TPMS Service Video

The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) watches the air pressure in each tire and warns you when one drops too low. Every vehicle sold in the US since the 2008 model year has one. Its job is to catch a slow leak before it turns into a flat or a blowout.

This video explains what turns on the TPMS light and why a solid light and a blinking light mean different things. It also shows how a technician reads each wheel's signal to find which one is causing the warning.

Most vehicles use a direct system, with a sensor inside each wheel that reports pressure to a receiver. Some use an indirect system instead, which has no pressure sensors and watches wheel speed through the ABS sensors. A low tire is slightly smaller, so it spins faster than the others and sets the warning.

A solid TPMS light means one or more tires are low and need air. Check all four tires, including the spare on some vehicles, and set them to the pressure on the door placard. TPMS checks are part of our suspension, steering, and wheel service, which covers your wheels and tires as one system.

A light that blinks for about a minute at startup and then stays on points to a system fault, not a low tire. A dead sensor, a failed receiver, or a sensor the system no longer recognizes is the usual cause.

At Spectra Auto Services, our technicians scan every wheel before touching anything. That tells you whether the problem is a low tire, a sensor fault, or a system that needs to relearn its sensors. Your DVI report shows what they found before any work is approved.

Driving on a low tire for weeks can pull the car to one side and wear the tread unevenly. Our wheel alignment service checks tire pressure and the TPMS before the angles are set.

Tire pressure drops by approximately 1 psi for every 10°F decrease in temperature. During the first cold mornings in Frederick County, this pressure drop can trigger the tire pressure warning light even when there is no leak. Drivers from Urbana and Mount Airy often see it come on overnight and clear by the afternoon.

If your TPMS light is on or blinking, call Spectra Auto Services at (301) 695-5990, or visit your Frederick auto shop to have the system scanned.