TPM warning light off after winter tires with no sensor installed

I get various, similar things happening with the light, same situation as you. With us, the OEM tires (with TPMS sensors) are in a stack in the garage, just a few feet from the car. Maybe the car keeps detecting, then losing the sensors, and this causes the behaviours? Your set up is similar?

I know there's delay in the reaction, probably by design. I'm thinking it's all fine, and come spring when you install your regular tires it'll be back to normal.

 

A small piece of electric tape, placed over the light will fix the problem, remove when not needed.

 

Meh, what problem? There are passenger seat air bag lights always on, nobody get upset. Putting tape over a warning is overkill, will leave residue, and if you manage to forget to remove it in spring...

 

And that's a problem, lol?

Where are the OEM wheels? Near where you're parking? That's my best guess.

 

Our TPM indicator randomly turns on and off, all winter long. It is only a useful indication when the summer tires are mounted.

 

If the TPMS sensor does not receive any signal back, it will go to sleep until the TPMS reset button is pressed again and it will start searching for the FR signal back from the rims.

 

The "problem" is some owners live where -any- light will make them fail some govt. test.

But it seems to be "self fixing".

So put your summer wheels/tyres in an aluminised bag (or a great big can) if they are stored near the car.

 

Not in Canada though.

 

I don't know if Toyota has tweaked the computer for later models, but for my 2006 it can take a couple weeks for the TPMS to realize it does not have a good reading from the tires. Probably it takes a longer trip for the computer to say "hey I ain't gettin no signal from that tire". In this case if your tires are in the garage you may be updating the data when you start up, and then it is good until computer figures out the data is old.

 

You should be ok come spring.

 

Here's what's probably happening: You're probably parked just far enough from your OEM wheels that your car is sometimes picking up the TPMS signal from the OEM tires to reset the light. I have found that it takes 20 minutes of the car being on for the TPMS system to recognize that the sensors are not there. After 20 minutes, the light will start to blink and then turn steady. If the Prius doesn't reassociate with the TPMS in your OEM tires after the light has come on, it will blink when you start the car and then turn steady. If you start your car in your driveway after the light has been on, it will start to blink, but if it detects the OEM tires while you're still in the driveway, the light will turn off. You can drive for 20 minutes before the light will turn on again. If you drive for less than 20 minutes, the TPMS light will not turn on.

So in summary:

1st week: TPMS was not finding OEM tires and light stayed on.
2nd week: TPMS light was on when you started the car (blinking), but detected the OEM tires before you left the driveway, so light turned off.
Starting yesterday: Car is reading the OEM tires so no light. (Also driving for less than 20 minutes, so the light does not turn on.)