How to Use Car Jack That Comes with Car: Complete Guide and Facts
You can use the jack supplied with your car to lift one corner for a tire change, but only on firm, level ground and at the vehicle’s specified jack point. It is an emergency lifting tool, not a substitute for jack stands or a workshop lift.
This guide explains the relevant conditions, equipment, limits, and safety steps so a roadside tire change does not become a preventable injury or vehicle-damage incident. The small factory jack is often a scissor jack, although some trucks and SUVs use a bottle jack or another compact design.
Picture the jack as a temporary elevator for one wheel, not a support structure for the entire vehicle. You will learn how to locate the correct lifting point, loosen the lug nuts, raise and lower the car in the right order, handle a spare tire, recognize unsafe conditions, and decide when professional roadside help is the safer choice.
What the Factory Car Jack Is Designed
The jack that comes with a car is normally designed for a limited task: lifting one corner high enough to remove a flat tire and install the spare. It is matched to the vehicle’s weight and designated lifting points, but it is not necessarily rated or intended for every repair situation.
Most factory jacks have a relatively narrow base and a small lifting saddle. A scissor jack rises when a threaded rod is turned with a crank or lug-wrench handle; a bottle jack raises the vehicle with a hydraulic piston and usually needs a separate handle.
Use the jack only for the purpose described in the owner’s manual. Do not use it to lift both wheels on one side, raise the whole front or rear axle, support a vehicle while working underneath it, or press against suspension components unless the manufacturer specifically identifies that location.
Before relying on the equipment, confirm that the jack, lug wrench, crank handle, and spare-tire tools are present. Check the jack for bent metal, damaged threads, leaking hydraulic fluid, a missing saddle, or a cracked base. A defective jack should be replaced before an emergency occurs.
What to Do Before Lifting the Vehicle
Stop as far from moving traffic as practical. A paved shoulder, driveway, or level parking area is preferable to soft soil, gravel, a slope, or a narrow roadside location. Turn on the hazard lights and, if available, set out warning devices in accordance with safe roadside practice.
Shift an automatic transmission into Park or a manual transmission into first gear or reverse. Apply the parking brake, switch off the engine, and remove the key or keep the vehicle secured against accidental movement.
Take passengers out of the vehicle before lifting it. Extra weight can change the load on the jack, and people moving inside the cabin can make a lightly supported vehicle unstable.
Find the owner’s manual or the lifting diagram printed on the vehicle. The correct jack point is commonly a reinforced area along the rocker panel or pinch weld, but its shape varies by vehicle. Some models use a marked notch, while others have a flat reinforced pad or a specific frame location.
Never guess based only on appearance. Placing the jack under a plastic side skirt, floor pan, exhaust component, fuel tank, suspension arm, or other thin metal can cause crushing, slipping, or expensive damage.
Block the Wheel Opposite the Flat
Chock the wheel diagonally opposite the flat tire whenever possible. For example, if the right-front tire is flat, block the left-rear tire. A commercial wheel chock is best, but a solid piece of wood or another substantial object may help when used on a suitable surface.
Wheel chocks are an additional safeguard, not a replacement for the parking brake, transmission setting, and level ground. If the vehicle is stopped on a steep grade, unstable shoulder, or active traffic lane, do not attempt a tire change merely because the jack is available.
How to Use the Car Jack for a Flat Tire
Keep the vehicle on the ground while loosening the lug nuts. Remove the hubcap or wheel cover only if necessary, then fit the lug wrench fully over each nut and turn counterclockwise.
Loosen each nut by about one turn, working in a crisscross pattern when practical. Do not remove the nuts yet. Breaking them loose while the tire is on the ground prevents the wheel from spinning and reduces the chance of pulling the car sideways on the jack.
- Position the jack. Place it directly under the manufacturer-designated jack point. Keep the jack’s base flat and centered, with the lifting saddle aligned with the reinforced contact area.
- Check alignment before raising. Turn the jack handle slowly until the saddle touches the vehicle. Confirm that the saddle has not shifted and that the base remains stable.
- Raise the vehicle gradually. Continue operating the jack until the flat tire is roughly 1 to 2 inches off the ground, or only high enough to clear the tire and install the inflated spare.
- Remove the lug nuts. Keep the nuts together in a safe place. Pull the wheel straight toward you and avoid placing fingers behind it where they can be pinched.
- Install the spare. Align the wheel’s holes with the studs or hub bolts and push it fully onto the mounting surface. Thread the lug nuts by hand to avoid cross-threading.
- Snug the nuts while lifted. Tighten them in a star or crisscross sequence, but do not apply maximum force while the tire is off the ground.
- Lower the vehicle slowly. Turn the jack in the lowering direction until the spare touches the ground and the vehicle’s weight is supported by the tire.
- Torque the lug nuts correctly. Tighten them in the specified sequence to the torque listed in the owner’s manual. If a torque wrench is unavailable, tighten them firmly in a crisscross pattern and have the torque checked as soon as possible.
Do not lift the vehicle higher than needed. Extra height increases the jack’s extension and makes the vehicle more vulnerable to movement, especially with a narrow factory jack on an uneven surface.
After removing the jack, check that the spare is fully inflated and that no tool remains beneath the vehicle. Drive slowly to a safe location or tire shop, following any speed or distance limits printed on the temporary spare.
How to Lower the Car Safely
Lower the vehicle with controlled, gradual movements rather than releasing the jack quickly. Keep hands, feet, and tools away from the area beneath the vehicle and from the jack’s moving parts.
Once the tire is on the ground, finish tightening the lug nuts in a crisscross pattern. This sequence draws the wheel evenly against the hub and helps prevent uneven seating.
