You don’t have to live with your TPMS light blinking at you

For those who do not know what TPMS is, the official name is the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. This feature began showing up on automobiles in the early 2000’s. At first, this feature seems to be cool and neat, it automatically lets you know when a tire, even your spare, is low on air. Then you discover it’s fatal flaw: TPMS sensors use an internal, non-replaceable battery.

Depending on the specific battery used, they will usually last between 6 and 10 years. Then the battery quits and you get the solid warning light, or the even more annoying and distracting blinking warning light, on your instrument cluster.

When mine went out on my 2004 4Runner, I discovered something else…while it’s a straightforward repair, most people don’t have the tools to perform the repair. You have to take the tire off the rim, swap out the TPMS sensor, remount the tire back on the rim, and then rebalance the tire. I can do a lot of things to my car but taking a tire off/on the rim, and then rebalancing the wheel , is not among of them.

So I went to Discount Tire to get a quote…$150 per tire or $750 total (remember the spare). Not sure if that’s the cheapest price but I would not replace these sensors at even ½ that price. So I turned to Google and found this is a pretty widely discussed issue, with tons of fixes or workarounds depending on your specific vehicle. All fixes were designed to simply disable the distracting warning light.

My specific fix took 5 minutes with a screwdriver, plier, and Scotchlock type connector - it was that simple. After 3 years I no longer have to stare at that stupid light! I can’t believe I waited that long when it was such a simple fix.

I am sure lots of people out there adore the TPMS feature, as I did at first, but once you discover that a) it runs off an internal battery that only lasts 6-10 years and b) it’s not something you can self-repair and c) it costs around $700-$800 for a shop to repair, I bet you become significantly less enamored with TPMS.

So if your TPMS light is blinking, Google “Disable TPMS Light for (year – model of car)�. Hopefully you can find a solution as easy as mine. Failing that, you can always apply the ghetto fix…cover the light with a piece of electrical tape!

Just to be clear...the fixes referenced above are designed to disable the system, meaning you have to fall back on the system you have used your entire life before TPMS...your eyes and a tire pressure gauge.

And it sometime goes unnoticed but your out of sight, out of mind spare tire can be the source for the TPMS warning light...be sure to check the spare tire pressure if the light is on and your other tires are properly inflated.

All you need is a piece of black tape

Get included in you tire replacement quote the pressure sensors. Before the internal batteries die you should need new tires.

I think I paid $13 or $14 per tire when they put new tires on at Sam's about 3 years ago.

$750 dollars! WOW. That should get you a set of tires

I've had 2 sensors go bad on my F-250, cost $100 per.

My lights been on for years. After a while you get use to it.

dealer just quoted 80$ per + mount/balance

not finding anything on 2011 colorado

I got curious after reading this thread. You can get whole new TPMS units for $11 a piece. Supply them to the tire shop when you get fresh tires.

Seems like the cheapest fix, other than the black tape over the light.

Interesting..I just bought a 17 F150. If a tire is 2 pounds under..the light is not going away. I've had it go off on a cold morning and be fine at noon when it warmed up.

I don't even like air bags much less
something "telling" me when a tire is low.

If you don't know when you have a low tire
I feel kinda' sorry for you.

Firestone Mastercare stores.

$7-$11 per tire done with a new set of tires.

This is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. I simply get it done and move on.

Dub said:

Firestone Mastercare stores.

$7-$11 per tire done with a new set of tires.

This is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. I simply get it done and move on.

Click to expand...

I don't know how you guys are getting the sensors replaced for $10 each...I just googled the sensor for my Toyota and the cheapest on-line price I could find was $36.38 (aftermarket) and $58.44 (genuine Toyota). And that's for one. Uninstalled.

Must be something special about the TPMS sensor for my car...I'm with you, if I could get them replaced for $10 each, it would be a non-issue for me too. I would just have them replaced every time I got new tires.

DannyW said:

I don't know how you guys are getting the sensors replaced for $10 each...I just googled the sensor for my Toyota and the cheapest on-line price I could find was $36.38 (aftermarket) and $58.44 (genuine Toyota). And that's for one. Uninstalled.

Must be something special about the TPMS sensor for my car...I'm with you, if I could get them replaced for $10 each, it would be a non-issue for me too. I would just have them replaced every time I got new tires.

Click to expand...

I have been checking around. Talked to a friend that runs a tire shop. He said sensors run from $15 to $60 dollars. Toyota being at the high end.

He also said they are easy to install, but a pain to sync with the truck computers unless you have the machine to do it with. And he said you might as well replace all the sensors if even just one is bad.

20 to 25 per tire labor plus cost of sensor. So with a $60 sensor you could have $100 per tire. His recommendation was live with it until you need to replace tires.

jimbo4116 said:

I have been checking around. Talked to a friend that runs a tire shop. He said sensors run from $15 to $60 dollars. Toyota being at the high end.

He also said they are easy to install, but a pain to sync with the truck computers unless you have the machine to do it with. And he said you might as well replace all the sensors if even just one is bad.

20 to 25 per tire labor plus cost of sensor. So with a $60 sensor you could have $100 per tire. His recommendation was live with it until you need to replace tires.

Click to expand...

Yes Jimbo...you hit on the head...programming for my model 4Runner. After hearing all the $10/tire estimates, I decided to check into it further...the "fix" I did to disable the system is reversible in 5 minutes, and I do like the feature - at the right price.

The Firestone place in Buford could not quote a price because they don't have the ability to program the sensors on a 2003-2006 4Runner. They suggested I take it to a dealer.

Meinke has the programmer and quoted $808.36 for all 5 tires using Toyota brand sensors.

Kaufman Tires also has the programmer and quoted $685.82 using Toyota brand sensors.

And a local garage quoted $399.62 using aftermarket replacement sensors. (They claim aftermarket sensors don't require progamming?)

Subtract roughly $100 from the above prices if the sensors are replaced at the same time as the tires.

So those of us who have older 4th generation 4Runners are out of luck once sensor batteries expire. Unless we want to pay $400+ to get them replaced. Apparently these year models don't have the TPMS reset switch, and require programming each sensor to the vehicle...which the guy at Meinke told me could take an hour or more.

Oh well...I can honestly say that's one of just a very few things I don't like about my 4Runner.

DannyW said:

I don't know how you guys are getting the sensors replaced for $10 each...I just googled the sensor for my Toyota and the cheapest on-line price I could find was $36.38 (aftermarket) and $58.44 (genuine Toyota). And that's for one. Uninstalled.

Must be something special about the TPMS sensor for my car...I'm with you, if I could get them replaced for $10 each, it would be a non-issue for me too. I would just have them replaced every time I got new tires.

Click to expand...

Not sure and I'm in no way saying someone is wrong but I think they might be getting the tpms kit for that price, it's not the same as replacing the sensor.

A little of the rail but I had this happen this afternoon.
Have a '12 GMC Sierra. About a month ago the low pressure warning comes up on the dash showing left 27#, right 29#.

I check the pressure 35# in each. 35# in each of the rear reading on the dash. I figure it was cold and the front tires would come up. Didn't happen. Been clicking the warning off until today. Yellow light still on dash. Just front tires.

This afternoon I let all the air out of the front tires and check the dash reading. Front tires still at 27 and 29. I check the rear tires which I haven't touch. They read 15# each. I check with guage, still 35#.

I remove the valve cores in the front tires and squirt a shot of WD40 into the valve stem. Re-insert valve cores and fill tires to 35#. I run down the road about five miles out and back. Turn off the truck, turn it back on and the low pressure warning on the front tires is gone. Check the dash display and all tires are showing 35#.