Low Tire Pressure Indicator Problems
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IIIBradIII
New member
I'm a fan of the system. I am notoriously bad about checking tire pressure and it has saved me plenty of gas mileage!Spider5 said:
T4RunnerGirl
New member
Hey Everyone,
I just picked up my new 4Runner tonight. As soon as the salesman turned the car on the low pressure light began blinking and it hasn't stopped. I looked it up in the owners manual...If the light is constant then the tire pressure is incorrect. If the light is blinking, then I need to take it to the dealership and have them check it out.
I don;t have a tire gauge, so I can't check the the psi, however I would have thought that it wouold have been okay since I just picked the car up.
Can any one suggest any ideas why is it blinking? Has it happened to someone before, and if so, what was the solution.
I guess I am headin to the dealership tomorrow.
Lindsey
I just picked up my new 4Runner tonight. As soon as the salesman turned the car on the low pressure light began blinking and it hasn't stopped. I looked it up in the owners manual...If the light is constant then the tire pressure is incorrect. If the light is blinking, then I need to take it to the dealership and have them check it out.
I don;t have a tire gauge, so I can't check the the psi, however I would have thought that it wouold have been okay since I just picked the car up.
Can any one suggest any ideas why is it blinking? Has it happened to someone before, and if so, what was the solution.
I guess I am headin to the dealership tomorrow.
Lindsey
Spider5
New member
T4RunnerGirl said:
Welcome to the 4runner club, you made a smart choice but nothing is perfect so now for the advice about your questions
Buy a guage.
Check the spare tire pressure. Sometimes taking the power from the system by disconnecting the battery leads solves the problem. Fixing a faulty sensor is next or for the best solution just have the dealer rip the system out and safe future aggravations. Doing it yourself is even more rewarding. Did it a while back and been a happy camper since :bigok:
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sharp4runr
New member
Yup, you got the light codes correct. Blinking means you can't do a thing as there is a fault in the system. It could be any 5 sending units including your spare or could be the receiving unit that has the failure. Take it back to the dealership to fix as this is pretty costly. If you just purchased the truck and haven't filled out the survey form, let them know that. The dealership wants you to fill out the form with "Excellent" across the board so it'll motivate them to fix your problem. This should have been addressed before you bought the vehicle and I'm not sure if you brought it to the attention of your salesperson.
Like spider5 said, try disconnecting the negative battery terminal for about 10-15 minutes and reconnecting. This usually resets the ECU, but not sure how the TPMS integrates so it may have no effect.
If you currently don't have a tire pressure guage, I would not ask the dealership to remove the TPMS.
: Buy a guage though as it is a good idea to check your TPMS at least once a month. With gas prices the way they are your tire pressure is one of the biggest contributors to gas mileage.
Like spider5 said, try disconnecting the negative battery terminal for about 10-15 minutes and reconnecting. This usually resets the ECU, but not sure how the TPMS integrates so it may have no effect.
If you currently don't have a tire pressure guage, I would not ask the dealership to remove the TPMS.
: Buy a guage though as it is a good idea to check your TPMS at least once a month. With gas prices the way they are your tire pressure is one of the biggest contributors to gas mileage.The system is based on 5 radio transmitters - one on every wheel as part of the valve stem - and a receiver mounted in the headliner above the 2nd row seat. In order to work, the tire pressure ECU needs to know the ID # of all 5 receivers, they all have to be sending a signal, and they all have to report a tire pressure of at least 27 psi (approximately).
Therefore, the light will blink if:
- One of the receivers is missing (for example, someone stole the spare tire)
- It thinks one of the receivers is missing because the battery is dead. (They're supposed to last 5 years, according to the service manual.)
- It thinks one of the receivers is missing, because of radio interference (I think the radio signal is in the 300-400 MHz band.)
- The ID # of one or more receivers is not recognized. (It's there, but according to the ECU, it's not supposed to be there. Maybe a wheel was changed out?)
- The temperature in one of the tires is "abnormal". (The service manual doesn't explain what that means, though. It does register a specific DTC code, though.)
If the light is blinking, the main computer has stored a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that will help determine the specific problem. Using a Toyota handheld test tool, it's also possible to read the actual ID #'s and the pressure being reported by each tire.
