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TPMS Warning Light

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Jake Joseph, Oct 26, 2015.

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  1. Jake Joseph

    Jake Joseph Junior Member

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    Good Evening,

    I recently had new tires installed on my 2008 Prius and after the tires were installed she drove better than ever and I drove about 150 miles across Florida with no issues what so ever. But when I went for a drive this evening, after about 30 minutes of driving my TPMS light blinked for about a minute then stayed solid for about 3 minutes but then went out. When I got out of the car all the tires looked okay, I didn't have a gauge on me and I will check the pressures tomorrow. I didn't know if anyone had an idea what the problem could be and if I needed to do something to correct it.

    Thank you for any and all help!
     
    #1 Jake Joseph, Oct 26, 2015
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The most likely issue is that a tire has low air pressure. Hence what you need to do is to check the air pressure at all four tires with a good gauge, so that you are equipped with some facts instead of guesses.

    The second most likely issue is that a tire pressure sensor has decided to fail, which is not impossible after 7-8 years of service.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Oct 26, 2015
  3. Jake Joseph

    Jake Joseph Junior Member

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    Patrick,

    Thank you for the reply! I just had the tires installed yesterday and then the issue happened. If I was to check and adjust the tire pressures with the tires warm, would you know what those numbers should be?

    Thank you!
     
    #3 Jake Joseph, Oct 26, 2015
  4. Jake Joseph

    Jake Joseph Junior Member

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    Another question, if my sensor is failing do I need to have it replaced? Or will my only repercussion be the light being on constantly?

    Thank you again!
     
    #4 Jake Joseph, Oct 27, 2015
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Knowing now that the tire installation just happened, I would say it is most likely that a sensor may have been damaged during the tire installation.

    Given warm tires, I would adjust the tire pressure to 46 psi front/44 psi rear. The pressure will probably drop 2-3 psi when cold.

    If you leave the failed sensor in place, then of course you will have no warning if a tire actually has a low pressure problem.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Oct 27, 2015
  6. Jake Joseph

    Jake Joseph Junior Member

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    Five
    Thank you for the reply Patrick, whats great is the tire shop is in Merritt Island and I'm in Tampa which are on opposite sides of the state. I might have to make a trip this weekend if it doesn't go away. I adjusted the pressures this morning and they were a bit off. I then dove around for a bit and no light. I'm hoping the pressures being off were the problem. If it does it again I'll make the trip back to the tire place.

    Thanks again for the help!
     
    #6 Jake Joseph, Oct 27, 2015
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