Got my V back from the dealer today, one of the issues looked at was the TPMS. Apparently enough of them have happened now that the dealer went straight to the problem, they performed a procedure called "reregistering" the TMPS with the computer.

Light is off now.

Didn't exactly sound like a permanent fix to me, but it might stall long enough for Nissan to program a firmware update to fix it.

Thanks a bunch for that post. My TPMS is on for the second time and when I take it in for the passenger front airbag replacement, I will tell them this info!!! I think that if the tires have a burp and change pressure some, then the system sees the fault but never corrects itself when the fault goes away. This is definitely a recall item for Nissan and should be addressed before it becomes an embarassment!!

agreed, but that will take time to find and test a solution. My wife's Tucson had an ESP programming bug where the ESP computers would reset the values for angle of front wheel turn to 0 degrees every time it dropped below 1.5 MPH... this caused handling problems if you stopped with the wheels turned, because the computer thought that the turned position was then 0 degrees.

The truck hit dealer lots in December of '04 I think, we bought it in February of '05, and the recall came out in May of '05.

If that timing holds true, I wouldn't expect a recall campaign to open before January. (This is also for a similar type of work... I think a firmware flash would fix our TPMS, and a firmware flash fixed the ESP problem on the Hyundai)

I have a Titan without TPMS and the light comes on after driving for about an hour straight. I don't even have the stock wheels on the truck anymore. Try to figure that one out!!!

Thanks for the info.

Fortunately, the TPMS is a techno toy and not a critical component. While it can be an annoying issue, it doesn't keep the car from running.That being the case, I'd much rather see Nissan take their time to fix it right the first time rather than rush a fix that may just lead to more problems further down the road.

Still, you wouldn't think it would be that time-consuming a fix, being a software issue.

I agree, it shouldn't be a major fix. The beauracracy of getting the problem to the engineers is a different matter!

1400 MilesTPMS light in "ON"!All tire pressures at 32 PSIAnybody have a lasting fix yet?

I'll trade you good fuel economy for a TPMS light that stays off.

Mine went on once, but I checked all the tires and it went out again. They were all low acording to the cheap tire gauge they had at the convenience store. I went to NAPA the next day and bought a good accurate tire gauge and realized I had all my tires now inflated to 40psi DOH!

Maybe overinflating them is the answer? Then letting the air out later. Knock wood the light hasn't come on again. I have about 3150 miles.

Ben

Ben,

You may be on to something. Here's what I did:

TPMS light "on"All tires at 32 psiStarted filling each tire to 40 psiLeft front to 40 psi-light still "on"Left rear to 40 psi-light still "on"Right front to 40 psi- LIGHT GOES OUT!Dropped all 4 tires to 30 psi and light stays out. Drove 2 miles and light stays out. I'll monitor and update

BUMP

Can somebody else try this to see if we've got valid a workaround besides going in to the dealer for a reset?

Ben

I haven't had any trouble with the TPMS, but then again, all my tires are at 40psi anyway. I think the max cold rating on these tires is 42 or 44psi, so I set mine at 40 all around. They'll wear out a bit quicker (yay! I can get some decent tires!) this way, but they won't overheat and blow out. Plus, the handling is a bit crisper, and I don't really notice any added harshness in the ride.

I have no idea if this has any bearing on the TPMS issue, it's just my 2c.

I will try that today when I get home. My light is on again and all my tires are showing 32 to 33 psi. The first time my light came on, all my tires were at 40 psi. The dealer set them all to 33 which is what the door sill sticker calls for. I will see if this works. Mine has the 60 seconds of flashing, followed by the steady on. According to the book, this is some kind of internal fault, who knows though. I will give it a shot though and let you know.

Elmojo wrote:I haven't had any trouble with the TPMS, but then again, all my tires are at 40psi anyway. I think the max cold rating on these tires is 42 or 44psi, so I set mine at 40 all around. They'll wear out a bit quicker (yay! I can get some decent tires!) this way, but they won't overheat and blow out. Plus, the handling is a bit crisper, and I don't really notice any added harshness in the ride.

I have no idea if this has any bearing on the TPMS issue, it's just my 2c.

FYI - the tires should wear out much slower at higher tire pressure because you've reduced the size of the contact patch and reduced the amount of sidewall flex with causes less heat to build-up. You'll also get a little better mileage and on smooth roads, better handling.

I haven't had the TPMS light some on yet. My cold tire pressure is at 33.5psi. My dealer had the tires set at 36psi. i have very bumpy roads where I live so I'm trying lower pressure for now. I may expereiment with higher presure later.

Elmojo wrote:I haven't had any trouble with the TPMS, but then again, all my tires are at 40psi anyway. I think the max cold rating on these tires is 42 or 44psi, so I set mine at 40 all around. They'll wear out a bit quicker (yay! I can get some decent tires!) this way, but they won't overheat and blow out. Plus, the handling is a bit crisper, and I don't really notice any added harshness in the ride.

