How to handle 10 common problems when driving a car.

1. Tire blowout

A tire blowout is a common occurrence, causing the vehicle to lose balance and leading to unfortunate accidents. A tire blowout creates a loud bang, causing the driver to lose composure and easily resulting in an accident.

To avoid risks, drivers should follow these steps: Prevent the vehicle from veering off course by pressing the accelerator pedal all the way down for a few seconds. Then, slowly release the accelerator to maintain speed. Most importantly, keep the vehicle in its lane, try to stay away from the brake pedal, and steer to the side of the road to wait for roadside assistance.

2.Tire tread breakage

This is a very serious technical fault that can cause immeasurable damage when you are driving at high speeds.

A tire tread break is an incident where the tread and the steel wires inside partially detach or come loose, causing strong vibrations that make the vehicle lose balance. In this case, you should gradually accelerate and drive straight to a safe place for inspection and repair.

3. The steering wheel is difficult to control.

While driving, if you find the steering wheel difficult to control, quickly signal and pull over to the side of the road to check if the power steering pump belt is damaged or broken.

If the steering wheel becomes uncontrollable, stay calm, turn on the hazard lights, downshift, reduce speed, honk the horn, signal with your hands… and brake.

4. Sudden acceleration

This problem manifests similarly to a stuck accelerator pedal, but the cause isn't a technical fault in the engine, but rather a driver error in using the accelerator. Many people panic when encountering unexpected situations on the road and press the accelerator pedal, thinking it's the brake pedal, especially those using automatic transmissions.

To overcome this problem, you need to try to get familiar with the car, avoid driving fast in unfamiliar vehicles, and follow the same steps as with stuck throttle if you still make mistakes.

5. Sudden braking without ABS.

To stop a vehicle suddenly at high speed without an anti-lock braking system (ABS), the driver needs highly skilled driving. Maintaining a firm grip on the brake pedal, but not slamming it down completely, will cause wheel lock-up. At this point, the driver must become like the ABS system itself, ensuring the wheels stop without skidding.

In this situation, many drivers typically brake and simultaneously steer to the side. Repeatedly releasing the brakes is the best way to bring the vehicle to a stop without skidding, and this is also the mechanism of the ABS system.

6. Driving off the road

A common situation when cornering or avoiding oncoming vehicles on narrow roads can cause drivers to steer both wheels off the road surface. This is dangerous if the area outside the road shoulder is not a suitable flat surface.

To handle this situation, you should gradually reduce speed, avoid using the brakes, and steer at a very small angle to slowly bring the car back into the lane. Do not steer at a wide angle because the outer surface may not accommodate the wheel's rotation, leading to an accident.

7. Water slide

On wet roads, especially with worn tires, a thin layer of water forms between the wheel and the road surface. In fact, the tire is on top of the water instead of pushing it to the sides. You'll feel the front of the car become lighter and the vehicle begin to drift out of its lane.

When encountering this situation, do not press the brakes or steer, as doing so will cause the vehicle to skid. Instead, release the accelerator and try to keep the vehicle moving straight until you regain control.

8. Stuck at the gas pedal

When the accelerator is stuck, you have to stop the car, but before that, you must be careful not to be hit by the car behind you.

New drivers, lacking experience, often confuse the brake pedal with the accelerator pedal. If they panic, they might accidentally press the wrong pedal. In such a situation, they should immediately remove their foot from the pedal to assess the situation.

You must shift the gear lever to neutral immediately, or you can depress the clutch pedal to disengage the gear. If you cannot shift to neutral, you must turn off the engine. For vehicles that start with a push button and do not require a key, the only way is to shift to neutral.

9. Brake failure

Brake failure is a highly dangerous incident that can easily cause panic in drivers. To handle it, calmness is paramount. Keep repeatedly pressing the brake pedal to try and restore the system, use the parking brake smoothly, and use downshifting techniques to slow the vehicle down. Absolutely do not turn off the engine; this will disable the power steering system, making driving even more difficult.

In the worst-case scenario, if you have to choose to collide with an obstacle, stay calm enough to select a soft obstacle such as bushes or a puddle of mud; if you have to collide with a hard object such as a speed bump or cliff, try to minimize the angle of impact to avoid a head-on collision.

10. The car's temperature is too high.

If you notice your car's temperature is too high while driving, exceeding normal levels, and the temperature warning light comes on, stop the car to check the cooling system. High temperatures are often caused by problems with the car's engine cooling system.

If inspection reveals that the drive belt connected to the pump is damaged, do not drive. Otherwise, wait 30 minutes for the engine to return to normal, then continue driving, and have the vehicle checked for this fault immediately.

If the temperature gauge is still showing the high temperature warning light, it's best to call for roadside assistance to avoid driving and potentially causing a fire or engine damage.