Question about a light on my Instrument Cluster

[yuckmoon]

Okay. I'm afraid I don't know everything about cars, so if this is a silly question, well......... I tried calling my dealer, but got voice mail. I did leave a message but thought I would try here as well.

The light on my Instrument Cluster is the one that says:

Combination low tire pressure/TPMS malfunction telltale

What does that mean? I checked the tire pressure in my tires and they are a bit low, but not enough to make the light go off. I will be stopping by a gas station on the why home from work to make the pressure in my tires perfect. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Lindy

[John_H]

If the pressure goes way low, the light indicates as such. When my light went on, I was at 16psi. When I took it in to service, a loose valve stem was the culprit, but the TPMS sensor fell off in 2 pieces during the service. The drive to the smart dealer had the TPMS light on since the sensor was now very, very bad.

[yuckmoon]

I hope it's just the tires even though I don't really think that's it. They are reading 26 PSI instead of 29 in the front and 30 PIS instead of 35 in the back. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Maybe it's because they are all a little off. If so, what a picky gauge.

[pdboilermaker]

Fill the tire pressure to the max, turn the car on and off a couple of times and the issue should go away

[jwight]

Checking tire inflation pressure electroni-
cally with the Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) is equipped with a combination low tire
pressure/TPMS malfunction telltale in the
instrument cluster ( page 34). Depending on
how the telltale illuminates, it indicates a low
tire pressure condition or a malfunction in the
TPMS system itself:
• If the telltale illuminates continuously,
one or more of your tires is significantly
underinflated. There is no malfunction in
the TPMS.
• If the telltale flashes for 60 seconds and
then stays illuminated, the TPMS system
itself is not operating properly.
- USA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the follow
ing two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful inter
ference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
- Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference,
and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
The TPMS only functions on wheels that are
equipped with the proper electronic sensors.
It monitors the tire inflation pressure in all
four tires. A warning is issued to alert you to
a decrease in pressure in one or more of the
tires.
Warning!
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) does not indicate a warning for
wrongly selected inflation pressures.
Always adjust tire inflation pressure
according to the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard on the driver’s door
B pillar.
The TPMS is not able to issue a warning
due to a sudden dramatic loss of
pressure (e.g. tire blowout caused by a
foreign object). In this case bring the
vehicle to a halt by carefully applying the
brakes and avoiding abrupt steering
maneuvers.

If you inflate the tires to the correct pressure and the light stays on, probably a bad TPMS sensor.

[wrumbarger]

Howdy all

IF you get the Tire Pressure warning light, you should FIRST check your tire pressure.
THEN fill to the proper pressure (see driver's door jam)

IF the light still doesn't go out, then push the RESET button on the dash panel under the radio (looks just like the warning light icon) this will reset the system.

[JPaul]

[CruzinSusan]

Originally Posted by wrumbarger

Howdy all

IF you get the Tire Pressure warning light, you should FIRST check your tire pressure.
THEN fill to the proper pressure (see driver's door jam)

IF the light still doesn't go out, then push the RESET button on the dash panel under the radio (looks just like the warning light icon) this will reset the system.

To further clarify, push and HOLD the RESET button until it starts blinking...then release. Light will go out.

[yuckmoon]

I stopped at a gas station and checked my tires. All of them were about 5 pounds under. I filled them back up and the light is gone.

Thanks every one. I really appreciate your comments.

[Drivenorth]

Yuckmoon,
Welcome to the proudly different world of Smart Cars. I'm surprised that noone else has reminded you, but please allow me to say: it is really important that we all keep track of our tire pressures. Tires are much better than they used to be, but we still should check them at least once a week for two reasons (I'm sure there are a zillion more, but two will do):
1. It doesn't take a big loss of air for our tiny tires to be way too low.
2. The handling and (honestly) the safety that we all love from our Smart Cars is dependent on the correct tire pressure. When the pressure is too low and/or not in the right balance between the front and rear tires, the car can act squirrelly. That is why the dash light tells us if the pressure is too low.
Drive on in fun and safety.