Tire Pressure Monitoring System Light Flashing? What You Need to Know

Your tires are literally where your vehicle meets the road. In addition to allowing your vehicle to move, they help ensure a smooth drive by absorbing the shocks from the road. But to do this job properly, your tires need to maintain optimal air pressure to be able to hold their structure and shape.

Due to the importance of maintaining the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, it is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). The part of that system that tells you a tire has lost pressure is the TPMS warning light on your dash.

Like all the other warning lights, it will briefly light up when you start the engine, and then it should go out. However, if it stays on or starts blinking, you may have a problem with your tires.

What Does a Blinking TPMS Light Mean?

On your dashboard, among the many gauges and meters, there should be a round-ish light that looks like the cross-section of a tire with an exclamation point inside—this is the TPMS light. Its placement or color (usually orange, although some vehicles may have red TPMS lights) may vary depending on your car’s make and model.

Every vehicle has a TPMS warning light. It has been mandatory in all vehicles in the United States since September 2007. Along with the warning light, some vehicles (most of them, actually) will also tell you how much air pressure is in each tire on the instrument panel display.

Now, what happens when the TPMS light comes on? What exactly does it mean?

TPMS Light Stays On

When the TPMS light comes on and stays on, it can only mean one thing—one or more of your car’s tires have gotten low. As mentioned, some vehicles will display the air pressure in all tires, so you’ll immediately see which one has gotten low.

But if you don’t have the display, and all you have to go by is an illuminated TPMS light, then all the tires should be checked.

If three of the tires have the same pressure and one is a lot lower, that one likely has a leak. For example, let’s say your tire pressure is reading 31, 32, 30, and 21—this means the lowest tire is losing air and should be repaired or replaced.

TPMS Light is Flashing

Now, you may be wondering why the TPMS light is on, but all the tires are fine. Multiple reasons can trigger the light and make it flash or blink. If the light is turning on and off sporadically, your tires might be low on air pressure, nearing the level that triggers the warning.

The TPMS light may illuminate on the first cold night of the fall or winter, and then go off after a bit of driving. This is because the air will expand and the pressure will increase as the tires heat up. Even so, the pressure should be set at specs when the tires are cold. That’s when you’re supposed to check them anyway.

Sometimes, the TPMS warning light flashes for at least a minute and then remains lit, signifying an issue. If this happens, it is likely an issue with the system, such as a problem with one of the sensors that monitors the air pressure in your tires.

If it’s a problem with a tire pressure sensor, it could be one of two things:

Dead Battery

Each sensor has a battery—and after a few years, that battery will die. When this happens, you’ll need a new sensor. You can’t change out the battery, so you’ll need to visit a tire shop and have them replace the sensor.

Dislocated or Detached Sensor

Some sensors are strapped to the center of the rim, and sometimes they can come off the strap. That will cause the light to blink until the sensor is replaced.

How Do You Turn Off the TPMS Light?

The TPMS light can stay on even after you’ve fixed the issue that triggered it. To turn it off, it needs to be reset. This usually means simply driving the vehicle. However, sometimes a special procedure or scan tool may be required.

The way to reset the TPMS light is often similar across the board, although there could be slight differences depending on the car’s make or model. But generally, here’s how you would typically reset the warning:

• Locate the reset button, which should be located underneath the steering wheel.
• Press and hold until the light blinks around three times.
• Release the button and the tire pressure monitor light should turn off.
  

As mentioned, there may be a different way to do it depending on your vehicle. Some makes, such as Kia, have specific steps that you’ll need to follow, such as putting the key in the ON position before resetting the light. If the light doesn’t reset on its own when you drive the vehicle, you may want to look up the exact procedure to reset the warning light on your specific make and model.