Future Ford Vehicles Could Get Spare Tire Inflation System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a spare tire inflation system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on March 22^nd, 2023, published on September 26^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0316998.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has published several patents revolving around tires and tire pressure monitoring systems in recent months, a list that includes ideas for a tire pressure loss detection and alert system, a tire pressure notification system, an adaptive tire pressure system, and a tire monitoring system, to name just a few. Now, that list continues to expand with this recently published patent outlining an idea for a spare tire inflation system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

Spare tires are one of those things that were rarely think about, yet when the time comes, they certainly come in handy. However, in some more modern vehicles, spare tires have been ditched in favor of repair kits due to weight, cost, and the amount of space required to store those units, which isn’t exactly ideal for those that get a flat in the middle of nowhere that may not be able to be repaired by such a kit. Thus, this new patent aims to make it a bit easier to store and maintain a spare tire.

If this idea comes to fruition, future Ford vehicles may utilize a spare tire that’s uninflated most of the time, but if this system receives information from the vehicle that one of the other tires is experiencing low pressure, it could automatically inflate the spare and get it ready for use. This would ensure that the spare tire isn’t taking up any more space than necessary, not to mention that it’s ready to roll when called upon. It’s an interesting idea, and given Ford’s recent, similar patent filings, we wouldn’t be surprised if it – or something like it – ultimately makes it to production.