Tire Pressure Sensor Fault: Causes, Symptoms, and Fixes

Are you tired of looking at the tire pressure sensor, always indicating something isn't right?

Don't worry, guys; chances are that the tire pressure sensor fault is causing the indicator to go off instead of any actual issue in the first place.

The Automatic Car Technology

The world is swiftly moving to automatic cars. For sure manual drive lovers won’t ever go exist as these cars ruled and are still ruling the global automobile industry. But it is not wrong to say that automatic e-cars are the future.

Automatic cars surely have many more advanced and real-time calibrated features than the manual drive model. This also involves technology like pressure sensors that detect air pressure in the car tires and indicate as soon as some abnormality or spike in the normal tire air pressure range is detected.

What Causes A Fault In Pressure Sensors?

The debate about what causes a fault in the pressure sensors is quite diverse. You can't simply pinpoint a cause and then find a solution. The sensors work differently than the rest of the program. Considering how much technology has progressed, we bet the sensors are digital.

It means certain factors may impact the proper functioning of the sensor in the first place. We are going to discuss some of these factors in detail now.

But remember, the issue may not always revolve around these causes alone.

• Repeated and elongated use of sensors

  Sensors, either digital or analog, are electronic components. They aren't made up of a single strand of some metal that won't rust for centuries to come. These sensors are electronic components that are also made up of many micro-level electronic ICs, diodes, etc.

  So, it is quite natural for the sensors to lose their potential to make accurate measurements over time. The only way to get over such an issue is to either replace the sensors with new models or simply repair them through a certified technician. In both cases, the TPMS will also be upgraded.

• Wiring malfunction

  Technology has surely taken a massive leap in the last couple of decades. New and improved gadgets are coming into the market. The size of the gadgets is reducing dramatically. Mobile phone is a clear example of that. Once the device used to weigh in kilograms, now, it hardly weighs a few grams and fits right into one's palm.

  But even with all this development, wires are an important circuit part. For the TPMS, wires are also quite crucial as they are responsible for connecting the sensors with the main program model. Any issue with the wiring will surely affect the TPMS.

• Maintain lower-than-average tire pressure

  Now beyond the fact that there always will be some issue with the sensors or something like that, a faulty tire pressure sensor can also have something to do with the negligence of the car owner. One such negligence is maintaining lower-than-average tire pressure.

  The tire pressure has everything to do with the output and function of a TPSM. The tire pressure sensors will be affected if you drive your car with less-than-average tire pressure that must be maintained at all costs. That, too beyond the capacity of repair.

• Lack of maintenance for TPMS

  Just like any car component or system, the TPMS also needs maintenance from time to time. No matter if you have just bought the car, you need to show up for regular maintenance of the TPMS from time to time.

  As discussed earlier, the TPMS is composed of multiple sensors. Sensors that require frequent calibration and maintenance to work. If you don't take care of the TPMS maintenance system, it will also malfunction, impacting other systems within the car. So, as they say, a stitch in time always saves nine.

Symptoms That Indicate A Faulty Pressure Sensor

• Bad fuel economy

  The first indicator your car will give regarding a faulty TPMS is bad fuel economy. It is kind of a universal fact for all the petrolheads out there. If the car starts giving bad fuel economy, there is surely something wrong with the internal operational systems of the car. TPMS is one such system.

  But remember, the bad fuel economy can be temporary or permanent, depending upon the extent to which the pressure sensor has been damaged. In either case, it is better to change the pressure sensors as soon as possible so that the car can be calibrated again.

• Check lights

  This is one of the great things about the new automatic cars on the market. The check lights will clearly indicate what is wrong with your car. The check lights panels will be present right next to the odometer of the car on either of the sides.

  In manual cars or cars manufactured in the last decade, the check light indicators aren't as diverse as the modern cars. This is because modern cars already have built-in systems like the TPSM.

• Out-of-alignment car control

  If your car isn’t following the regular straight alignment control, chances are that the pressure sensors aren’t working properly. When air pressure in tires isn’t regular, the car wobbles and streams to one end instead of maintaining a straight position following the steering control.

  Now, if you are not getting any check light that indicates this and the car is still tilted in one direction, completely out of alignment, the pressure sensors aren’t working. Get the tire pressure checked, and most importantly, get the tire pressure sensors checked.

How Can You Fix A Pressure Sensor Fault?

The best way to fix a pressure sensor fault is to contact a technician with expertise in this field. You just can't remove the sensors and replace them with new ones. Most of the time, the issue doesn't lie with the sensors but the fact that they were just not calibrated in the first place.

Final Note

Tire pressure sensor fault, if you have gone through the article from the very start to this point, you are now fully aware of what pressure sensor fault is, what the causes are, and how you will know that the sensors aren't working for sure.