The Ultimate Tire Pressure Monitoring System Sensor Guide
Have you ever been driving and all of a sudden you see a warning light appear on the dashboard of your Honda that reads “TPMS”? Before you start to panic, it’s important to understand exactly what this light means and the possible reasons for it to illuminate on your dashboard. TPMS stands for tire pressure monitoring system and it plays a critical role in both your safety and how your vehicle performs on a daily basis. Our team at Germain Honda of Dublin has created this handy TPMS reference guide to help give you more information about how this system works. We’re also standing by to help pinpoint and correct any TPMS-related issues that your Honda vehicle may be experiencing.
How Does the Honda TPMS System Work?
With the primary objective of constantly monitoring the air pressure of your tires, the TPMS uses ABS wheel-speed sensors to calculate air pressure based on wheel-rotation characteristics. Once the system has detected that the tire pressure has dropped below the recommended threshold in one or more wheels, the system will notify the driver by illuminating the TPMS indicator within the gauge cluster. Depending on the model, this indicator light can appear as a tire-shaped icon with an exclamation point or simply the letters “TPMS”. When this light is flashing, this means that one or more tires are well below the recommended pressure and should be inspected immediately once it’s safe to do so.
Fortunately, dealing with a TPMS warning light is typically something you can handle yourself without any specialized tools or equipment. However, it’s certainly important to not ignore this warning light as driving with low tire pressure can lead to improper/excessive tire wear, reduced fuel economy, and worst of all – create the potential for tire failure when driving. To ensure your tires are properly inflated and get rid of that pesky TPMS light, you can follow these simple steps.
- Find a safe place to stop and add air to your tire.
- Using an air pump, add air to your tire at the recommended PSI. The recommended tire pressure for your vehicle can be found inside the driver’s door jam on a label. It’s also listed in your owner’s manual.
- Honda vehicles equipped with the handy Tire Fill Assist feature will provide an audible beep when the correct tire pressure has been reached. For vehicles without this feature, use a tire pressure gauge to check and verify the tire pressure after filling.
It’s equally as important to not overfill your tires. Driving on overinflated tires can be just as dangerous and harmful to your driving experience. After filling your tires, the TPMS light should disappear within minutes of driving normally.
Honda TPMS Light Service in Dublin, OH
If you continue to experience issues with your tire pressure monitoring system, bring your vehicle into Germain Honda of Dublin and let our team of factory-trained Honda technicians inspect your vehicle. In some situations, the TPMS sensors located at each wheel can experience failure and require replacement. Our team can also pinpoint and repair potential tire damage that’s responsible for your TPMS light issues. We’ll be able to find the problem and get you back on the road quickly!