2007 Prius Gen2 TPMS failure

It's best you pick up a set from Amazon for $41.49 and you get 8% off with a coupon now. Then bring it to a shop to install them for you (preferably when you get new tires)

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Be patient... As the battery sealed inside the TPMS starts to lose its charge after more than a decade, it comes and goes based on weather and prolonged centrifugal force. If you can wait till you need new tires and replace the TPMS sensors that's less hassle than figuring out which one has lost battery charge and using tire irons to replace it.

 

The brand of TPMS sensors on your car is specific It's the same as what's on the back of the center cap Pacific makes the center caps wheel trim if any and the TPMS sensors You want the ones with the green logo You can buy them on eBay for what they're talking about here about $38 $41 somewhere right in there for a set of four with batteries ready to go You can either use software like the Toyota tech and enter them in manually or go to a tire store and no wave of wand across them which resets the computer in the car scans the new TPMS sensors and they automatically connect up to the car some such business there's no entering any codes and the light goes off however you get it done that's your end result. Pacific is the brand look on the back of one of your center caps and when you take yours out you'll see the logo most tire stores are going to try to charge you five to $7 of wheel to screw the new sensor in.

 

Or go old school, check the tires periodically with a gauge, and just ignore the TPMS light going forward.

The TPMS systems can warn of relatively rapid deflation from a nail puncture and the like, but their main purpose was to nag drivers into keeping the tires inflated so that their cars would use less gas. If the driver already kept an eye on tire pressures the TPMS didn't really do anything useful. If only the regulation had required that the electronics be on the outside of the tire, for easier service, there would be more people who replaced their dead TPMS sensors instead of driving around with the warning light constantly on. Also, how stupid is it that one cannot lock out one or more bad sensors, so that the ones still working can do something useful???

 

My experience over the years is that most drivers do not pay attention to their tires - at all. A number do come in "because that light on the dash came on", so the system does have an effect (for some).

The system is designed to the minimum (least money) required to comply with federal legislation. I still see many systems that don't display individual tire pressures - that costs more $$ to implement.

I don't think that serviceability (DIY or otherwise) has ever been a concern of design engineers.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

But it should be. Ease of maintenance is rarely if ever mentioned in sales brochures, sadly.

 

replace all of them, the others will go out fairly quickly

 

Yes, do them all.

There basically two choices for replacement TPMS sensors. First is an OE (type) replacement. This sensor can be from the dealer or the aftermarket, but is "specific" to your Year, Make, and Model of car. Each sensor already has a unique ID number. You would install them with the new tires, and then have to "program" the IDs into the TPMS ecu.

Second type is the aftermarket universal TPMS sensor. This can be used on most cars but each sensor has to be programmed to tell it how to work on a specific YMM, and to assign an ID number. This requires a matching special tool (Autel sensors need an Autel TPMS programmer, and so on).

Many tire shops have the tool for the brand of sensor they use and can the IDs. Sam's club might install your sensors in the wheels when doing new tires, but I don't know if they are able to program any universal sensors or write the IDs to the car.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

You can figure out the dead TPMS yourself with Toyota Techstream software or other TPMS reader ( I have an Autel). On a Gen2 there is no good way to turn off the TPMS light, except to cover with black tape. As an advanced topic what I did was create a fake reading with an OEM TPMS, I used a binder clip to put external pressure on the TPMS, and kept that in the car. This allowed me to monitor the other 3 tires until I finally replaced all.

 

Sometimes that's not true... As in I've gone a year with some OEM Gen3 TPMS sensors on Gen3 wheels on my Gen2 Prius and I got one wheel that only gets the warning light to turn on when I drive more than a few hundred miles when on a road trip and then goes away. Meanwhile all three other TPMS sensors have not had an issue at all.

 

About a year back I had the TPMS light go on, with OEM wheels and sensors, similarly blinking to when I switch to snow tires (without sensors). I figured a battery failing.

then the light went out, a few days later. No repeat so far. I can’t get too excited about it.

 

yep... I'm the same story for past year when I put some gen3 wheels on my gen2 with new tires. Was so happy to not see the TPMS light when deciding to roll the dice on the Gen3 TPMS batteries still being good. But every time that I've driven for more than 45 minutes on the freeway the light comes on then goes out after a few days.