The low tire pressure light is part of your car’s tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
This mechanism alerts the driver when there is not enough tire pressure that could potentially lead to unsafe driving for everyone.
If the warning light comes on, it indicates a possible underinflated tire condition, which could lead to the tire wear of all four tires and a possible tire failure.
What does it mean when to TPMS Light comes on?
A TPMS light, or tire pressure monitoring system light, is in your vehicle to show that you have low tire pressure that could lead to unsafe conditions for you, and possibly others on the road.
When that light turns on on your dash, then it means that your tires do not have air pressure that is at the level the manufacturer set forth, which results in your tires wearing down at a faster rate than they should, and potential for tire failure at a sooner potential period.
It depends on how important to talk about ires before you try to fix any of root causes of the issues.
It is vital to know the importance of inflation for a vehicle to run properly and after that, know that the tire pressure monitoring system can help you avoid a dangerous situation on the road.
In fact there are two causes of problems that cause it to wear down the lifespan of the tires, which can be ultimately both overinflation of the tires and underinflation of tires do wear tread prematurely and potential tire failure.
The affects on overinflation primarily are less traction and premature tire wear, but it does not allow absorbance of proper amount of road impact and rough terrain. Premature wear on tread for overinflated is centered in the tread.
The other cause of the low tire pressure light in your vehicle will be because of underinflation. This can cause the tires to be slow to respond, lower fuel economy and mpg, letting excessive heat buildup and contact to create friction, and overload to the tires.
Premature wear in the set of tires with underinflation will be on both sides of the tread which means they are focused on the shoulders and not centered like they were on the overinflation.
Now that you learned about the tire pressure monitoring system and how the tire pressure can affect the performance of your vehicle, you need to know where to find the tire pressure monitoring system light.
Finding the TPMS light is fairly easy on the dashboard because it is a horseshoe shaped light with an exclamation point in the center of the horseshoe.
You can’t ignore the low tire pressure light
When it comes to dashboard warning lights in your vehicle, generally, the tire pressure monitoring system is by far one of the least harmful warning lights.
That being said, it does not mean you should ignore it – it means you should fix it at your local mechanic or auto body shop. If one of your tires is underinflated, then the low tire pressure light will illuminate.
There are many reasons to care about your low tire pressure light, such as reduced fuel economy and miles per gallon that you can achieve, unpredictability and shaking of handling of your vehicle, decreased tire lifespan because of uneven wear and tear, and safety due to the under-inflated tire damaging the sidewall.
What is the TPMS warning light?
The low tire pressure alert can be a valuable tool in your vehicle diagnosing itself. But do you really know what the low tire pressure symbol on your dashboard actually means comes in?
When you see this illuminated in your vehicle it is a good idea to perform a manual tire pressure inspection with a simple tool, such as a tire pressure gauge and add the correct amount of air until you get the tire pressure to the manufacturer’s specification in your vehicle manual.
If you do not have the manual, you can find your vehicle specific tire pressure specifications on the door jamb.
Keep in mind that the TPMS does not replace the regular maintenance that you will need to complete on your tires, to prevent any damage to your tires or tire rims.
The TPMS light will illuminate when tire pressure/s reach the incorrect point, either too low and/or too high.
Low Tire Pressure Light Illuminated While Driving
If the low tire pressure light illuminated while you were driving your vehicle, and the light remained illuminated during that drive, at least one of your tires is at a low-pressure level and you will need to perform a manual inspection of all 4 tires.
Check the tire pressure levels of all 4 tires at once with a manual tire gauge to indicate the tire or tires that should be looked at to diagnose what could cause this tire pressure loss and the amount of air to add to the tire or tires in question.
If your low-pressure light goes on and off
If tire pressures are close to the trigger value that causes an alert, due to one tire pressure being too high or too low, then the low tire pressure alert light may turn on, and subsequently off, reasonably quickly because of fluctuating temperatures.
The damaged or leaking tire pressure can occur when the tire pressure drops and goes down, over time, like overnight, because of a sudden drop in temperatures, especially when it’s cold in a certain climate.
For example, the low tire pressure light can either go on and then off due to the pressure rising during the day from fluctuating temperatures. Another possibility would be the tire pressure light turns off when the tire is warmed from driving the vehicles.
Again, make sure to check all inflated levels for all of the tires or tires with a tire gauge tool.
If the low tire pressure light flashes and then stays on
If the low tire pressure light, after starting the engine and revving the engine, flash for at least minute, and then on while driving.
