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reset the tpms light

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Dominic&Leslie, Mar 9, 2020.

  1. Dominic&Leslie

    Dominic&Leslie Junior Member

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    Four
    I bought (four) new tires a couple months ago and the shop reset the TPMS light but halfway home, the light came back on again. I have checked the tire pressure and all seems fine.

    I have watched youtube videos, read the manual, and read here and have attempted to reset it myself several times with no luck. I am sure I am pressing the correct button for several reasons, one is that there is only one button under the dash, and the 2nd reason is that there is a symbol next to the button that is identical to the TPMS idiot light.

    I turn on the ignition, without my foot on the brake, two times to put her into accessory mode, I wait for the TPMS idiot light to glow steady, (as when you 1st turn it on, it flashes). Once its on steady, I press and hold the button, waiting for it to flash 3 times but this never happens. Am I missing something? Seems to me that the tire shop got the light to go out temporarily, but now it will not go out at all.
     
    #1 Dominic&Leslie, Mar 9, 2020
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    If the TPMS sensors were changed, then the system needs to be reprogrammed to recognize the new sensor IDs, not merely reset. No amount of resetting can get the new IDs loaded into the car.

    If the warning light came back on during the trip home, then take it back to them and have them fix it.

    You are responsible for the cost of replacing sensors with dead batteries, but they are responsible for the reprogramming of new sensor IDs into the car. That is an included service.

    Sensors damaged during the tire work? that is a more gray area for who pays for the replacement sensor.
     
    #2 fuzzy1, Mar 9, 2020
    pjksr02 likes this.
  3. pjksr02

    pjksr02 Active Member

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    You're "stuck in the loop" because of pressing that button. The first time you pressed it, the tire ECU was waiting for the registered sensors to transmit. It first waited about 10 minutes, and if one or more tire sensors didn't transmit, you got the blinking light. Now, every time you start the car, it's going to blink, indicating this error.

    If you have a Discount Tire nearby, they can help you out; other places can, too, by DT is trustworthy in my experience. At this point, each sensor needs to be triggered and read with a handheld device, to see if it is transmitting a signal. As fuzzy mentioned, if a new sensor was installed, it needs to be programmed into the ECU, through the OBD-II port.
     
    #3 pjksr02, Mar 9, 2020
  4. Dominic&Leslie

    Dominic&Leslie Junior Member

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    Four
    No new sensors were installed.
     
    #4 Dominic&Leslie, Mar 9, 2020
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The under-dash button's only function is to reestablish the usual tire pressures, say if you've raised or lowered them. Toyota's system doesn't offer a way for owners to introduce new sensors, reestablish connection and so on.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Mar 9, 2020
  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Go back to the tire shop and have them read out all the sensors. If one or more were damaged during their tire work, it will no longer read out, and will need to be replaced.

    If done on the same day you drove home and discovered the problem, then there would have been no question about when the failure occurred. Now, after a couple months delay, they could claim that the sensor battery failed afterwards and disclaim responsibility. But they should still at least check the sensors (RFID through the sidewall, very quick and easy) to verify function.
     
    #6 fuzzy1, Mar 9, 2020
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