Car Fell Off Jack While Changing Tire [Causes + Fixed]

Here, we’ll go over what to do if your Car Fell Off Jack While Changing Tire. It can be quite simple to jack up an automobile, but there are several potential causes for it to slide off, including human and mechanical mistakes.

Unfortunately, this incident has resulted in numerous car owners and DIYers suffering significant injuries. Rotor and control arm damage from a car that fell off a jack is possible. Typically, the car frame remains unharmed by this occurrence.

The scenario will necessitate additional repair work in addition to what you were trying to remedy if your automobile slips off the jack. Meanwhile, this can result in higher costs for you. Additionally, we will offer information and helpful hints to aid you in your quest for auto maintenance.

Car Fell Off Jack While Changing Tire

If the car you are jacking drops off the floor jack, ensure no one is hurt and everything is alright. Then look for damage on the jack stand. Any indications of deterioration mean the jack stand needs to be replaced.

Common Causes Of Car Falling Off A Jack And How To Prevent Them?

Misuse Of The Jack Or Incorrect Lifting Technique

Incorrect lifting techniques or improper jack use are two major reasons cars slide off them. If you have any questions about how to jack up your car securely, always refer to your owner’s manual and a specialist.

Uneven Ground Or Unstable Surface

Uneven or unstable surfaces might also result in a car falling off the jack. Never try to raise your car on a slope or soft ground; instead, always lift it on a flat, sturdy surface.

Maintaining Your Jack And Jack Stands For Safe Operation

Regularly check your jack and jack stands for wear or damage to ensure safe use. To avoid accidents, lubricate moving parts and replace any broken ones. When you need to raise your car to perform maintenance in the future, you may do so securely by performing proper maintenance now.

What Should I Do?

When you elevate your car to repair, and it falls off the jack, do the following immediately.

Inspect For Any Damages

First, be sure to check anybody or everyone who is working underneath the car to see if anyone has been hurt. Please administer first aid if someone is hurt or take them to the nearest hospital for treatment.

However, if no one is hurt, continue to check the car for any damage. The worst probable damage from a car falling off a jack could be the brake rotors and control arm. The frame is typically still there.

Lift The Car With A Low-Profile Floor Jack

Use a low-profile floor jack to carefully lift the automobile off the jack again because you might not be sure why it initially slid off. Meanwhile, this is the best piece to lift the car and crawl underneath it.

You determine the appropriate jack lift point underneath the automobile; consult your owner’s manual. The lift points are often found in front of the back tires and behind the front tires. The positions are typically identified with an arrow pointing to the location.

Hold The Car With Jack Stands

Including extra clever components to help you grip the automobile firmly if you were lifting it a second time would be beneficial. For instance, once you’ve lifted the car with the jack, you should support it using the Big Red Jack Stand. Without the aid of jack stands, a jack is not intended to hold your automobile by itself for an extended period of time.

More Causes Of Car Falling Off Jack

Cars can slip off jacks for several reasons, including issues with the jack and the area where the tools are utilized. The following are some causes of a car going off a jack that you may be a victim of.

Jacking Up A Car On Slopy Or Soft Ground

The position in which you jack up your car greatly influences whether it will stay on the jack or eventually come off. In other words, jacking up your car over uneven terrain will result in the vehicle wavering because of the jacks unbalance.

If the jack is not properly balanced, the automobile will finally fall off. The jack will sink into the sand, lose equilibrium, and cause the car to topple off if you hastily jack up your automobile on soft ground without paying attention to the spot because you have a flat tire emergency.

Failure To Engage The Emergency Brake

Some drivers forget to put their car in park and activate the hand brake for maximum safety before jacking it up. This will be one of the primary causes, among others, if a car slides off a jack when the jack is still in good condition.

When working on a part underneath your automobile, you don’t want it to be rocking back and forth because it might easily cause the car to tumble off the jack. Therefore, before jacking up an automobile, engaging the park gear and emergency brake is wise.

The lug nuts on your tires should also be loosened while the automobile is still on the ground because it is simpler and quicker to do so. When you attempt to remove the lug nuts after jacking up the automobile, the vehicle will shake as you exert energy to free the nut.

Using A Jack With A Small Base

A jack with a narrow base is more likely to fail than one with a wider base. Simply enough, this is another cause of cars falling off jacks. Use a more complex jack with a wider base to raise a bigger car. A scissor jack may not always be the best option. Therefore, knowing when a bottle jack is required is crucial rather than a scissor jack.

Failure To Use Wheel Chocks

Wheel chocks improve safety when jacking up a car and engaging the park gear and emergency brake. For instance, when jacking up your automobile to work on the parts below, you can use professional wheel chocks or wooden blocks to prevent the tires from rolling. Car owners occasionally rely solely on the park assist and the jack when lifting their vehicles instead of using the emergency brake and wheel chocks.

Can You Damage A Car By Jacking It Up?

No, jacking up a car won’t cause damage if you set the jack in the proper locations underneath the automobile. The jack lift points are typically situated behind the front tires and in front of the rear tires. If the jack is set up improperly, the weight of the automobile could harm the structure or create an imbalance that could cause the car to slide off.

How Long Can A Floor Jack Hold A Car?

An automobile cannot be held on a floor jack for an extended period. It is designed to lift your car instead, and you should use a jack stand to secure it while you operate below. A floor jack, however, can keep a car in place for a few minutes to several hours.

However, there is no benefit to employing a jack as a jack stand. They are constructed for various purposes and capacities. However, the causes might be the same if a car fell from jack stands instead of when it occurs on a jack.

Conclusion

There may be significant damage depending on whether the Car Fell Off Jack While Changing Tire. However, the brake rotors, control arm, frame, and other sub-assemblies may be harmed, and the mechanic could sustain fatal injuries.

Therefore, lifting a car to execute a repair underneath using the authorized jacks and jack stands is advised. Be sure to lift the automobile on flat solid ground and to use wheel chocks, park gear, and the emergency brake.

Frequently Asked Questions