This could indicate that the tire pressure warning system or tire pressure monitoring system is not functioning properly and would need to be visually inspected or repaired by a mechanic.
This low tire pressure light will remain in-operable until repaired.
In the meantime, the tire pressure monitoring system will not work correctly to alert the driver of any low tire pressure via that little light as indicated. Make sure to check the air pressure and inflated levels of all of the tires, using a manual tool.
The Low Tire Pressure Light Came On – What Should You Do Next?
If the low tire pressure light comes on while driving or stays on after starting your car, you need to go to a place with an air pump to pump the tires back up to the PRESSURE (PSI) as stated on the sidewall of the tires.
Generally, tires lose air because they are subject to one of two things – either large To small decrease in temperature due to changing climate or relatively small punctures in the tire treads or areas of weakening that had functional inflation levels before.
If you are trying to get the car to go back to the normal levels of being inflated on the tires to get back that light turned off on the dash, it is likely that the temperature dropped overnight below freezing and the vehicle cooled down and came to those lower temperature outside air.
As the temperature dropped, especially below freezing and the outside air got denser, the air (which takes up less space than usual) made less pressure from the outside air, therefore a vehicle would lose inflation level on tires.
This could trigger the low tire pressure light, especially at the identical moment the driver needed to repair the tires, assuming that a puncture occurred that took them from a safe and legal tire inflation level to some somewhere below what is safe or legal to drive.
What if the low tire pressure light doesn’t go out?
If you have topped off all tires to a satisfactory pressure indicating the level on the tire wall or manual in the car, and you have inspected all four tires and treads for leaks or punctures, it surely should be time to jump into the car and start driving.
Assuming the Low Tire Pressure light is still on and the Low Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) indicates an error, you don’t have a leak or puncture issue or anything else.
Then, you should verify you have checked the tire pressure levels are checked with a manual gauge confirming you are correctly filled in your tires, and you are not over pumping your tires.
At this time, you need to consider that changing the actual light status on your vehicles tire pressure light, may actually involve resetting it, and this could involve you taking your vehicle to a mechanic or automotive shop.
Resetting the Low Tire Pressure Light
If you verified that the tires are at the correct psi level (according to the car) and there are no punctures or leaks occurring (to the sidewall of the tires), then it may just be the low tire pressure light indicator that is malfunctioning.
If the light remains on after you put air in, then you will need to reset it.
Start off by driving the vehicle at highway speeds (approximately 50 miles an hour), for approximately 10 minutes, until your engine is warmed up. That should reset the low tire pressure light sensor and turn off the TPMS light.
Another option is, without starting the car, to turn the key to the ON position in the ignition. Press the button for tire pressure monitor system reset, holding the light until it blinks three times, and then release it.
From there, start the car and allow it to run for approximately 20 minutes to reset the sensor. If neither of these options worked to reset the low-pressure light sensor in your car, there are other options to rest the TPMS light.
These other options do take a little longer, and may require some additional mechanical and car knowledge to do properly.
If you’re not comfortable performing the methods listed, please take your car to a local mechanic or auto body store and have them reset the low tire pressure light for you.
The first method involves inflating each one of your four tires to about 3 psi over, then deflating them down to nothing and letting the air unbearably escape.
Your spare tire may have a sensor as well, so make sure to perform the test on the spare as well. Once they’ve all completely deflated, re-inflate them to the proper psi to see if this resets the low-pressure tire light sensor.
With the vehicle off, you can pop the hood and disconnect the positive battery cable, turn the key to the “on” position, honk the horn to get rid of any power, and re-attach the battery back on.
If this still doesn’t reset the low-pressure tire light, take your vehicle to the mechanic so they can perform further testing.
Low Tire Pressure Light Resetting Cost
Fortunately, the process of resetting your low tire pressure light doesn’t need to be costly. It is one of the most easily and affordable fixes possible in a car.
You can take your car to a local mechanic, or a chain professional, such as Pep Boys, to get a checkup service on the vehicle’s tire pressure monitoring system.
For most basic packages, the service includes checking and setting your vehicle’s tire pressure to specifications, running an inspection on the vehicle, testing each of your vehicle’s TPMS sensor batteries, and often costs a vehicle owner about $15.
For a more expensive package, the mechanic may include the removal of old tires, removal of the old sensor, and proper installation and programming of a new tire sensor by a tire professional, and rebalancing of the wheel, often around $18.