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How do you fix a broken spare tire cable?
The steel cable holding my spare tire in place is rusted out and needs to be replaced. How do I replace the spare tire hoist? Is this something I can do myself, at home?
Claire Beaney · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
If you’re handy and have the tools, you can certainly fix this yourself at home rather than paying a mechanic to do it. The new spare tire hoist will cost anywhere from $50 to $100 and can be bought online or at your local auto parts store.
Some cars and trucks have a spare tire held up underneath the trunk or the box using a spare tire hoist. You’ll see it in a lot of GM and Ford models, especially pickups, SUVs, and some crossovers.
As the spare tire hoist gets older and more exposed to the elements, it’ll get rusted out and will need replacing. The spare tire cable itself can rust out so bad your spare tire falls right off your vehicle!
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Use a lug wrench to lower your spare tire. Your car’s owner manual will explain how to do this
- Get underneath the vehicle and find the bolts that hold the spare tire hoist to the chassis and remove them
- The spare tire hoist might be rusted to the chassis. If you’re sure you’ve gotten all the bolts out, you may need to give it some elbow grease to get it out, or even give it a firm (and careful!) whack with a hammer or crowbar.
- Put in your new spare tire hoist and bolt it firmly to the chassis
Now that you’ve done some maintenance on your truck, you can do a little maintenance on your budget, saving hundreds of dollars per year on
car insurance
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app.Jerry will show you up to 50 quotes from trusted insurance companies, then help you get signed up without phone calls or paperwork. Jerry users save $887 per year on average. Download the app today on Android or IOS and see how much you should be saving on car insurance!
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- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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