Emergency Roadside Assistance in the South Bay

SOS Roadside Service sends a mobile technician to your car in nine South Bay cities in California to deal with a flat tire, a dead battery or a lockout where the car stopped, whether that is a work lot or the freeway shoulder. You do not need to know what is wrong: call (650) 898-3789, 7:00am to 8:00pm, seven days a week, and tell us what the car is doing. We have an average response time of about 18 minutes.

On a freeway, or stopped in a traffic lane? Call 911 first, then us.

What happens when I call?

During our hours you talk to a technician, not a call center. Tell us your name and where the car is, then the year, make and model, and what it is doing. That is all; we come to you and look at the car on site. The I-880 driver below got clear safety instructions on his call. You get the price when you call, before the technician comes out. Our technicians are trained and professional, and they do the work hands-on at the car.

At the car, the technician looks first and explains what is wrong. If a repair will do, you hear that before anyone sells you a part. If the problem cannot be fixed where the car is, you hear that too, on the phone or at the car. Before leaving, the technician checks that the car starts or drives.

Not sure what is wrong? Start with what the car is doing

My car won't start

Tell us what you hear when you turn the key: a click, a slow crank, or nothing. At the car the technician looks at the battery, tries a jump and watches how the car responds. A battery that only ran down often comes back on a jump, a worn-out one can be replaced where the car is, and if something else drained a good battery, we say so, because a new one would not fix that. One customer below turned out not to need a battery at all.

Jump starts and battery help cover passenger cars and SUVs up to commercial vehicles and semi trucks. More on jump starts, a new battery fitted where you are, or having the battery looked at first.

I have a flat tire

The technician looks at the tire first and tells you whether it can be repaired. If it can, it is repaired where the car is. If not, the spare goes on, or we try to find a tire in your size and fit it where you are. Finding a tire adds time, and some sizes are hard to get: the Prius driver on I-880 below needed two.

More on repairing a flat, putting your spare on and new tires fitted where you are.

I locked my keys in the car

We come to the car and open it. If a child or a pet is shut inside, call 911 first. More on getting back into a locked car.

I ran out of gas

We bring fuel to the car. If it still will not run after that, say so: on one freeway call the electrical had gone out as well, and the technician sorted it out at the car. More on fuel delivery.

The car died while driving, or the battery light came on

Suspect the charging side before you buy a battery: a faulty alternator can drain a good one. If the dash lights stay bright but the key gets one click or nothing, it may be the starter. Both are parts we replace; see alternators and starters.

What customers wrote

Popped a tire on the freeway 880 going south. Frontleft blown out the side wall, back left bubbled as well.

This man picked up the phone and gave clear safety instructions. Located me and showed up in less than 15 minutes.

Hard to find tires for a Prius, he had one and located a second for a two tire replacement.

Even with that added delay to locate the second tire I was turned around from tire pop to good in 2.5 hours!

Saved multiple uber rides, a tow fee, drop off and pick up at some shop and a likely delay in the tire acquisition.

Really good guy, number saved as well. 10/10 strong strong recommendation

The car suddenly would not start and Stevan showed up in less than 20 minutes. It turned out not to be a battery issue, but some weird computer glitch, which he somehow figured out - after checking everything. It finally started after he tried rebooting the whole system. As a bonus, he fixed my California flag which was not hung properly apparently and I had no idea. Highly recommend. Presented as reliable, honest, and efficient.

Times in these reviews are what each customer saw that day. More are on our reviews page.

Before we get there

• On a freeway shoulder or in a traffic lane: call 911 first and do what they tell you about staying in the car.
• Hazard lights on, if they still work.
• In a parking lot or a garage: tell us the level, the row, or what you are parked next to.
• For a flat: the tire size printed on the sidewall, where the spare is, and the wheel-lock key if your wheels have locking lug nuts.
• Keep the key or fob with you, unless that is the problem.

Your safety comes first, and the aim is to get you back on the road safely.

Which cities do you cover?

San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos and Milpitas, each with its own page, all in California.

Questions people ask