Letters to the Editor: New cars with no spare tires? These drivers were left stranded

To the editor: Your lengthy article on the lack of spare tires in new cars, especially electric vehicles and hybrids, missed the most important consequence (danger) — you could end up totally stranded.

A truck sent by AAA arrives but is unable to help; they do not repair tires, and you cannot drive on three wheels. So, the car must be towed to a place where a replacement tire is available. Good luck with that.

It’s happened to me before, once in the freezing cold at 2 a.m. I had to abandon my car and find a way to get home.

Barry Alter, Encino

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To the editor: EVs are not the only vehicles without spare tires. Most consumers are unaware that the vehicles they rent do not have one either.

I learned that the hard way when my car had a flat tire and had to be towed 30 miles back to the rental office in upstate New York.

When asked if a car has a spare tire, the rental counter staff have no clue. Before you drive away, look into the trunk to see if there is a spare.

I contacted my state representatives, but they ignored my concerns. My wife commutes, and if her car is in the shop and she has to rent a car, she could be stranded on the side of a road into the darkness of night.

Robert Rice Jr., Goleta

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To the editor: My car is a 2016 Toyota Prius. When I bought it, I was told that there was no spare tire, but the enclosed kit to patch a flat was easy to use.

When I got a flat tire a couple of years later, the technician who arrived said that AAA does not patch tires with the kit. My car had to be towed.

Some months later I experienced another flat. Desperate for a spare, I contacted my mechanic, who found a “doughnut” for me. It fits perfectly in the well that is built into the trunk under the floor board, which tells me that Toyota is aware that a spare tire is a good thing.

The idea that the kit is easy to use is ridiculous. If the AAA person who comes to one’s aid cannot or will not patch the tire, how can a 90-year-old woman like me be expected to jack the car up, remove the tire, find the leak and apply the patch?

I haven’t had a flat since I got the spare, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I won’t need a tow truck, the tire can be replaced and I can continue on my way.

Julie May, Los Angeles