Why did Toyota make their TPMS require dealer only repair?

That is true, but on many vehicles, Toyota included, do not learn new sensors, they have to be programmed in. Costco says they programmed them in but maybe the numbers didn’t “take” because it wasn’t done by a Toyota specific reader.

I suspect if Costco couldn’t do it the first time, it won’t happen a second time and you need to go to a dealer. What happens when the tires are rotated? Same issue.

The Acura resets after driving at 15 mph. There is a reasonably simple self reset for the Pontiac. The shop has had no problem with either rotation or new tires or new sensor. Not something you would normally ask about when buying a car but another something to now keep in mind.

OP, suggest to please keep us informed once the cause is determined; and furthermore, how you & friend’s ensuing trouble has been properly compensated. It’s possible for example the sensors Costco installed were faulty out of the box; i.e. sensor manufacturer problem. In that case maybe only the Toyota scan tool is designed to properly detect the problem. Or maybe Costco’s scan tool actually did detect the tire sensor problem, but their techs didn’t properly interpret what the scan tool was indicating. Computerized cars …

The registered ID numbers can be viewed with a scan tool. If the registered number matches the number obtained with a hand-held receiver and the number printed on the sensor but no data is received, there is a problem with the sensor.

The picture below shows the registered ID numbers on a 2011 vehicle, note that there is no pressure or temperature data shown for sensor # 5. That sensor has failed.

@Nevada_545 There are two different TPMS systems available for most vehicles today. The simple on that is in my daughters car just gives you a warning light if one or more tires is low. The other type can give you the actual tire pressure in each tire.

Is the read out you attached to your post the same for both types of systems?

The control modules have the same (or similar) data to display on the scan tool, with or without a pressure display in the vehicle. The printed information above is from a Toyota Tech Stream scan tool.

If the vehicle has a pressure display, once a fault is detected by the module, the display will usually only show dash marks for all tire locations. Having a pressure display offers no self-diagnostic advantage to the vehicle owner.

Third time’s a charm. She took it back to Costco today and this time, they got it working, or at least the TPMS light is out. Crappy weather today but when I get a chance, I’m going to deflate one of her tires to around 26 psi and see if the light comes on, then re-inflate it back to 35 psi and make sure it goes out. Now she is going to go back to the dealer to try and get a refund for the $170 she spent there.

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Glad you got that pesky TPMS problem solved. Good for you :slight_smile: