Why is my TPMS light on?
Your Tire Pressure Monitoring System has detected there’s problem with one or more of your tires being low on air, or to high. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System typically warns you of a low tire but not why it’s low. It can be a leak from the valve stem, leaking around the rim to tire contact area, something puncturing the tire itself, or just enough dry rot that there’s pinholes causing the loss of air.
Why does my TPMS light come on in cold weather?
The cold weather makes the air in your tires denser. The TPMS light is more likely to come on if one of the tires is slightly under inflated. Even with TPMS it is a good idea to manually check your tires once a month, or bring it by and we can check your tires to ensure your peace of mind.
Does warm weather affect my tires as well?
Hot weather raises the tire pressure but this doesn’t usually make the TPMS light come on. There is a relationship between the outside temperature and the tire pressure in the tires. The hotter the temperature the more important tire pressure is. A tire that is under inflated by just 5 pounds per square inches can cause major problems. The under inflated tire produces more heat because of the friction and can break down the rubber compounds in the tire. Under inflated tires are like a piece of metal being bent hundreds of times and eventually it just breaks and the tire have a blowout.
Can I just wait till the TPMS light comes on?
The quickest and Safest answer is NO. By the time the light comes on it might already be unsafe to drive. Manually checking your tires regularly (monthly) is the best practice (or let us check it for you). Depending how heavily your vehicle is loaded and how under inflated
Tire Pressure Monitoring System explained
TPMS is a real time electronic system that keeps track of the exact amount of air in your tires. Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems are put on vehicles to avoid accidents, increase fuel economy and help tire wear by recognizing a low tire condition and making you aware of it. Under inflated tires waste 2 billion gallons of fuel a year. A study in 2012 found that 80% of vehicles on the road have at least one under inflated tire. Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems became standard in 2008 under the TREAD Act passed by Congress. A TPMS light is required to come on if a tire is 25% lower than the other which is well into the problem zone for driver safety. For every 10% of under inflation on your tires your fuel economy goes down 1%.
Causes for your TPMS Light being on
Low Tire or Tires
Bad Sensor
Damaged wheel sensor (potholes)
Low wheel sensor battery
Bad Module
Loss of Signal
Wheel Bearing Bad
Spare Tire Low
Car Battery Disconnected or Bad
Direct and Indirect TPMS
Direct TPMS
Measures the tire pressure in each wheel with a sensor (in the wheel or just outside it). Then the information is relayed back to a module to collect all the data. How long should TPMS batteries last? Some use batteries in the wheel that eventually need to be replaced typically every 8 to 10 years or 60,000 to 80,000 miles but some last longer. This is the most accurate TPMS system.
Indirect TPMS
Measure the pressure using wheel rotation speeds and other sensors (wheel speed sensors for ABS Anti-lock Braking Systems) outside the wheel to monitor the tire pressure. It doesn’t actually measure the actual tire pressure. The accuracy with this isn’t as exact as direct TPMS.
Maintenance and Issues of TPMS
When getting new tires it is advisable to have a TMPS service kit installed to ensure there are no leaks from the valve stems over the life of the tires. Most TPMS/Valve stems are able to utilize a repair kit that includes o-rings/grommets and new metal valve to ensure years of trouble free performance, but some are not repairable and the entire TMPS has to be replaced.