If you just drove the truck off the lot and the light is on, it's possible that the dealership didn't initialize the system properly. When the truck is shipped from the factory, all transmitters are "asleep" in a pre-delivery mode to save the batteries. To wake them up, each tire needs to be deflated by at least 6 psi in a time span of 30 seconds. Then, the tires need to be refilled to a normal pressure. If that doesn't make the light go off, then the tires need to be refilled to 44 psi and the process repeated. (TSB PD007-03 - Tire Pressure Monitor Activation during Pre-Delivery Setup.)
I think this system is a lot better than the "passive" tire pressure detection system used on some other Toyota and Lexus products. The passive system uses data from the anti-lock brake system to figure out if one tire is not spinning at the same rate as the others. While that's better at handling temperature changes (because it's relative, and all 4 should be affected equally by the cold/heat), it doesn't know anything if the car isn't moving at a reasonable speed. It also can't detect 4 flats (which is rare, I admit), and it doesn't check the spare.
Therefore, the light will blink if:
- One of the receivers is missing (for example, someone stole the spare tire)
- It thinks one of the receivers is missing because the battery is dead. (They're supposed to last 5 years, according to the service manual.)
- It thinks one of the receivers is missing, because of radio interference (I think the radio signal is in the 300-400 MHz band.)
- The ID # of one or more receivers is not recognized. (It's there, but according to the ECU, it's not supposed to be there. Maybe a wheel was changed out?)
- The temperature in one of the tires is "abnormal". (The service manual doesn't explain what that means, though. It does register a specific DTC code, though.)
If the light is blinking, the main computer has stored a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that will help determine the specific problem. Using a Toyota handheld test tool, it's also possible to read the actual ID #'s and the pressure being reported by each tire.
If you just drove the truck off the lot and the light is on, it's possible that the dealership didn't initialize the system properly. When the truck is shipped from the factory, all transmitters are "asleep" in a pre-delivery mode to save the batteries. To wake them up, each tire needs to be deflated by at least 6 psi in a time span of 30 seconds. Then, the tires need to be refilled to a normal pressure. If that doesn't make the light go off, then the tires need to be refilled to 44 psi and the process repeated. (TSB PD007-03 - Tire Pressure Monitor Activation during Pre-Delivery Setup.)
I think this system is a lot better than the "passive" tire pressure detection system used on some other Toyota and Lexus products. The passive system uses data from the anti-lock brake system to figure out if one tire is not spinning at the same rate as the others. While that's better at handling temperature changes (because it's relative, and all 4 should be affected equally by the cold/heat), it doesn't know anything if the car isn't moving at a reasonable speed. It also can't detect 4 flats (which is rare, I admit), and it doesn't check the spare.
The tire pressure light is great. It makes you maintain your tires I believe mine come on at 28 psi. I fill them to 32. thats what toyota recomends anything more than that is over inflation. Yes the weather affects the when there is drastick change but they say 32 psi when cold so that means first thing before you drive. Dont forget the spare tire.
T4RunnerGirl
New member
UPDATE
So I just came back from the dealership (not the one I got my car from as it's 60 miles from here - don't ask)...
Part of the problem was that the left side tires were at 32 psi and the right side was at 36 psi. The spare tire wasn't filled enough. After all that, the light was still blinking. The mechanic realized that during PDI of my car, they didn't properly initialize the TPMS computer or something. Toyota of Greenwich didn't charge me anything which was really nice. I live in Stamford, so they will be my home dealership...But guess who's not getting an "excellent" in the customer survey when I get it in the mail!!
Lindsey
So I just came back from the dealership (not the one I got my car from as it's 60 miles from here - don't ask)...
Part of the problem was that the left side tires were at 32 psi and the right side was at 36 psi. The spare tire wasn't filled enough. After all that, the light was still blinking. The mechanic realized that during PDI of my car, they didn't properly initialize the TPMS computer or something. Toyota of Greenwich didn't charge me anything which was really nice. I live in Stamford, so they will be my home dealership...But guess who's not getting an "excellent" in the customer survey when I get it in the mail!!
Lindsey
Re: Re: Low Tire Pressure Indicator Problems
Newbie to the forums and glad to have found this thread. I appreciate the algorithm for psi drop and temperature... is there an equivalent for altitude???
