When to replace TPMS?

philsey

philsey

New member
I'm going to buy new tires soon, and I was thinking about the TPMS sensors.

I can't recall any thread on here about one needing to be replaced. I know they contain a battery, and I know it is not replaceable, and I also know if one fails it's a tire dismount/remount/rebalance to replace it.

I found this, here: Is it necessary to replace all of the TPMS sensors when a vehicle needs new tires? -

"The lithium ion batteries inside TPMS sensors may last anywhere from five to 10 years. Five to six years is a more typical lifespan for older TPMS sensors. TPMS sensors don’t broadcast a continuous signal but only broadcast when the vehicle is in motion. Even then, the signal is intermittent to conserve battery life..."

Not sure I believe the bolded part, as my TPMS light reset itself when I parked next to my summer wheelset with my winter wheelset on (no TPMS) - so they had to be transmitting.

Anyway ... mine are 6 yrs old. Tempted to replace them with this set of tires as preventive maintenance.

Thoughts?
 
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cost is too much IMO . some may like this option of tire pressure monitoring so then pay $$$ for new sensors when vehicle has 100K or more or if your in a corrosive environment. the TMPS mod posted here has worked for many if you plan on using old style valve stems that will never break off.

my issue with these on other vehicles up here in the rust belt is they fail by breaking off due to de-icing chemicals. which IMO makes this very dangerous when the tire looses pressure rapidly.
 
I'd go with the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach on this one. You may get another 6 years out of the sensors or they could all give up the ghost in 6 minutes. I haven't seen any posts on other Toyota forums (Tacomas, FJC, 4th gen 4Runners etc) about TPMS sensor batteries dying and they would have had them in longer than any 5th gen 4Runner.

It might be worth getting new mounting kits (the nuts that hold the sensors in from the outside of the wheel, plus O-rings and other small pieces) just as preventive maintenance to avoid any valve stem leaks. I don't remember the mounting kits being very expensive either.
 
I took me 5 years to get new tires, I ended up changing them out, I didn't want to deal with them when they go dead. It gave me piece of mind.

96r50 said:
I'd go with the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach on this one. You may get another 6 years out of the sensors or they could all give up the ghost in 6 minutes. I haven't seen any posts on other Toyota forums (Tacomas, FJC, 4th gen 4Runners etc) about TPMS sensor batteries dying and they would have had them in longer than any 5th gen 4Runner.

It might be worth getting new mounting kits (the nuts that hold the sensors in from the outside of the wheel, plus O-rings and other small pieces) just as preventive maintenance to avoid any valve stem leaks. I don't remember the mounting kits being very expensive either.
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Huh strange, I thought I was the only one. We had to replace all 4 on our 4th gen because they all were giving a slow leak. Costco replaced it for free for us, just had to pay the part. parts were a little costly. oems were pretty penny back before i knew we could by pass. I think ours gave out around the 8-10 year mark.


If you do live in the rust environment, you might want to have the shop, sand the inside where the tire mounts, ours had a caked layer of rust. helps prevent a slow leak given the time of your truck.
 
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I'm still running the original Panasonic starting battery and TPMS in my '05. I think a lot depends on where you live. The southern (hotter) states seem to need battery replacement more frequently than the cooler northern states. When it comes time to replace the TPMS in my 4th gen, I will bypass the TPMS indicator and go with conventional valve stems.
 
I run without TPMS sensors. That little light doesn't bother me a bit, and if it would I'd put tape over it. I visually inspect the tires on occasion and put a pressure gauge to them maybe once a month. Just like I did before Firestone and Ford had their court battles, which, I believe, is the sole reason for this regulation. FWIW there is nothing illegal to run w/o tpms.
 
philsey said:
I'm going to buy new tires soon, and I was thinking about the TPMS sensors.

I can't recall any thread on here about one needing to be replaced. I know they contain a battery, and I know it is not replaceable, and I also know if one fails it's a tire dismount/remount/rebalance to replace it.

I found this, here: Is it necessary to replace all of the TPMS sensors when a vehicle needs new tires? -

"The lithium ion batteries inside TPMS sensors may last anywhere from five to 10 years. Five to six years is a more typical lifespan for older TPMS sensors. TPMS sensors don’t broadcast a continuous signal but only broadcast when the vehicle is in motion. Even then, the signal is intermittent to conserve battery life..."

Not sure I believe the bolded part, as my TPMS light reset itself when I parked next to my summer wheelset with my winter wheelset on (no TPMS) - so they had to be transmitting.

Anyway ... mine are 6 yrs old. Tempted to replace them with this set of tires as preventive maintenance.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would not replace the sensors yet but would buy rebuild kit (~$6-7 per sensor) for all the sensors with the new tire replacement. Your Toyota sensors are likely to be good for 10 years. So I would just use them until the battery goes out on one of them then replace them all.
 
off-road runner said:
I run without TPMS sensors. That little light doesn't bother me a bit, and if it would I'd put tape over it. I visually inspect the tires on occasion and put a pressure gauge to them maybe once a month. Just like I did before Firestone and Ford had their court battles, which, I believe, is the sole reason for this regulation. FWIW there is nothing illegal to run w/o tpms.
Click to expand...

Until you crashed and insurance denied claim based on modifications to the vehicle.
 
Victor_inox said:
Until you crashed and insurance denied claim based on modifications to the vehicle.
Click to expand...

so your saying when the TMPS breaks off due to corrosion that the insurance company will not pay for damages when the air is suddenly lost ?

I guess that may mean sue Toyota for TMPS valve stems that corrode .

TMPS is a safety issue when it breaks off . valve stems are replaced on every tire change but not the TMPS.

my last set of tires 11 yrs old 85K miles no TMPS system I never had any tire problems 11 years of use. rotated/inspected every 10-13K miles.

It is true that many owners of vehicles today have an attitude of its a new vehicle I do not have to check my tires ITS NEW !
 
We have a Prius with TPMS and we replaced one sensor in one tire in ten years. I don't see too many people posting about TPMS battery issues. I would not bother changing any of them preemptively.
 
catrains said:
so your saying when the TMPS breaks off due to corrosion that the insurance company will not pay for damages when the air is suddenly lost ?

I guess that may mean sue Toyota for TMPS valve stems that corrode .

TMPS is a safety issue when it breaks off . valve stems are replaced on every tire change but not the TMPS.

my last set of tires 11 yrs old 85K miles no TMPS system I never had any tire problems 11 years of use. rotated/inspected every 10-13K miles.

It is true that many owners of vehicles today have an attitude of its a new vehicle I do not have to check my tires ITS NEW !
Click to expand...

What I`m saying is that when you take off TPMS on purpose it can make a difference for insurance adjuster, If you feel like fighting it, by all means, dismount any safety feature your insurance gave you discount for, ABS, airbags, seatbelts..... They are for sissies anyway.:lalala:
 
I work at a tire shop and we are just now starting to see vehicles coming in that are in need of new sensors, the newest I've seen was a 2008 Honda needing a single sensor, most of them are 05-06, and almost no Toyotas, so I'm thinking the 5-10 year estimate is a bit short, 10-12 is what I'd guess. A good tire shop will charge you at most ~10$ for the install itself, no need to re-balance, just pop the front bead off and screw the new sensor in, not a major ordeal.
 
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