Once again I turn to the CT community for assistance.
09 Hyundai Accent, a pinch over 11k miles.
My “low tire pressure indicator light” on the dash came on and has been on for 2 days. Not blinking, but solid illumination, which, according to my owners manual, indicates a system malfunction. Tires themselves look fine and as far as pressure readings go they seem to be fine. Hyundai dealership is telling me that they can’t do anything on Saturday and that I’d have to have my car in by 10 am on a weekday in order for them to look at it, which would necessitate time off work.
Is this a situation where I can have to codes read by an automotive store to figure out what the problem is?
This is not anything I would waste one iota of worry on. Check your tire pressure the old fashioned way for now and get the TPMS fixed at your leisure. Or you can just put some tape over the light.
EDIT: Does the dealer offer service loaners?
Did you check the spare tire? It may also have a TPMS sensor in it. Otherwise, just be confident the tires are properly aired up. This system is supposed to do that for you, but not working right now. As long as the tires are the correct pressure, ignore the light until you can get the dealer to look at it. Your still under warranty, so there’s no reason to pay someone for this.
Also, check with the dealer about a loaner car or a shuttle service. If they can give you a ride to work and pick you up after, that may save you some work-related headaches.
No, the generic code readers that the auto stores use will not be able to pick up any trouble codes for this system. To the dealer you go…
Trust your good ol’ manual tire pressure guage.
Then only worry about that baby sitting system when you’re good and ready.
The only thing I would have the dealer do is remove the “system” and disable the light. Of course, they won’t do that…
All good advice so far. Check pressure with a real gauge, especially the spare. Inflate if necessary. There are no codes to be read.
There’s no rush to see a mechanic; this is not a critical issue. do it next month when you have the time.
"There are no codes to be read. "
Not true. There are diagnostic codes to be read, but only Honda specific code readers will be able to read them.
The TPS readout for each wheel is a great way to alert you to the possibility that the pressure might be low. One of my kids told me that one of the tires had low pressure. When I checked them this afternoon, all had 30 PSI. Actually, they were all 3 PSI low. I added 5 per tire.
here is a little secret, and don’t tell anyone i told you. Just show up to the dealer on your time and tell them you need to wait for the repair. All dealers are bending over backwards to keep customers in the door so there is no way they will turn you away.
most likely the battery internal to the sensor has failed and the sensor itself needs to be replaced. this shouldn’t take more than an hour to take care of as long as they have parts in stock. i i worked today and had approx 5 non appointment waiters to work on and was happy to do it!
Thanks to all for putting my mind at ease. I didn’t think it was something I needed to worry about. I’ll get it checked next month. And I’ll check the spare as well. Any tips for getting a good pressure reading? I have a pressure gague, but I feel that the air and water machine at the chevron station is more accurate. Any truth to that?
Does your gauge read about the same as the Chevron gauge? If so, you have no further worries. Besides, tire pressure is not a critical measurement. As long as all gauges show readings in the 30-33 psi range, you’re good. What you’re looking for is any one tire that’s out of line.
Yeah, pretty much. Thanks again to all. I’ll have the problem checked at my convenience, but will check the pressure on the spare tomorrow.
I don’t know about the Hyundai but the low tire pressure light on my son’s Lincoln Aviator has blipped on before at around 4-5 PSI low and it’s entirely possible to have a tire gauge be off by that much.
Go to a dealer whch has evening hours or a saturday AM available.