The TPMs have driven me absolutely nutz. I travel frequently to the Eastern Sierras and have had my sensor light go off at altitude, as expected, but was wondering if there's a way of guestimating tire pressure at a given altitude. This last trip, I parked my car in the evening at ~8000 ft, and the temps were about 50 degrees. Morning temps were 32 and sure 'nuff my light went off. I checked my 4 tires and the pressure was 35 psi all around. Drove down to ~4000 ft elevation and the temp warmed up to the 40s, and the light was still on. To make a long story short, it was my spare, which had 30 psi. Anyway, my light frequently shines bright when Im above 8000 ft (Im +10,000 several times/year). But... the light has also warned me twice of genuine flats in progress... so for that... Im thankful.
JB. said:
Newbie to the forums and glad to have found this thread. I appreciate the algorithm for psi drop and temperature... is there an equivalent for altitude???
The TPMs have driven me absolutely nutz. I travel frequently to the Eastern Sierras and have had my sensor light go off at altitude, as expected, but was wondering if there's a way of guestimating tire pressure at a given altitude. This last trip, I parked my car in the evening at ~8000 ft, and the temps were about 50 degrees. Morning temps were 32 and sure 'nuff my light went off. I checked my 4 tires and the pressure was 35 psi all around. Drove down to ~4000 ft elevation and the temp warmed up to the 40s, and the light was still on. To make a long story short, it was my spare, which had 30 psi. Anyway, my light frequently shines bright when Im above 8000 ft (Im +10,000 several times/year). But... the light has also warned me twice of genuine flats in progress... so for that... Im thankful.
Hey all, I'm in a similar system with my 06. Coming off of i75 today I hit a 9/16s bolt perfectly and it embedded in my drivers left side. THe hole is too big for a plug so I had the spare put on, and the old one hitched back up underneath. Now the TPMS light wont dissengage. Both tires seem to be at good pressure. Does this system need to learn anything from the new tire, or does the spare need to be aligned a certain way for the sensors to work? Working on getting quotes for the replacement, nothing like having a tire with less than 9K mileage and needing to replace it.
The light will automatically reset as long as it sees all 5 wheels and they're all above 27 psi.
The radio receiver is inside the headliner over the cargo area, so position of the spare shouldn't make much difference. More likely, the bad tire is not holding enough air to satisfy the computer.
The radio receiver is inside the headliner over the cargo area, so position of the spare shouldn't make much difference. More likely, the bad tire is not holding enough air to satisfy the computer.
My TPMS light started blinking about 25 miles from the dealership the day I bought my 4Runner in Nov. 2003. Six trips to three different dealers and no one can make that light stay off. The longest it has been off was a week, and during that week I had a flat and the light never came on. It did start flashing again a few days after the flat was repaired.
The 4Runner is a great vehicle but the TPMS is a useless system. Now I just ignore the flashing light.
The 4Runner is a great vehicle but the TPMS is a useless system. Now I just ignore the flashing light.
A blinking TPMS light means there's a malfunction in the system - not a pressure problem.
How fast does it blink?
If it blinks at 1/2-second intervals, the dealer needs to troubleshoot a TPMS system failure. The system should have registered some DTC codes.
If it blinks at 1/4-second intervals, there's a ground problem in the system.
If it blinks at 1/8-second intervals (very fast), then the system is in test mode (there's a tester on the OBD II port and it has asked for a system test). Test mode is cancelled by turning off the ignition.
How fast does it blink?
If it blinks at 1/2-second intervals, the dealer needs to troubleshoot a TPMS system failure. The system should have registered some DTC codes.
If it blinks at 1/4-second intervals, there's a ground problem in the system.
If it blinks at 1/8-second intervals (very fast), then the system is in test mode (there's a tester on the OBD II port and it has asked for a system test). Test mode is cancelled by turning off the ignition.
Kmvreter
New member
KevinB said:
And you've lived with this for almost 3 years???
Get it to a stealer before the warranty runs out. Gently remind them this is a malfunction in a safety related system. Tell them about the TSB mentioned above.
Better yet, try initiallizing the system like toto described. If it doesn't work then head to the stealer.
Or you could just do nothing but you'll have trouble reselling in the future with a blinking light.
Personally I like the system and haven't had any issues. Why would you think of disabling something when all you have to do is keep enough air in the tires?
Spider5
New member
00328 said:
It has been a while since I did it and at one point I remember posting a writeup. Anyway, you have to pull out the instrument cluster and find the location of the light on the back side and cut one of the taps going to the light. Mod cost $0, satisfaction for not having to deal with the system again priceless.
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