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Gen 4 TPMS Is it useless?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by MrLightRail, Jan 14, 2023.

  1. MrLightRail

    MrLightRail Junior Member

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    This is my 3rd Prii, and the TPMS system is frustrating!!! I get a low tire alarm, but it doesn't show WHICH tire is low. Am I not doing things right, not finding the screen that shows TP? Otherwise, this just a frigging useless idiot light.
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Book Cover Judge

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    Take a tire gauge, check the four tire pressures? That'll take what, 5 minutes? Or first, walk around the car, do any look low?

    There is a good thread for this stuff:

    Just need to vent... | PriusChat
     
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  3. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    It will not tell you which tire is low, so you'll have to use Mendel's method. Useless is in the eye of the beholder...

    My 2022 Venza shows the individual tire pressures, but I end up checking all four (plus the spare) with a tire gauge anyway...
     
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  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I don't see how this Gen 4 issue is any different than Gen 3 and Gen 2. They all work the same way, one overall idiot light without any indicator of which is low.

    Everyone ought to have a tire pressure gauge in the car, TPMS or not. Then finding the low tire -- or finding that all the pressures are fine, it is just a dead sensor battery -- is trivial.
     
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Take a deep breath.......
    It is not useless.
    It WILL tell you when at least one tire has low pressure.
    That is way more useful than having no warning at all.
     
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  6. Doug McC

    Doug McC Senior Member

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    You can see the individual tire pressures in the Toyota App (but I would still monitor them with a pressure gauge). The monitoring system is designed as an alert system.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    or connect an obd reader
     
  8. MrLightRail

    MrLightRail Junior Member

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    It's just an idiot light....Other Toyotas show individual tires. WTH is it with them cheaping out on the Prius?
     
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  9. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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    Yeah, the amount of peripheral cheapness Toyota went to for the 2019's is ridiculous. I have a center screen, but it's really only good for the backup camera. TPMS that my 2015 Ram had individual tires? Nope on a 2019 Toyota.
     
  10. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    No individual tire pressures on the Toyota App I have.
    There’s no way to monitor tire pressure.
    Or, do I need Toyota App training?
     
  11. Doug McC

    Doug McC Senior Member

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    With the Toyota App I have found It does whatever it wants. There are features Toyota keeps swearing I have, but don’t.
     
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  12. Fubar XIII

    Fubar XIII Member

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    In my experience - 1st with TPMS - it works fine once you've lost 8-10 PSI. That won't be enough to visually detect. Tire pressure gage to find the offending donut then get it fixed immediately (assuming you don't need to top off just to get it there).
     
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  13. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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    Same with mine.

    On top of a full-sized spare that I'd rather never have to use, I now carry a plug kit. The archaic Toyota TPMS that doesn't show individual pressures on a 2019 when that was an easy feature on a 2015 American car at least notified me in time to plug two screws about two months apart from one-another - that and the plug kit saved my day each time.
     
  14. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Yep, my Toyota App in my iPhone, when I set it up (2021), would show all 4 tire pressures. But they did an "update" and doesn't show that anymore. So I just deleted the stupid thing....great job (NOT) Toyota!!
     
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  15. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Most of us used Techstream in the past to see each tire, or OBD reader, and then I bought a TPMS reader is what I use now.
    Not sure if Techstream still works re: newer models including my RAV4HV, which also does not give you each tire unless you have a upper level trim you get that as an premium extra...sheesh.