TPMS, tire dealer error or warranty?

I had my tires balanced and rotated for the 2nd time at Goodyear. No problem the first time, but this time I noticed the TPMS warning after leaving Goodyear. I returned to have it reset, and they told me I would have to visit Infiniti to have it reset.



Infiniti reset it charging me an hour labor. The service rep. said Goodyear must have caused the error, requiring the reprogramming of the TPMS.



Goodyear tells me they couldn’t have done anything to cause the problem. Also, they won’t assure me that the problem won’t happen during the next rotate and balance.



Ideally, I want to be reimbursed for the cost of the TPMS reprogram, and to continue to have Goodyear balance and rotate my tires under their lifetime program which I purchased. The Goodyear store manager has offered to refund me the cost of the lifetime balance and rotate.



How can I resolve this?

Put some black tape over the TPMS warning and drive on or have your tires serviced at the dealership, which is the real purpose behind TPMS…Or simply ask that the system be removed, or move to a “free” country where TPMS is unknown…

— NIETHER error nor warranty. —

Some tpms systems actually need to know the position of each tire on the car, ask Infinity.
If so , this is a cost you must pay when rotating tires . Alas, included in the’ cost of ownership’ with these fancy systems.

I can’t speak for Infiniti, but the Owner’s Manual for my wife’s 2006 Sienna states to reset the TPMS system after a tire rotation or replacement. The procedure is buried deep in the 500+ page manual but only takes a minute. Perhaps a reset procedure is spelled out in the Infiniti manual.

Ed B.

Nothing “fancy” about these systems. I believe legislature not auto makers have pushed for this inclusion of technology.

Hopefully they simply become as reliable as ABS and non-item in the future.

Some Government policy wonker dreamed this up and now the car makers have turned it into a profit center…

Ok, lets edit to ;
‘part of the cost of ownership with some systems.’

Your owners manual should cover this. If the tires are rotated the system has be reprogrammed.

I will add that Goodyear should have known better. They should know by now the vehicles with a TPMS might have to be reprogrammed after a tire rotation and they should have at least warned you about it. The problem is they probably had an inexperienced person performing the balancing/rotation and he didn’t know what to look for.

I found this in ALLDATA…
TRANSMITTER WAKE UP OPERATION: Description
This procedure must be done after replacement of a transmitter, BCM, or rotating wheels.

As I mentioned before the system has to be reprogrammed after a rotation and it’s not covered under the warranty.

It doesn’t seem right that a dealer can essentially force somebody to return for something as simple as a tire rotation. I own a 2008 model year vehicle with TPMS and have never had any problems having rotations done at a local tire shop.

I’m not a big fan of TPMS and think it only makes sense with run flat tires; however, in many states you can’t pass inspection with any indicator lights on.

If I were to buy snow tires/rims, I’d probably just do the black tape trick and put on factory rims on for state inspection.

Doesn’t seem right ?
The automotive industry has been playing this game for decades.
Re-inventing systems and functions to force owners into dealers…until the aftermarket catches up…then doing it all over again. ( our indy techs and shop owners in this forum can attest to that. )

Then the government gets involved and we end up with the price of catalytic converters ! They can charge ANYTHING THEY WANT because the law says that we MUST !!

Doesn’t seem right . :frowning:

It was actually dreamed up by the car manufacturers…and then the manufacturers lobbied congress to pass a law.

I can’t speak for Infiniti, but the Owner’s Manual for my wife’s 2006 Sienna states to reset the TPMS system after a tire rotation or replacement. The procedure is buried deep in the 500+ page manual but only takes a minute.

Was this something special for 2006 Toyota’s. My 05 4runner and wifes 07 Lexus don’t require this. Rotate tires…NO PROBLEM…System automatically resets itself.

Hi,

The TPMS system on the 06 Sienna uses the ABS system instead of individual sensors in each rim. The light came on while on the freeway a week or two after the tires were rotated. Tire pressure was fine, it turned out that this version of the TPMS has to be reset after a tire rotation or replacement.

I think Toyota went to a sensor based system for 07 and beyond. I prefer this system, less things to break. Actually I prefer a dial gauge and regular pressure checks, but the government knows best.

Ed B.

Right, edb. On our Aleros, the owners manuals give the procedure to follow and it can be done in a minute by anybody who can follow directions. Doesn’t take an expensive trip to the dealer to get it done.

I think Toyota went to a sensor based system for 07 and beyond. I prefer this system, less things to break. Actually I prefer a dial gauge and regular pressure checks, but the government knows best.

It WASN’T the government…It was LOBBIED VERY VERY HARD by the auto and insurance industry. You can look at every single safety feature that’s been MANDATED by the government…EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM…was lobbied very very hard by the insurance industry. You name the safety regulation…and you can find the Insurance industry with their BILLIONS of spending and lobbying to push it through.