I have put the correct pressure in all four tires but the light remains on. Seems I need to re-calibrate it? Can I do that mysef with the service manual or does it require specialized tools and such?

 

If the light is on despite having your tires filled to spec (keep in mind if you over-fill it will set light off as well) then yes you'll need a dealer visit. Could be the battery in the sensor has died. There is no way a regular user can reset the TPMS system without a scan tool.

 

That is unfortunate. Quite annoying why manufacturers put in this rather useless feature when they they know in 10 years it is going to break and require a $500 dealer visit? Is checking your tire pressure manually a few times a year really so hard?! Filing this under stupid features engineers do only because they think it is cool.

 

Out of curiousity, how much is a scan tool?

 

You can't check your tire pressure while running 70mph down the interstate. Run over a nail, have a slow leak, and next thing you know you're driving interstate speeds with a flat tire.

There are two lights on the dash. One shows a flat tire...that is for a low tire pressure warning. The TPMS light means there is a TPMS fault.

If the TPMS light used to be off, but is now on, one or more of the sensors has stopped working. They have integral batteries that only last so long. When the battery is dead, it's time for new sensors. Sensors are ~$30 each and you want to replace all 4 since they are end of life if one has gone bad.

Dealers charge $50 or so to program the new sensors to the car.

 

OK, so maybe it's not as useless as I thought ! The light that is coming on is the "flat tire" looking one. I checked pressures and topped the tire off but the light did not go off. Do I need to drain the air and fill them up from zero or something?

 

Interesting! That changes things. If you are getting that light, one or more of the sensors is reading a low tire. I would make sure the gauge you are using is accurate and inflate all tires to 32 psi or just above that.

If you're still getting the light, I like your idea of taking them low and back up again.

Sadly, if that doesn't fix it, you probably will need a tire shop or the dealer to see which sensor is reading low.

Keep us updated please!

 

are you driving the car around after you top it off? There is a time/distance delay before the light turns off

 

This^^ You'll have to drive the car for about 10 minutes before they 'reset' after servicing.

 

Yes - you need to drive the car before the "low pressure" (Tire image) light turns off. My 2009 does not have a TPMS reset button.
Last year my 2009 Sport had a tire with a slow leak. The Low Pressure light would come on within 1-2 blocks of leaving my house if I forgot to check tire pressure that day. After filling the tire, the light would go out within 1-4 blocks of my house. YMMV Over-filling (up to 45 psi) never seemed to trigger the light, only low pressure.

There are two "TPMS lights". The other TPMS light (Letters T-P-M-S) indicate a system problem, not low tire pressure.

 

Actually you can blame the Federal Government, they mandated TPMS in all cars sold after September 2007 (mostly 2008+ model years): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fede...y_Standard_138

The batteries on the pressure sensors wear out, and you have to dismount the tire to replace the sensor (the battery is not serviceable). Now everyone is driving around with their TPMS light on and not checking their tire pressure. The trick is to replace all of the sensors when you get new tires. Dealer will charge up to $150 per sensor but you can get em cheap online.

 

I just covered the light with electrical tape and keep a $5 tire gage in my glove box visually checking every so often. Not throwing money on this feature.