If you have this light illuminating on your dash, don't ignore it! The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is alerting you on a potentially unsafe situation with your tire pressure.
Blinking (3-5 times) then solid light
This means the TPMS system is malfunctioning and requires some type of TPMS service. One or more of the TPMS sensors are not communicating with the system. Typically replacing the sensors will fix this issue.
Solid light with no blinking
This means you have a pressure issue inside your tires based on the manufacturer recommended tire pressure. You can find the recommend tire pressure on the tire placard sticker, located on the driver’s side door jam or on the gas tank door. TPMS sensors are inside the tire typically attached to a valve stem. The sensors wirelessly communicate to your vehicle’s computer system to alert you of low tire pressure or a TPMS sensor malfunction.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires all vehicles made after 2007 to come equipped with a TPMS warning system capable of detecting when one or more of a vehicle's tires is significantly under-inflated.
An independent TPMS study found 42 percent of drivers are unable to identify the low tire-pressure warning light on the dashboard. Roughly the same percentage of those polled admitted to rarely checking the tire pressure.
For those who do recognize the TPMS light, 21 percent said when checking the low tire, they only do a visual inspection rather than using a tire pressure gauge. Worse yet, roughly 10 percent admitted to ignoring the light altogether.
Understanding what the TPMS light is telling you may save your life!
For more information on TPMS, visit JohnDow.com/TPMS.