How to Use Jack Stands? | Support Your Vehicle Safely

For the full breakdown, see our best USA Made Jack Stands guide.

Using jack stands wrong is how cars end up on the floor with someone under them. The procedure itself is simple, but skipping the order of operations or ignoring the surface you’re on turns a routine oil change into a trip to the ER. The consistent rule across every safety guide: the jack lifts, the stands hold, and the vehicle gets tested for stability before you commit to working beneath it.

What Are Jack Stands For?

Jack stands are load-bearing supports that hold a vehicle in place after a floor jack has raised it. They are not lifting devices—they never move the car. The jack is temporary lifting equipment; the stands are the actual support system for the work period.

For basic flat-tire changes, emergency jacks can be fine. But for any real maintenance—brake pads, oil changes, exhaust work—you want the vehicle resting on stands rated for its weight, not on the jack’s hydraulics. A floor jack can fail slowly or suddenly; jack stands give a solid, mechanical hold.

The Safe Order of Operations

Follow this sequence every time:

• Park on a firm, level surface. Concrete is ideal. Avoid dirt, gravel, and hot asphalt—stands can sink into soft ground. If asphalt is warm, it’s even more dangerous.
• Engage the parking brake and chock the wheels. Chock both sides of the wheels that stay on the ground.
• Locate the manufacturer’s jacking points, then raise the vehicle with a floor jack at the designated lift point.
• Set the jack stands under the support points. Place the saddle centered on the frame rail, reinforced pinch weld, or manufacturer-designated spot—never under suspension parts or the floor pan. Adjust the stand so it touches the contact point, keeping the stand vertical and perpendicular to the load.
• Use a matched pair. Both stands should be identical, with the same load rating. Mixing capacities unbalances the setup.
• Lower the vehicle slowly onto the stands. Make sure each saddle is seated flat against the vehicle before it takes full weight.
• Remove the jack, then do a hip check—push the vehicle sideways with your body. If it moves, creaks, or shifts, the stands aren’t seated right. Re-raise, adjust, and test again.

The jack also comes out from under the car before you go under it.

Lifting the whole vehicle on four stands follows the same logic, with one extra rule: lower the vehicle onto all four stands gradually, keeping the car level as it comes down.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most jack stand accidents trace back to a few recurring errors. Knowing these is more useful than the procedure itself, because the procedure fails when one of these sneaks in.

• Working on soft ground. Dirt, gravel, and hot asphalt let stands settle or sink, dropping the vehicle mid-job.
• Skipping the wheel chocks. A car can roll off stands with surprising ease, even on level ground.
• Relying on the floor jack alone. The jack should never be the only thing between you and the ground.
• Supporting the car by the floor pan or suspension arms. These aren’t reinforced for the vehicle’s full weight.
• Using mismatched stands. Two stands with different capacities create an unstable load.
• Applying heavy torque or lateral force while the vehicle is on stands. The stands are designed for vertical load, not sideways strain.
• Lowering before verifying the stands are square on the ground and flat against the vehicle.

One action you don’t need to worry about: this is a physical procedure, so there’s no compatibility issue between vehicle types—the same rules apply to cars, trucks, and SUVs. What does need checking is the load rating.

How Do I Know If a Pair of Jack Stands Is Safe?

Check the stands before every use—look for cracks, rust, bent frames, or worn locking pins. Confirm the capacity rating stamped on the side covers your vehicle’s weight, and that both stands match. If one stand fails inspection, replace the pair, not just one.

Lowering a Vehicle Off Jack Stands

Removal follows the reverse process, with one added rule: when a vehicle is fully raised on four stands, remove the two front stands first. Then lower the vehicle onto a floor jack and remove the rear stands, keeping the car balanced as it comes down.

The key at every stage is attention—the stand seats differently, the car sits differently, and the failure modes show up in odd sounds and small movements. If anything shifts, stop and re-evaluate before continuing.