Tire pressure idiot light always on now

[boxcarbill]

I dropped my rear tire pressure down to 28 psi a few weeks ago and 2 days ago the low tire pressure light came on. I checked the pressures and nothing is below 28 rear, 33 front (I replaced the stock booties with Toyo 205/70/15s). Isn't 28 psi high enough to keep it off? Anyway, I'm not going to over inflate my rear tires just to keep the light from coming on.

[XterraVersa]

Your rears are underinflated for the weight of the car. Pump em up to at least 33.

[boxcarbill]

28 is plenty. I drive solo with no load.

[XterraVersa]

Then you will need to live with the light.

[RetiredTexans]

Check your pressure gauge. Pencil types are notorious for their inaccuracy. I find dial types much more reliable and easier to read. Mine always have the side relief button to bleed off oxcess presssure.

I totally agree with XterraVersa. My V is almost two years old and the only time the light has come on; I found at least one tire had pressure below 29 pounds. I run 33 - 35 pounds as this range has a big impact on MPG (currently 30.7 MPG driving in town since 1/1/2008, 32 - 33 MPG without A/C).

[srellim234]

My light kept coming on at 28 when I had a slow leak; I didn't realize it until I filled the tire a couple of times.

The govenment regulation calls for the TPMS to alert the driver at 25% low. Many car manufacturers (including Nissan, apparently) have set them at about 15%. Since the Versa calls for tire pressure of 33 psi it makes sense that the TPMS light would go on in the neighborhood of 27-28 psi.

Why would you want to run less when that leads to a loss of mpg and higher tire wear?

[boxcarbill]

Why would you want to run less when that leads to a loss of mpg and higher tire wear?

The correct air pressure in a tire is directly related to the weight upon it. The rear tires on my unloaded 1 occupant (170 lbs) hatch is quite light compared to the load on the front (engine, transmission, etc).

They tell you 33 pounds for the rear to cover the full load rating.Too much pressure and the center of the tire wears more than the edges, too little pressure causes the opposite. The little bulge on a radial tire should be similar all around the car. If there is no bulge at all on the rear tires you've got too much air.

[Jemdawg]

You are right, sir. This will also provide you with much more traction.

[marleyfan]

The tire pressure sensors are designed to tell you when your tire pressure is too low. Dude....your pressure is too low. If you're not going to heed the warning then don't blame the sensors. If Nissan felt the front and rear tires should have different pressures they would have put that on the door sticker even for the stock tires.

[boxcarbill]

The tire pressure sensors are designed to tell you when your tire pressure is too low. Dude....your pressure is too low. If you're not going to heed the warning then don't blame the sensors. If Nissan felt the front and rear tires should have different pressures they would have put that on the door sticker even for the stock tires.

Beg to differ, but I worked for a Goodyear tire dealer. I saw all the problems and misconceptions concerning tires. Like I said I replaced the stock tires with Toyo 205/70/15's which are rated to carry a considerably heavier load, thus allowing for a bit less pressure.

[scar]

205/70/15 is almost 150 rev. per mile more than stock, how bad does that screw up your speedo.

I do agree with you on the psi based on load though. I do that with the tires on all three of my trucks. You can get a good idea on how much air to run by going to a flat parking lot and make a line across your tires with chalk and driving straight a few feet and see where the chalk is wore off. Off in the middle, let some out. Off on edges, put more in.

All that said, I do run 40 psi all around in the stock tires of the 180 V car with no weird wear.

[marleyfan]

Beg to differ, but I worked for a Goodyear tire dealer. I saw all the problems and misconceptions concerning tires. Like I said I replaced the stock tires with Toyo 205/70/15's which are rated to carry a considerably heavier load, thus allowing for a bit less pressure.

If you worked for a tire dealer and are so knowledgeable about all things tires then why did you come on this forum asking that question in the first place? Not trying to be an a-hole but it seems to me that you should already know the answer.

[VersaMG08]

Mine came on this morning when I drove to school. On thursday, it was almost 90 F outside. It only reached 58 F outside today. It's suppose to be about 61 F on Saturday with rain all day. Probably a rapid change in temp in a short period of time made the light come on.

I put some more air in my tires today and the light went off, yay!

[luv2bdriving]

A couple of firsts here -- my first time on the Versa Forum and my first time posting on any forum, so please be patient with me if I mess up the post.

My new (three weeks old yesterday) Versa is having the problem with the tire pressure indicator light that you all have mentioned here. Somewhere after its 900th mile, the light came on and has been coming on and off regularly ever since. At first I thought it was heat related because it first started after approximately five hours of straight driving, but it even does it sometimes upon start up now.

Although I am in the midst of traveling, I took it to a Nissan dealership and they said the air pressure was fine in all the tires and that they suspect it is a sensor in the right rear tire, which I will have checked when I return home next week. Reading all of your posts suggests that this is a common problem with our model of car, and my only question right now is: Is it fairly easy to disconnect these sensors? They light flashing and staying on so much is bugging me on this brand new car and if it is a constant issue, I would rather not use the sensors.

Would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this.

