's head upside down. If you can see the top of his head, it is time for new tires.
• Find out today whether your car has a spare, an inflator kit or neither.