4 Reasons TPMS Light ON But Tires Are Fine

The purpose of a tire's Tire Pressure Monitoring System is to warn drivers when a tire is leaking or not properly inflated.
A vehicle's TPMS, however, may occasionally record an error and activate the warning light even when a tire is not actually low on air.

In this video, we will discuss the reasons for the TPMS light on but tires are fine.

Timecode:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:58 - How TPMS Works
00:02:10 - Reasons Your TPMS Light Is On
00:02:23 - #1 – Damaged Sensor
00:02:40 - #2 – Faulty TPMS Receiver
00:03:01 - #3 – Dead Sensor Battery
00:03:19 - #4 – Loss Of Traction (Indirect)
00:03:38 - Can You Drive With the TPMS Light On?

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[blancatorres]

I am having this problem and the tire pressure is fine so I will have it checked for the other points, your video is very helpful, thanks!

[PHILLIPS]

The biggest gimick the car industry came up with. Just another problem you have to worry about. Cars in the 50's 60's and 70s, didn't have this gimmick

[owensomers]

I love "Faulty TPMS receiver, but this is much rarer" and the video shows a Jaguar module!

[WolfCommander]

Checked someone's pressures= fine

Came on last Sat. Went off, came back on= probably temp change *"winter is coming"*

Checked each sensor = no battery low, no sensor reading improperly - no tire pressure too high/low

Check for a reset button or recalibration = none available ~ which tells me it's an auto system, and driving will reset the light.

Told them if it stays on for the rest of the afternoon (it's kinda warm) then the computer is messing up.
If it goes off and comes on again in the morning, it's cause the cold, but check them - if one is lower than the other by a decent amount- you got a leak.

If it stays on, doesn't go out, everything is 100% then the computer is not happy

[mnrodriguez]

Mine is on (TPMS) and the tires' pressure are perfect. I won't pay for that. I will check pressure every week just like I used to do with my good-old cars!

[alisterfolson]

Light came on, no leak. But missing cap. Got it checked out. Source: traveling Vegas to AZ; summertime.

[HumbertoTerrones-vzzt]

Excellent post and vital info 👍🏽 ty ✊🏾 😊 🙏🏽

[jeraldbennett]

I was backing out of my mom's driveway. The car made a grinding sound and I got a TPMS warning light with a loud beep. I was getting ready to make a 450 mile trip back home. I had no idea what was going . I made it home safely, but was a little stressed. The tire pressure light did not stay on. I literally just had the transmission replaced a few weeks ago. Seems to always be something with this car.

[KeithPotter-phcp]

The indirect TPMS is extremely reliable and far better than the individual wheel operated battery TPMS. The latter is expensive to maintain as well. The indirect ABS TPMS is maintenance free. Mechanic 60 years experience

[franklittle]

1:58: No. An underinflated tire has a smaller rolling diameter and so rotates faster, not slower.

[mn]

I have a 2010 Corolla and my TPMS light comes on sometimes. I checked air pressure and they are all fine. Figured it’s a failing sensor. I plan on trading in car next year so I’ll just monitor air pressure manually. I only go to work and back.

[cathe]

Walmart auto changed all 4 tires. I have a 2014 Mazda cx5 grand touring awd. They replaced the valve stems. Then without telling me, they substituted different valve stems for the tpms stems. The light wasn't on in the car until i drove it about 15 miles. It read add air. Walmart only inflated the tires to 34 psi. The car label says 36 psi. I put air in and tried to rest the light. No luck. Contacted corporate at walmart, but getting a run around. Taking the car back on wednesday. This is ridiculous.

[MrBikedrummer]

I had 2 major and repeated problems with these pieces of crap.
1. Battery dies. You won't have any pressure reading for that wheel. Can't clear it. You have to replace the bloody thing by breaking the bead to install a new one.

2. I had a crazy fluctuation in the reading for one wheel. 12 psi, then 65 psi, then anything. I couldn't program the wheel. Air pressure was stable at 32 psi.

I popped the tire of the rim, and to my disgusted surprise, the battery and sensor portion of the valve stem had fallen off and was bouncing around inside the tire!

F me, and F the bastards that designed this.

2008 Chevy Impala LTZ.

Love the car, hate this system. AND, you can't replace the battery. You need another new piece of 💩💩 sensor.

[billr]

Newer cars have too much unnecessary technology

[bobthebuilder]

This, as I see it, is a huge problem. To be able to even address tire pressure you can still do nothing about unless you take it to a tire shop. The tech to diagnose faulty sensors isn't necessarily cheap, either. I wish the old tech was back in place. You simply inspect your tire for pressure problems manually.
You inspect the tread wear manually and you inspect the sidewalls manually. So much better than this.

[stevez]

some spare tires have them and are never checked

[lgrizzly]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200 the TPS indicator light is flashing and it showed me that the rear left tire is not getting a reading. Is it OK to drive the car to the garage till I get it fixed?

[larryhutchens]

Good info but I have a long standing gripe with the electronics industry, mainly the naming of units. There is no standardization. In one of your diagrams you show the tire sensors sending a signal to something called the ECU. Engine Control Unit? Electronic Control Unit? Actually all the units in an electronic system are called electronic units of some sort. What the tire sensors send their info to is the chassis computer or electronic chassis unit. Why not have the same name across all brands of vehicles? Same with the engine control computer, some call it the ECM (engine control module) while others call it the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) if it also controls the transmission. Then you have the PCM that doesn't control the transmission directly but instead simply sends info to a separate module that actually controls the transmission. The entire electronics industry is a pain but people just crawl along putting up with crap like these aggravating tire pressure sensors. Basically they are made for people who don't know how to drive. And having that little blob of hi tech inside the tire? If that should break off (and sometimes they do) it will crawl around inside the tire causing imbalance problems. Great idea there folks.

[marcialane]

My light only goes on when I’m driving 55 or more ..I can go weeks driving in town under 50 and no light …they are always properly inflated when checked so we just turn off the light. Can speed have something to do with it? It’s a 2006 Highlander in very good shape.

[Johnbaker-tk]

Now I know that the ‘rat rod’ guys were WAY ahead of their time. You see, the rat rod guys were mechanically inclined to pair great engines and great transmissions together in a suitable car chassis. Tired of planned obsolescence and big car dealerships and manufacturers dictating how to nickle and dime you to death with bogus ‘tech’ advancements that did nothing for the customer except bringing them back to the dealership to fix a dash light that was an un-needed option for drivers. Learn about you car folks. Do a walk around inspection at the very least. Buy a cheap tire pressure gage. Check your oil. Check all fluids. Google or youtube what you don’t know and stop paying for extra cup holders, mirror defrosters, blind spot indicators in the mirrors, etc. Blind spots are BUILT IN to cars now to push blind spot sensors. Remember old cars? It was like driving a fish bowl! You could see EVERYTHING! Now folks want super dark tint, they text at stop lights and forget they are in command of a 2, 000 pound guided missle on wheels. When you drive, DO THAT! Just drive and pay attention. I can’t wait until nascar allows all drivers to text during a race. What fun that would be. If common sense is not taught, future generations won’t know what it is. In closing, please be driven like a professional and know if you are paying attention behind the wheel, you are one less danger to others. Peace, I’ve ranted.