What Your TPMS Light Means And What To Do About It – SlashGear

The first step in troubleshooting the cause of a TPMS warning is to measure the air pressure in all of the vehicle’s tires to determine which particular tire is or tires are low on air. The correct tire pressure can be found in the car’s owner manual or more conveniently, on a sticker in the driver’s door jamb area. Don’t use the figure from the sidewall of the tire itself, because that’s the maximum pressure rating for the tire, which may not be appropriate for all vehicles.

Once the offending tire has been identified, it can be refilled to proper pressure using a small portable air compressor or the air dispensing machines found at most gas stations.

If a tire’s pressure is radically lower than the recommended pressure or the same tire repeatedly trips the TPMS light even after being filled, you might have a puncture or a leaking valve stem. Depending on the size and location of the leak, a tire store will most often be able to repair the tire. But in some cases, the tire may need to be replaced. 

However, very cold temperatures can also trigger the TPMS warning light. It’s said that for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit in outside air temperature, tire pressure will adjust by 1 psi. So tires filled to 30 psi at 80 degrees will read 25 psi at 30 degrees. The best prevention for this scenario is to check and fill the tires when temperatures begin to drop for the season, perhaps even very slightly overfilling to compensate for colder temperatures to come, but not by a lot.