How to Change the Tire on a PT Cruiser

If your Chrysler PT Cruiser gets a flat tire, you will want to get it changed as quickly as possible. Oftentimes, that means changing it yourself. Fortunately, changing your PT Cruiser's tire is a fairly simple process that you can perform with the help of a few tools. If you know how to change your car's tires, you can be back on your way long before a tow truck would have arrived.

Remove the jack and jack handle from the storage compartment that is behind the side trim panel in right rear section of your PT Cruiser's cargo area.

Remove your spare tire from under the rear of the vehicle by using the jack handle to rotate what Chrysler refers to as the "spare tire drive nut." The spare tire drive nut is under your car's rear scuff plate in the right-rear cargo area.

Set the PT Cruiser's parking brake and place the vehicle's transmission in park. Block the wheel that is diagonally opposite to the one you are changing. The block will help prevent the possibility of the car rolling while you are changing the tire.

Use the small end of the lug wrench to pry the hubcap off the wheel and expose the lug nuts. Loosen, but do not take off, the wheel nuts with the wrench by turning them counterclockwise a single turn prior to raising the car with the jack.

Place jack directly underneath one of the two built-in jacking locations on the PT Cruiser. The jacking locations are at the front and the rear of the car. You can identify them by looking for the triangular cut out symbol. Use the jacking location closest to the tire that needs to be changed. Lift the car with the jack.

Remove the lug nuts with the lug wrench.

Pull old tire off of the car and replace it with the spare. Replace the lug nuts and tighten them. Lower car back to the ground and then remove the jack. Tighten the lug nuts securely, and snap hubcap back into place. Return old tire to spare tire carrier or cargo area, depending on where it fits, and put jack and lug wrench away.