I have no idea if this has any bearing on the TPMS issue, it's just my 2c.

Are you taking a lot of weight with you on the road to compensate for the high tire pressure or you just prefer it that way? Seems a little high for the sub compact car.

Increasing your tire pressure will not make your tires last longer, it will make them wear unevenly. Your center contact patch will be under more pressure, and will wear faster than the inside and outside areas of the contact patch.

So if you're measuring tread by how much you can find ANYWHERE on the tire, true... your tires will last longer. However, legally they won't because legally it's wherever your tread is the shallowest on the tire. Not the deepest.

Increasing tire pressure decreases sidewall flex, which under *DRY* circumstances will improve handling. However, under *WET* circumstances, this will severely pronounce the understeer the car has.

(this is why autocrossers DEFLATE their tires back to stock, or even lower, when they run in the rain)

Overinflating tires reduces the size of the contact patch and can be dangerous. Some people like it that way though. Amazing how people get smarter than the engineers.

Ben

800 Miles and my TPMS light came on. We had a cold front come through and this morning was the coldest morning we'd had since the thing showed up on the lot, then to my house.

Thanks to everyone for help on this issue. Hubby filled up the tires with air to 40, then deflated them back again to the Nissan requirements. The light goes off.

He called the dealership and they said that unless they all have the same rate, the light will pop on.

At any rate, all of you were a great help and saved the 120 round trip miles to the dealership.

Your dealer is wrong and giving you lip service. All my tires were all at 32 psi when the light came on. I started filling each tire to 40 psi. When I got to the 3rd tire the light went out. I had 40 psi in 3 tires and 32 psi in the remaining tire and the light extinguished. This kills the dealership theory.Anyway, my light has remained out for a week after overinflating and then returning to normal pressures.

YMMV

I shouldn't have used the phrase "TPMS light" in a post earlier today... that was a jinx. 1200 miles after the dealer performed the work listed in my first post in this thread, the light came on.. Again.

I wonder if I can simply disable the system...

We all should remember that there are *two kinds* of TPMS warnings.

There's the ordinary warning when low pressure is detected. *AND* there is also the case where the system itself suffers a failure. From page 5-3 of the manual, "When the system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for approximately one minute and then remain continuously illuminated."

If the system itself has failed, running the pressure up to 40 PSI shouldn't make any difference.

Another thing to consider is that the TPMS system requires the vehicle to be *moving* to work properly ("The TPMS will activate only when the vehicleis driven at speeds above 16 MPH"). I suspect the pressure transducers are powered by wheel rotation...kind of clever.

So...if your TPMS light is on, and is *not* indicating the failure mode, run the pressures up, then take the car for a drive.

Ron

I hadn't given much thought to how the transducers get their power...you're probably right. That's the only way the system could be totally wireless.

They're battery powered. Another reason they'll fail eventualy the batteries will die.

Ben

BenDupre wrote:They're battery powered. Another reason they'll fail eventualy the batteries will die.

I like my way better. :-)

Actually, it makes sense...after all, the Intelligent key is a transmitter, too, and its battery is good for two years. If the sensors do have batteries, they probably include centrifugal switches; they turn off when the wheel isn't turning and thus conserve battery power.

Ron

I have gotten stuck working a lot of overtime and have not had a chance to try the inflation trick. Hopefully this afternoon. I don't know about the way the sensors are powered though. I don't believe that rotation powers them or tells them to power down when not moving. If it did, think about it, every time you crank your car, the TPMS would flash and then lock on because there would be no reading from the sensor. That is, unless you crank it and immediately begin moving. What if, in the winter time, you went to warm the car for several minutes and when you came back, the TPMS light would be on. Next guess anybody!!

For what its worth, I have a 2006 Nissan Frontier and the TPSS light came on - and stayed on. I inflated the tires to 35 PSI. Light stayed on. Having read this thread, I inflated the right front tire to 40 PSI. The light went out. Then I set it back to 35 PSI. The light stayed out - at least for now. I notices someone else in this forum had the light go out after inflating the right front tire. Not sure if this is a coincidence or a bug in the system. Have an appointment with the dealer tomorrow so will see what he says. Thanks for the information

Round Two!

On the way in to work today, the TPMS light came on *again*. Again showing the "System Error" mode...flashing for a minute then glowing steadily.

Car has about 2900 miles, light previously reset by the dealer at ~1700.

Ron

anybody have an idea what would happen if you got aftermarket wheels? would the TPMS light stay on forever?

I think the transmitter is in the valve stem. You'd just have to keep your valve stems.

Ben

hmm, i didn't realize that. Wouldn't that make it pretty easy to replace? Hopefully down the line they'll issue a TSB for it, and if it's the actual sensor, it wouldn't take but a day to fix and it'll be under warranty. I guess you have to be kind of specific when installing new wheels, then. Thanks for the heads up