Got a Flat Tire, Had to Get Towed

C

ClarityPHEVer

Member
I curbed my front passenger tire turning into the high school parking lot for my kids’ swimming lessons and got a flat today. I could see the sidewall damage, so I didn’t even bother digging out the flat kit, and just called for a tow. I learned a couple things along the way that I thought I’d share in case any of you find yourself in a similar situation.

I called Honda Roadside first, but they let me know that for a tow, they will only tow to a Honda Service location. The nearest one of those is 20 miles away, and since my friend offered to stay with my kids at the pool, I needed a closer, quicker solution. I cancelled Honda Roadside, and called AAA to tow to the tire shop a mile away, which miraculously had a replacement Michelin in stock.

AAA guy showed up and was immediately perplexed by the Clarity, so I pulled out my full sized owners manual (glad I ordered a print copy thanks to this Forum!!) and we saw that the Clarity requires a flatbed tow. So he called for a flatbed. The flatbed AAA guy that showed up turned out to be a Honda aficionado, and was pretty excited about my Clarity. He knew all about the you-must-stay-in-the-car for neutral and got it loaded up and delivered to the tire place, where he recruited one of the mechanics to help him unload it.

The two AAA guys were saying that as long as the car was operational (like with a flat) that it would have been ok to tow with a traditional truck. (They weren’t giving me a hard time at all- just giving me info in case I was stranded in an unsafe locale, and that was what was available.) Any of you have any thoughts on that?
 
In this case , is it good idea to Keep CAA/AAA because I was planning to cancel my membership due to Honda Roadside assistance available ?
 
Bummer, the sidewalls are very weak on all these LRR tires. Similar issue with the Volt, i3, etc. Unfortunately, they also go away from spares so it makes an interesting situation when you get a flat. I bought a tire plug kit and will put it in the compartment under the trunk. Might need to get a scissor jack as well and put in there.

The request for a flatbed tow might be if the parking brake is engaged or something and the rear wheels are locked? That is odd that a FWD would request a flatbed, however, I think flatbeds are the preferred method for towing any vehicle, really.
 
From the emergency response guide (emphasis mine):
"Emergency Towing
The preferred method is to use a flat-bed tow truck. If wheel lift equipment must be used, be sure to suspend the front wheels and release the parking brake.

Be aware that when rolling a Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid with the front (drive) wheels on the ground, the electric motor can produce electricity and remains a potential source of electric shock even when the high-voltage system is turned off."
 
Steven B said:
From the emergency response guide (emphasis mine):
"Emergency Towing
The preferred method is to use a flat-bed tow truck. If wheel lift equipment must be used, be sure to suspend the front wheels and release the parking brake.

Be aware that when rolling a Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid with the front (drive) wheels on the ground, the electric motor can produce electricity and remains a potential source of electric shock even when the high-voltage system is turned off."
Click to expand...

Thanks! It would be great if all the info from Honda matched. This is the info from the owners manual p 561 (emphasis Honda):

“Call a professional towing service if you need to tow your vehicle.
■ Flat bed equipment
The operator loads your vehicle on the back of a flat bed truck. This is the only way you can safely transport your vehicle. Any other towing method will damage the vehicle’s drive system.”

Given that I had complicating factors (kids swim lessons), I was glad that I had AAA so I could get things taken care of locally. If you’re fine with them towing to Honda Service, probably no need to keep AAA.
 
Last night I hit something while cruising down the freeway. It took out both right tires. I called Honda (via HondaLink) and they had a flat bed tow to me in about 70 minutes.

The only thing wonky about my experience is that they offered to take me to a Dealer-owned body shop first because it was closer than a 'real' dealer location. Bad part of town and the opposite direction from where I lived. When I asked to go to the 'real' dealer they quickly agreed. Per the person I talked to, first priority is any Honda dealer within 25 miles of my location. She just started with the closest one. No harm, no foul.

The object I hit also impacted four other cars.

So far I'm in for two wheels ($2k each, if I understood correctly!), two tires and unspecified exhaust system damage. Insurance adjuster can't make it the dealer until Tuesday.

I got the car May 7...
 
I visited the car yesterday.

The dealer knows how to bill the parts. (Things I learned: there’s retail prices and there’s insurance prices. Just like healthcare).

But they don’t know how to bill the labor for the exhaust replacement. The car’s new and they don’t have enough experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Steven B said:
From the emergency response guide (emphasis mine):
"Emergency Towing
The preferred method is to use a flat-bed tow truck. If wheel lift equipment must be used, be sure to suspend the front wheels and release the parking brake.

Be aware that when rolling a Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid with the front (drive) wheels on the ground, the electric motor can produce electricity and remains a potential source of electric shock even when the high-voltage system is turned off."
Click to expand...

Are you sure about the power production with the front wheels turning when the system is off? It seems that would create a safety hazard for servicing and since it's easy to shut off that power path, I'd be surprised if Honda left it hot with the battery off.
 
leehinde said:
So far I'm in for two wheels ($2k each, if I understood correctly!), two tires and unspecified exhaust system damage. Insurance adjuster can't make it the dealer until Tuesday.
I got the car May 7...
Click to expand...
That is far too much for wheels. If they really want $2k each for wheels, buy an aftermarket set of wheels and tires for much less than $2k for the entire set of 4 or find someone with used wheels. Looking on Discount tire, a set of 4 wheels with tires mounted, balanced, and shipped start at about $1000.
 
I think the Clarity accessory wheels are nicer and they're much cheaper. No worries about offset, diameter, brake clearance, etc.

Clarity_accessory_wheels.jpg
 
I didn’t drive my Clarity Friday or Saturday, but when I turned it on it through a tire pressure sensor alert. Tire pressures were all correct, so I brought it back to the tire place today. As I told them the issue, the guy asked if it was a Honda- according to him newer Hondas and Mazdas often throw a TPM alert a day or two after a tire replacement or rotation.

They double checked my pressures and cleared the alert. The alert was cleared by navigating through the infotainment to vehicle settings and doing a TPM calibration. Wish I knew about that before carting my kids to the tire place, especially since I called it in before going. At least I know for next time.
 
I also took a curb in a 180 turn into a parking lot six days ago. My tire pressure dropped about 5 psi, but after I pressured back to normal it has held pretty well, but with a very slow leak of about 1.6 psi in the six days since. I'm taking it in to the dealer for inspection today. I'm concerned that there might be sidewall damage that might just cause it to blowout on me.
 
Some days are just better than others. After my curb jump last week, and the slow tire pressure leak afterward, I was expecting a new tire and/or a rim replacement when Honda inspected it. To my amazement, afterward, the rep walked in to the waiting area with an 8p nail and a big smile. Just a nail in the tread, no sidewall damage, and the rim is undamaged - $33 for the tire repair. Whew.
 
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