tire pressure monitoring system

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(malibucarl @ Oct 16 2007, 09:49 PM) [snapback]526653[/snapback]</div>

What happened? Tire was low, the light came on, you aired it up, and now the light's still on?

Or did it go flat?

More importantly, did anyone take the tire off of the rim? If the bead was unseated and they didn't remove the sensor or the entire valve stem, there's a decent chance one of the tiny plastic sensors in the valve stem was broken.

Wondering if there's an issue with one of the sensors.

A bit of recent personal experience:

I just had some tire work done and they broke a sensor...but didn't tell me. The mechanic went to Toyota and put a new one in, and tried to reset the system, as you are...and the same thing happened. I saw it; four blinks, and the light would stay on.

He was all, "drive it for a bit, and it'll go out." Uh huh.

Ended up taking it Toyota; they had to reinitialize the system so it would "see" all four sensors...in the process, all my presets (turning off the reverse beeper and seatbelt chimes, etc.) were erased, and the automatic up/down window switch wouldn't do its thing, either...

From now on, I'll be insisting that the sensor comes out before the tire comes off...no exceptions.

The reset service cost took the car out of action for a day, made me late for work, and cost $75.00...which the tire shop has yet to reimburse.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Oct 17 2007, 01:42 PM) [snapback]526959[/snapback]</div>

My son works at a tire store and they have had some experience with these sensors. They are rectangular in shape and can't be removed before removing the tire. He said that what they probably did was had the sensor in the spot where the tool for the tire dismounting machine comes down on the rim. He said that the valve is supposed to be opposite of the tool. Sounds like the tire store did not know what they were doing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(diamondlarry @ Oct 18 2007, 05:47 PM) [snapback]527503[/snapback]</div>

Thank you; I didn't know this.

Yes, as a matter of fact, it *was* the first tire the mechanic dismounted.

It's weird to say, but I already didn't have a really great feeling about the whole scenario. When first I turned the car over to him, I explained that it's keyless and the fob is in the car, so he can just press the power button...

...and he was like, "yeah, yeah, I work on these cars all the time."

But then, two minutes later, he comes back and says, "the key is not in the slot on the dash, and I can not start the car" which was just plain dumb; I walked out there and pressed the power button for him.

And, of course, I also did warn him that the sensor is in the vicinity of the valve stem, but I don't think he even paid attention to me.

It was the "just drive it for a while, and the light will go off" bit that finally made me just want to get out of there before he messed up anything else.

Get this: he said that if I'd wait a bit, he'd try to find his "computer reset tool" and see if he could "..reset the car's computer..." [sic] himself!!

----------------------------------

From now on, I'm going to say, "make sure the blade on the tire dismounting machine stays away from the valve stem, or you'll break the sensor."

Thanks again!
--Pinto

 

I think this is an overall toyota design/system problem.
Our 'other' car is a Matrix and in replacing a gone bad
front tire recently we were attacked by the failure to have
the low tire indicator light go off bad thingee.....

like everyone else we were told to "drive it off" so to say
which has'nt worked. I'm sure the fault is not prius centered
but throughout the toyota line...

just my thoughts

Froley