Blowout
Tire blowout: what to do now, and who to call
A blowout is loud, sudden and over fast. This page covers the first few seconds, then what comes after: a tire that has blown out is usually torn open, so the car needs its spare or a new tire. We come to wherever you stopped.
Tire Replacement from $129 + $19 dispatch
Service price
- Dispatch fee, once per job
- + $19
Tire availability varies. Dispatch confirms a tire is available, and your total, before a driver is sent.
Service prices are plus a $19 dispatch fee charged once per job. Dispatch confirms the final price for your vehicle and location before a driver is sent.
Questions about pricing? Call (945) 412-1215In the first few seconds
Keep both hands on the wheel and hold the car steady. Ease off the gas instead of stamping on the brake, because hard braking can swing the car sideways. Let the speed fall away, then steer gently toward the shoulder with your hazard lights on.
A blowout pulls the car toward the side with the bad tire, and the steering feels heavy and loose. The pull is strongest in the first second or two. Don't fight it with big, sudden corrections.
Once you've stopped
In a live traffic lane, or if anyone is hurt, call 911 first. Otherwise get everyone clear of the car and away from traffic.
Once you're off the road, don't drive any further. The wheel is probably damaged already, and more miles on it make that worse.
Take a breath before you dial. Shaking hands and a racing pulse are normal after a blowout. Give dispatch your location first, because that is the one thing we can't send help without.
What the tire needs now
A blown-out tire is usually torn open or in pieces, and that can't be plugged or patched. From here there are two ways forward. If you carry a usable spare, we put it on, from $75. If you don't, we supply a new tire and install it, from $129. Either job adds a $19 dispatch fee, once.
Many spares are the small temporary kind, built for a short, slower drive. Plan on a proper tire soon after.
If you think something struck the wheel or the car as the tire let go, mention it. We handle the tire itself, and we don't do mechanical repair, so anything beyond the tire is a job for a shop.
What to tell dispatch
A tire has to be available before a driver is dispatched, and availability varies by size, so dispatch checks first and gives you your total. These details speed that up:
- Where you are: the road, the direction and the nearest exit or cross street.
- The year, make and model.
- Whether there's a usable spare in the car.
- The wheel size, if you can read it. A blown tire's sidewall may be shredded, so the sticker on the driver's door jamb is the safer place to look.
What happens after you call or send a request
- 1. Send a request or callShare your location, the vehicle and what happened. No account and no membership.
- 2. Hear the price firstDispatch confirms the service price and the $19 dispatch fee for your vehicle before a driver is sent.
- 3. Hear when they're on the wayWe text or call you when your driver is heading to you. Average arrival is 30 minutes; actual time depends on location and traffic.
- 4. Fixed where the car sitsDriveway, parking lot, garage or shoulder: there's no shop to get to.
Common questions
A plug or patch only works on a puncture in the tread. A blowout usually tears the tire open, which can't be safely repaired, so the car needs its spare or a replacement.
Look at the sticker on the driver's door jamb, or at the matching tire on the other side of the same axle, if you can do so safely.
No. Once you're off the road, stay put. A blown tire can come apart further, and the wheel takes the damage.
Yes, if there's a usable spare in the car: from $75 plus the $19 dispatch fee. If there isn't, ask for tire replacement instead.