Thanks!

[boxcarbill]

If you worked for a tire dealer and are so knowledgeable about all things tires then why did you come on this forum asking that question in the first place? Not trying to be an a-hole but it seems to me that you should already know the answer.

It is by continuous human contact and interchange that one becomes wise in the first place.

[boxcarbill]

205/70/15 is almost 150 rev. per mile more than stock, how bad does that screw up your speedo.

I do agree with you on the psi based on load though. I do that with the tires on all three of my trucks. You can get a good idea on how much air to run by going to a flat parking lot and make a line across your tires with chalk and driving straight a few feet and see where the chalk is wore off. Off in the middle, let some out. Off on edges, put more in.

All that said, I do run 40 psi all around in the stock tires of the 180 V car with no weird wear.

According to my calculations I'm getting 8% less revs with the 205's. The tire size change is an attempt to get some more overdrive out of the grossly inadequate 6 sp transmission.

[boxcarbill]

They should replace the bad sensor, freeby.

[alonsorules8]

luv2bdriving you can remove the tire pressure sensors out of your tires but the light on the dash will remain on and there is no way to get it turned off unless you replace the bad sensor in one of your tires.

It is federal regulation in all 50 states that all vehicles sold after July 2008 must have a tire monitoring system. If the state you live in requires yearly inspection your vehicle will not pass with the tire pressure light on.

since you have a brand new vehicle Nissan will replace the sensor under warranty and clear the TPS light on your dash.

[luv2bdriving]

Thank you for the information. I'm hoping that a replacement by my local dealership will end the problem, but it helps to know that I can't just eliminate the sensors and fix the idiot light problem.

This is my third Nissan car and I love their products for numerous reasons, but an idiot light on the dash board before my new car's first thousand miles has been more than a little frustrating!

I'll have it back to the dealer for repair as soon as I'm back home.

Thanks, again!

[marleyfan]

According to my calculations I'm getting 8% less revs with the 205's. The tire size change is an attempt to get some more overdrive out of the grossly inadequate 6 sp transmission.

Yup you're right. When your speedo reads 60mph you're actually going 64.5mph. You may want to keep an eye open for the black and whites.

[boxcarbill]

The fuzz will usually give you 10% over the limit anyway.My previous car was a Toyota that had the stock 155/80/13 tires on the front replaced with 205/75/14's so I'm used to knowing how much the speedo is off.

[vincent_18]

I had this problem a long time ago. It was a seal in the TPMS. Apparently when the seal goes it will bring the indicator light for your TPMS. They will warranty that item, just let them know. LOL! Easy fix...$1.50 for a seal...LOL!

[Versa Madness]

A well placed piece of 3/4" square electrical tape does a clean job of blocking the TPMS indicator light.

It worked for me!

[boxcarbill]

That wouldn't work for me. I'd keep lifting it up to see if the light was still on.

[srellim234]

Just a thought or two from someone who really doesn't know but is grasping for ideas......

Is there a possibility that the sensors and/or receiver could be replaced with sensors/receivers from another Nissan to fit your pressure range?

Could someone in the computer part of this forum help you reprogram your system?

Have you tried contacting Nissan about this? I'm wondering if they have considered this situation considering the amount of aftermarket stuff they have done in the past on other cars. My guess is that customer service couldn't help you but perhaps someone who races or shows their Nissan can, And I wouldn't limit myself to only asking Versa owners. Maybe even someone involved with Honda aftermarket could help.

[rwanttaja]

It is federal regulation in all 50 states that all vehicles sold after July 2008 must have a tire monitoring system. If the state you live in requires yearly inspection your vehicle will not pass with the tire pressure light on.

since you have a brand new vehicle Nissan will replace the sensor under warranty and clear the TPS light on your dash.

The thing that has me worried...after three TPMS failures in 18,000 miles...is whether this will continue BEYOND my warranty period. It's one thing to take the time to haul the car down to the dealership for a free reset, it's another if they charge me $50 every time they "fix" the faulty system.

As a federally-mandated safety system, the Government is quite interested in its reliability. For example, note that the emissions controls on cars gets a five-year warranty, regardless of the rest of the car...that's a Government requirement.

If you have a TPMS failure (an actual failure of the system that requires a dealer visit instead of just more air in a tire), go to this site and report it:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

If the NHTSA gets enough reports, they'll require Nissan to develop a fix and recall the cars for permanent repair.

Ron

[RetiredTexans]

Contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an outstanding suggestion.

Years ago, I received an arbitration settlement over a faulty Oldsmobile transmission after calling NHTSA and receiving feedback on how to present my arguement that the design and manufacturing was faulty. It couldn't handle the engine torque, casting porosity problems, and mis-matched oil lines drilled in the case. It was the last GM product we bought.

Basically, it involved researching filed complaints with the government illustrated with the manufacture's internal technical services bulletins supplied to their dealers. My file taken to the arbiter was about six to eight inches thick. Long story short, GM paid for the AT repairs to a 120,000+ mile transmission. I kept good records as the transmission was rebuild three times within 30,000 miles.