When a tyre explodes on the M42, steady hands matter more than the brake pedal. Get off at a junction or into services if the car tracks safely, and we fit the replacement there.
The bang usually comes with a heavy pull towards the failed side. On the M42 that can happen between J3a and J7, where the gantries can turn the hard shoulder into a live lane: reach an emergency area or act on the signs, or, failing that, follow the Highway Code. Grip the wheel, keep the car straight and let the speed bleed away rather than braking hard. If the steering feels normal, carry on to J4 for Shirley, J6 for the NEC car parks or J9 at Coleshill.
A car that will not move is a recovery job: everyone out on the verge side, up the bank beyond the barrier, then 999 or National Highways on 0300 123 5000. Once the car is somewhere safe, give us the tyre size and the price is confirmed on the call. We fit the new tyre, then check the rim for cracks or bends and look over the tyre on the same axle, which takes a hit when its partner lets go.
Other jobs we do at the car include emergency mobile tyre fitting on the M42 and emergency tyre replacement on the M42.
Replacement happens at Hopwood Park on the J2 roundabout, Tamworth services at J10, the NEC car parks off J6 or wherever recovery drops the car. We do not attend a car in an emergency area or on the carriageway.
| Road | M42 Birmingham eastern orbital |
|---|---|
| Operator | National Highways |
What to do after a burst tyre →Burst tyre replacement on the M42 page
After a blowout towards the NEC end of the M42, carry on only to the exit, and only with safe steering, then into the Bickenhill roads. Bickenhill Lane, the B4438, and Coventry Road, the A45, both give you somewhere to turn off into a side road or car park. Once you are stopped legally, tell us the road name and the closest landmark, for instance Birmingham International station.
Bang, then a wobble on the M42. Grip, ease off, hazards on. A car you can still steer goes up the next slip road to a car park. One you cannot steer goes as far left as possible; if getting out is safe, everybody exits nearside, over the barrier, and nobody strolls along the verge. Between J3a and J7 that may be an emergency area, so lift the SOS phone or ring 999. Rolling on the bare rim wrecks it, so after recovery the wheel and remaining tyres get checked.
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Burst tyre on the M42: reach a junction or services, then call us.