Replace the wheel cover only if it fits the spare and does not interfere with the valve stem. Store the flat tire, jack, wrench, handle, and wheel chock securely so they cannot move around the cabin or cargo area during driving.
Recheck the spare’s pressure at the earliest opportunity. A temporary spare may require a higher pressure than the regular tires and may have a restricted maximum speed. Those limits are typically printed on the spare’s sidewall or listed in the manual.
Important Limits and Common Mistakes
The most dangerous mistake is treating a factory jack as a stable support. Never place any part of your body under a vehicle supported only by that jack, even if the vehicle appears steady.
A jack can slip when the ground is soft, wet, icy, sloped, or contaminated with oil. It can also shift if the saddle is not centered, if the base is tilted, or if the vehicle moves because the parking brake or transmission was not properly set.
- Do not work beneath a car supported only by the supplied jack.
- Do not use stacked boards, bricks, rocks, or improvised objects to increase jack height.
- Do not start the engine or allow anyone to enter the vehicle while it is raised.
- Do not crawl under the vehicle to retrieve a tool that has fallen beneath it.
- Do not use an impact gun or cheater bar if it may damage the factory wrench, lug nuts, or wheel studs.
- Do not continue if the jack bends, tilts, sinks, leaks, or makes unusual noises.
- Do not install a spare with a damaged sidewall, missing tread, or visibly low pressure.
Using a jack on a slope is especially risky because the lifting force can encourage the vehicle to roll or slide. If moving the car to level ground is impossible, call roadside assistance rather than attempting a tire change in an unsafe position.
Another common problem is lifting before loosening the lug nuts. The wheel may spin, and force applied through the wrench can destabilize the car. Loosening first and tightening only lightly before lowering keeps the process controlled.
When the Supplied Jack Is Not Enough
Call a professional instead of using the factory jack when the vehicle is on a freeway shoulder, near a blind curve, in heavy traffic, on a steep grade, or in a location where passing vehicles could strike the car. Personal safety is more important than changing the tire immediately.
Professional help is also appropriate when the flat tire is on the side facing traffic and the vehicle cannot be moved safely, when the wheel is seized to the hub, or when the lug nuts are damaged or excessively tight.
Do not attempt the change if the spare is missing, flat, incompatible, or subject to a restriction that makes the intended trip unsafe. A vehicle may also require a specific spare size because of all-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive, or electronic stability-control requirements.
If the tire has a blowout, sidewall damage, separated tread, or a puncture near the shoulder, a spare may be only a temporary way to reach a tire professional. Do not repair or reinflate a severely damaged tire simply to avoid assistance.
A hydraulic floor jack and jack stands can be useful for maintenance at home, but they do not automatically make roadside repairs safe. The vehicle must still be lifted at approved points, supported correctly, and kept on suitable ground.
Checking the Spare Tire After Installation
Drive gently after installing the spare. Avoid hard acceleration, sudden braking, sharp cornering, and potholes, particularly when the spare is a compact temporary tire.
Pay attention to vibration, pulling, wobbling, scraping, or unusual noise. Stop in a safe place if any of these symptoms occur and check whether the wheel is seated properly or whether a lug nut has loosened.
Have the lug-nut torque checked with a torque wrench as soon as possible, especially if the nuts were tightened without a torque wrench. Tire shops can also inspect the original tire and determine whether it can be repaired or must be replaced.
After the regular tire is repaired, return the jack and spare to their correct storage positions. Verify the spare pressure periodically, because a spare that has been ignored for years may be unusable during the next roadside emergency.
FAQ About Using the Car Jack That Comes With the Car
Can I use the factory jack to change a flat
Yes, the factory jack is generally intended for lifting one corner during a tire change. Use it only at the vehicle’s approved jack point, on firm level ground, and only high enough to remove the tire and fit the spare.
Where should I place the jack under my car?
Place it at the reinforced jack point identified in the owner’s manual or vehicle diagram. Many cars use a marked pinch-weld location beneath the rocker panel, but the correct position differs by model and should not be guessed.
Should I loosen the lug nuts before raising the car?
Yes, loosen each lug nut slightly while the tire is still on the ground. Remove the nuts only after the vehicle is lifted, then snug them before lowering and fully tighten them after the tire rests on the ground.
Can I get under a car held up by its
No, never go under a vehicle supported only by the supplied jack. The factory jack is designed for brief wheel removal and can shift or collapse; it is not a safe support system for a person underneath the car.
How high should I raise the vehicle with the car
Raise it only until the flat tire clears the ground by about 1 to 2 inches. The exact clearance depends on the tire and spare, but unnecessary height makes the vehicle and jack less stable.
Can I use the car jack on a slope
Avoid using it on a slope, soft soil, loose gravel, ice, or an unstable shoulder. If the car cannot be moved safely to firm, level ground, contact roadside assistance rather than risking a slide or rollover.
How does the exact keyword apply to this process?
To understand how to use car jack that comes with car, follow the vehicle manual rather than a universal lifting diagram. The general sequence is loosen, position, lift, replace, lower, and torque, but jack points, spare limitations, and lug-nut specifications are vehicle-specific.
Safe Takeaway for Using a Factory Car Jack
Use the supplied jack only for a controlled, one-wheel tire change: secure the vehicle, loosen the lug nuts on the ground, lift at the approved point, keep clear of the underside, and tighten the nuts correctly after lowering. Its major limitation is that it is not a substitute for jack stands and is unsafe on unstable ground or in dangerous traffic conditions.
Before an emergency, inspect the jack and spare, read the vehicle manual, and confirm the spare’s pressure and restrictions. If the location, equipment, tire, or lug nuts creates doubt, call roadside assistance instead of taking a preventable risk.