Like all car models, the Ford F-150 has a compartment dedicated to storing a spare tire that owners can remove and use in the event of an emergency or simply whenever one of their wheels has run its course. If this is your first time owning a Ford F-150, or any truck, you might have a hard time locating and removing the spare tire, so we’re here to help.
The spare tire for a Ford F-150 built between 2014 and 2020 is underneath the truck’s bed. You should be able to see it if you lay on the ground and look up at the truck’s undercarriage. To remove a Ford F-150’s spare tire, you will need to unlock it using your key and crank it down using the three-piece rod system tool.
In this article, we will take you through a step-by-step process on how to locate and remove your Ford F-150’s spare tire in addition to other emergency tools that come with your vehicle. We will also provide an alternative method for removing your Ford F-150 spare tire if you are missing certain tools.
Where Is The Jack and Lug Wrench on a Ford F-150?
This might seem like an odd place to start considering the focus of this article is to locate and remove your Ford F-150’s spare tire, but in order to do this, you will need the three-piece rod system tool that is attached to your truck’s provided jack and lug wrench tools. Therefore, we figured this would be a more logical place to start.
The jack and lug wrench on a Ford F-150 can be find behind the rear passenger seat on the right. They are tucked between the back of the seat and the front of your truck bed, and easily accessible by pulling the front of your right, rear passenger seat down.
Once you’ve folded this seat down, you should see the bundle of emergency tools on the ground and strapped into place with three Velcro straps.
Remove the straps, slide the bundle of tools towards the truck frame, and then gently lift it out of its storage area.
In this bundle, you’ll find:
- Jack pieces
- Three-piece rod system
- Easy fuel funnel
- Lug wrench
Look for a Replacement F150 Spare Tire Tool Set Here on Amazon if you don’t have one.
If you’re about to remove your F-150’s spare tire, you’ll want to grab that three-piece rod system now.
Here’s a video showing where the tools can be found:
How Do You Get the Spare Tire Off a Ford F-150?
As stated previously, your spare tire to any Ford F-150 that was made between the years 2014-2020 is located underneath the truck’s bed, but how do we remove it? The answer is here.
If you haven’t already found and removed the three-piece rod system from your Ford F-150 for this process, you’ll want to refer to the previous section, which will show you where it is located and how to access it.
To remove the spare tire on a Ford F-150, follow the steps listed below:
- Go to your truck bed door and locate the cap found to the right of your license plate.
- Remove this cap and then insert your car’s ignition key into the hole to unlock it.
- Remove the access port cover and set it aside.
- Assemble your three-piece rod system by connecting the two slimmer pieces perpendicular to the L-shaped piece.
- Insert the long, slim end of the removal tool into the access port and slowly angle it into the white cone found inside (this can be challenging to locate, but you will feel the tool lock into place when it is in properly).
- Crank the removal tool counterclockwise to lower the spare tire.
- Reach into the center of the spare tire and remove the connected bracket.
Once you’ve performed these steps, you should be able to slide your spare Ford F-150 tire freely out from underneath your truck.
If you have trouble cranking the removal tool to lower your spare tire, you might need to apply some WD-40 or an alternative lubricant to help loosen the mechanisms. Apply these products to your spare tire system regularly is always a recommended step of overall Ford F150 maintenance.
Here’s a video showing how to get the spare tire on the F150:
How Do I Lower My Spare Tire Without a Tool?
As you can tell from the guide provided above, a crucial element to easily lowering and removing any Ford F-150 is using the three-piece rod system removal tool.
Which means, if you search your bundle tool stored behind your right, rear passenger seat and find that this removal tool is either absent or damaged, you’re probably wondering if there is an alternative way to get your spare tire.
To be honest, there is no easy way to lower your Ford F-150’s spare tire without potentially damaging the locking mechanism and other components. It is much more advisable to purchase a new set of these tools online (F150 Spare Tire Tool Kit Here) for a minimal cost than to try and troubleshoot the issue with incompatible tools.
Emergency Removal Method
Most people won’t attempt to access their spare tire unless they are in a dire emergency, such as being stranded on the side of the road due to a blown tire. In these instances, you might not care about the integrity of your locking mechanism and other pieces as long as you can access your spare tire.
If that is the case, then your best bet is to connect a 14mm socket to two-foot extender and then inserting this into the white cone until it is near the locking mechanism.
This sized socket is close enough to the removal tool that, with a little muscle power from a hammer, you should be able to force the socket to distort and envelop the locking mechanism.
Once the socket is secure around the locking mechanism, attach a ratchet to the socket extension and start cranking your makeshift tool to slowly lower the spare tire.
Final Thoughts
Locating and removing your Ford F-150’s spare tire should be a quick and easy process once you know where all your tools are located and the necessary steps.
If you find yourself attempting to do this without the removal tool, or worse, the key to the access port, you might need to resort to methods that could damage some of your truck’s components if you aren’t willing to take it to a professional or purchase replacement tools.