Tire Pressure Monitor System ? TPMS

I own a 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible/Stock since 06/13 and in September of 2013 started to get warning light for TPMS of the left rear tire. Brought it back to dealer multiple times but they could not duplicate the problem. In April of 2014 started getting “Service Stabilitrack code U0401 & Check Engine Light code P0300” warnings along with the TPMS warnings. The car has been in the dealer 14 times and I gave them the above codes but 4 different dealers could not fix the car. After a lot of research I figured it was the ECM causing the problem, had it replaced in September 2015 and all of the warning lights stopped.
Drove it for around 5 months with no problem but then the TPMS started again and the dealer has no answers ? I was told by someone that the Body Control Module and Powertrain Control Module connectors need to be replaced ? The car is still under warranty, anyone have similar problems ? Thanks !

See if there is a software upgrade available.Too bad you had to put money into a car under warranty, would look at getting sensor for the left rear tire replace.

Sorry I forgot to add the sensors were replaced on all 4 tires & now when the TPMS goes off now it can be any 1 of the tires or all 4 at once. The stock tires have been replaced also.

They likely said "Body Control Module and Powertrain Control Module computers"
And I seriously doubt if they need to be replaced.

Have you checked your spare tire? Many TPMS systems also monitor the spare tire.

does not come with / have a spare tire. Thanks !

The only thing I can suggest is to follow the system in your paperwork for moving the problem up the chain. But it sounds like you’re already doing that.

Does the system have an “initialization procedure” to set the “baselines” prior to delivery, during prep? If so, perhaps the guy prepping the car set the baselines before adjusting the tire pressures.

Have you verified that the tire pressures are correct when the tires are cold, in the morning . . . ?

I’ve seen a lot of idiots inflate hot tires in the afternoon, not thinking what will happen in a few hours

And then overnight, the tires cool, the pressures drop several psi, and the tpms warning light comes on in the morning, until the tires get hot after being driven for several miles, the pressures rise, and the light turns off

Do you have aftermarket chrome rims . . . or did you get chrome applied to your factory rims?

I’ve seen many cheapo chrome rims, and even factory rims with cheap chrome jobs lose pressure

Also, aftermarket super duper wide rims with low profile tires are more likely to develop small cracks, when driving over bad roads. And you’ll lose pressure.

A tire “dunk tank” would rule out pressure loss due to the rims

BTW . . . is the warning telling you that one of the sensors itself is bad, or merely that the pressures are too low

My tires are inflated to factory specified 32 psi @ 70 degrees F. When the temperature reaches the mid 20s TPMS light goes on. My dial indicator tire gauge reads 29 psi for all 4 tires. Completely normal.

I’ve really got nothing to add except on our 08 Acura we would get the TPMS failure message intermittently when people were in the back seat. I did have the trouble shooting chart and determined it was a problem with the receiver that was mounted in the trunk behind the back seat. We never got anywhere with the dealer and since we rarely had any passengers in the back it really wasn’t a big thing. Trading the car took care of it. If its really a big issue, you might get a factory service manual and the actual trouble shooting chart for that problem, then go from there with the dealer. Yep, sound like they have some expensive computer parts that need to be replaced.

TPMS is just another one of those weak electronic devices that they dropped on the consumer. Sounds like a great idea but in hindsight, it’s just another annoying idiot light.

ices

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I agree, missileman, but after the knock-down drag-out legal battle between Ford and Firestone when some Explorers flipped over the feds felt they HAD to involve themselves. :fearful:

It’s been to the dealer 14 times?? Hey, when it was just a TPMS warning, that’s one thing- a nuisance. Now it is disabling safety features which I believe puts it into a new category. If this were mine, I would be contacting the manufacturer’s help line and politely explaining that I have been patient up until now but that I was going to pursue lemon law resolution unless it was properly fixed…look up the laws in your state and start following the requirements. Inform the manufacturer that you intend to do so. It may light the fire under the right people…

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db4690 – I have checked the pressure when cold manually & it is the same as in the display and the rims are the stock rim. When the TPMS Light goes off it will show one of the tires as blank meaning there is a problem with that tire – to low or to high pressure. Thanks !
TwinTurbo – I did contact a lawyer in regards to the Lemon Law but it did not apply to my case. What I figured out was that a car must be worked on a certain amount of times in a year but when I brought it to the dealer all of those times they just reset the warning light & lied about the work they did. The car was in the dealer multiple times but maybe worked on 4 times. Chevy gave me a check for $3000.00 and paid 2 car payments for my trouble. I have contacted chevy multiple times with basically no results, even though the car was/is under warranty. 2 of the 5 dealers refused service to me, basically blaming me. Thanks !

I hope you have all your copies of the shop orders.
You may want to check out your state’s 'lemon laws" if your state has them. Their probably available online, or your state’s AG office can help you with this.

I disagree. Mine shows the actual PSI for each tire and has never been inaccurate.

Thanks for that information . . .

“it will show one of the tires as blank . . .”

That usually means one of the sensors is bad

If left front shows up as “blank” that’s the one that’s most likely the bad one

Why did I say “most likely” . . . ?

Because if somebody rotated tires WITHOUT reinitializing the tpms, then the module is wrong, in regards to what sensor is at what position. This happens more often than you might think

I’m disappointed the dealer has not been able to figure this out . . . quite possibly the guy who’s working on it is not motivated to solve the problem, for reasons which I’m not getting into

Or the guy working on it is literally not smart enough to figure it out

Might want to try another dealer before your warranty expires . . . ?

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It might be time to dump this lemon before the warranty ends. It is obvious GM can’t fix it and knows it. They wouldn’t have given you money if they could fix it. Trade it. Maybe for a Ford Mustang. No bias, none… :wink:

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I can understand why some dealers do not want to work on this vehicle. The OP was given $3000.00 and two months car payments. Selling or trading to get rid of the annoying vehicle might be a good idea as Mustangman suggested. Other wise I might remove the TPMS and just live with it if the rest of the vehicle functions well enough.

In agreement. 90% of the damage done to ourselves is self-inflicted.

If what you say is true then you are one of the lucky few. Most TPMS systems are very inaccurate.