What Causes a Tire Pressure Sensor Fault?

In this article we will be looking at Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) and the sensors associated with that. We will focus mainly on the Tire Pressure Sensor Fault warning that may appear on our dashboards. What can cause this fault and how can we deal with it? The answer to this question and more can be found in this article.

How Does TPMS Work?

There are two main types of TPMS depending on the age of your vehicle. Those made before 2007 made use of the anti-locking brake (ABS) sensors to calculate wheel rotation. The theory behind this is that the lower your tire pressure the more compressed the tire.

A rough estimate is made using these ABS sensors of what the tire pressure may be and if the estimate indicates low tire pressure you would receive a low tire pressure warning. It would take a little bit of driving however before you might get a warning as readings have to be made and calculated.

More recent vehicles made after 2007 often have pressure sensors in each tire. These sensors will get a more accurate reading of the tire pressure immediately and will send it to the TPMS control unit. If the pressure is too high or too low then you will get a warning light on your dashboard.

What Can Cause a Tire Pressure Sensor Fault?

There are a number of reasons you could be receiving a tire pressure warning and if you are self diagnosing the issue you will want to make use of error codes. These are stored in the vehicle's onboard computer known as the Electronic Control Module (ECM).

You can purchase an inexpensive OBD2 scanner tool that when plugged into a compatible vehicle can retrieve these error codes. You can compare the codes to a list of codes that relate to your specific model in order to find out more accurately what issue was reported.

Faulty Tire Pressure Sensor

We will start with the most common issue that can cause this error message to appear on your dash and that would be a fault with the tire pressure sensor itself. As these sensors are in the tires themselves they have a rough life.

These sensors have internal batteries which eventually run out and they can become damaged through general wear and tear. As a result the sensor may eventually fail and need to be replaced. If you test the tire pressure and it does not match what the sensor indicates then you likely have a faulty sensor.

Tire Pressure Sensor Loses Memory

The pressure sensors report their data to the tire pressure control module. Occasionally they may lose connection with each other and as a result the pressure readings are not shared correctly.

This could be a simple fix as it may only require that you reprogram the sensors. You will need a TPMS reset tool to do this yourself or you can hire a mechanic to help you out with this.

Recently Changed Tires

If you recently replaced your tires or switched your tires for seasonal purposes and got the tire pressure warning then you may have forgotten a step in the process. Not everyone is aware but after changing tires on newer model vehicles you need to reset the TPMS.

If the tires are completely new to the vehicle you may also need to reprogram the tire pressure sensors. It is important to perform any resets and reprograms required when you have changed tires to make sure that you get accurate pressure readings.

Actual Low Tire Pressure

It may not come as a huge shock but sometimes a tire pressure warning occurs because you actually have too low or too high a pressure in your tires. Altering tire pressure is not a hugely difficult procedure as you can buy your own equipment inexpensively enough or go to a gas station that offers air.

The correct pressures for your vehicle can usually be found engraved in a metal plate inside the drivers side door. Using a pressure gauge you can see what your tires are actually holding. You can then either release or add air accordingly to get as close to the correct pressure as possible.

Why Is the Correct Tire Pressure Important?

You may wonder why the right pressure is so important as long as the tire is not flat. Well the simple answer is that they have been designed to have a specific pressure at which they work their best. If you let the pressure get too low then you can create unneeded friction with the road.

Heat caused by driving on under inflated tires can cause the structure to weaken and wear out far more quickly. An over inflated tire can be weakened by increased internal pressure and over time you run the risk of a blow out.

Essentially not having the correct tire pressure will cause them to wear out far more quickly leading to more frequent tire changes. There are also risks of the tires failing which at high speed can be a terrible and dangerous thing to happen.

How To Fix Tire Pressure Sensor Issues

Check the Tire Pressure

We do not always have to believe the pressure sensors when they give us a reading we have the option to double check. Using a tire pressure gauge you can confirm or disprove what the sensors are telling you, allowing you to decide if action needs to be taken to alter the tire's pressure.

If an external gauge says things are fine then you need to start looking at why the sensor in the tire disagrees with those readings. Again you will find the correct pressures for front and back tires inside the driver's door or in your owner's manual.

Reset the TPMS

Once you have made adjustments to the tire pressure or changed tires you will have to reset the TPMS. If you don’t do this you will receive the warning and that does not help anyone. Steps to perform this reset can be found in your owner's manual and should be pretty easy to do.

It should be noted that certain cars require a diagnostic tool to allow you to reset the system. This may mean a trip to a professional unless you have access to such a tool yourself.

Read the Trouble Codes

We have already mentioned this but it is a great way to find out what the issue is. If adjusting the tire pressures and resetting the system has not worked you may need to check the trouble codes on the ECM.

This will require a scanner tool and a list of your vehicle's trouble codes including meanings. This may indicate that you need to change one or more tire pressure sensors.

Replace Faulty Sensors

If you now know that the pressure sensor in a certain tire is broken then you will need to replace this. Once that is done you will need to reset and reprogram the sensor to make sure it works.

Where Is the Tire Pressure Sensor?

Just to be clear when we say the sensor is inside the tire we are actually saying that it is attached to the wheel hub but when the tire is on and inflated it is within the tire. Essentially if you are going to replace the sensor the wheel is going to have to come off the car and the tire will have to come off the wheel.

Make sure you have the tools and skills to perform a sensor replacement as it is a very involved process.

Conclusion

Tire pressure sensor faults can sometimes be false alarms and are therefore easy to fix. You may just need to perform a reset or maybe just add a little air into the tire. If the sensor ceases to work however this is a more tricky fix but still possible for the home mechanic if they have the right tools and knowhow.

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