TPMS Fault Issues

[trjc3rd]

Hi All,

Has anybody else has or ever had issues with the TPMS going off for no reason. I'll be driving and the TPMS light will start flashing then stay on. I'll pull over, stop, turn off the engine, and proceed to check the tire pressure. All four tires read the air pressure perfectly fine. I'll get in and start the engine and the light is no longer on. I've taken it to the auto shop to have the sensors checked, they are all programed correctly with the batteries fully charged. I haven't taken it while the light is on because when ever I turn the truck off the light goes off. The tech said I need to bring it in when the light is on. Problem with that is, I never know exactly when the light will go off. Plus, turning the ignition off makes the light go off even when restarted right away. I don't want to say screw it and turn the engine off every time the light goes off. What if the one time I do that the tire pressure is for real is low and I blow it off, that's a dangerous game to play. I should mention it's a 2007 Expedition EL Eddie Bauer. If anyone has dealt with this or something similar can you say how you fixed it. It's so frustrating. I'm at the point of changing them all but with my luck it'll be something else causing the problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated as well. Thanks all.

 

[sjwelds]

Question. Do you have a cheap phone charger plugged in to the power ports in the vehicle?

 

[trjc3rd]

Nope, all of the power ports haven’t anything plugged into them.

 

[partytyme]

if the tpms is stock i would bet the batterys are going bad i have a 2012 that started doing this too i used FOEScan and turned the warning off for now

 

[mr_dave]

Most likely low battery(s). If so, you will have to replace the sensor unit itself and re-balance the wheel. I've been using Autel's scanner and MX sensors for years on multiple vehicles with great results.

TPMS options

Hey my Expy fam… I recently purchased a set of Michelin’s for my 07. (275/55R20). I’m gonna have them mounted and balanced, however I’m realizing I should prob replace my TPMS’s in each wheel. Discount tire has them for $40 a pop. Which prob ain’t bad, but is that the cheapest option out...

www.expeditionforum.com

 

[trjc3rd]

I had the TPMS all changed when I purchased new tires around a year ago so I doubt it’s the battery. Plus when they scanned them they all came back with plenty of battery life in them. Of course, they scanned them when the light was off. But would that make a difference? I think there’s a short somewhere but with the light going off indiscriminately there’s no way to know for sure. And yes, I took it back to the shop that installed them when they replaced the tires. They’re under warranty so it won’t cost them a thing. Therefore no reason to lie about a bad one being good. If I could I would replace them all myself.

 

[Gary Waugh]

I have a 2008 and the TPMS regularly givs a TPMS error message. I assumed it was the batteries in the wheels that where bad, so I had all 4 replaced with genuine motorcraft parts, but the issue still happens, the ford tech told me he thinks it's a problem with the central receiver unit (as the message window states TPMS error, not flat tyre) but the central receiver is built into the main fuse panel and cannot be changed, you have to replace the entire fuse panel and that part is no longer available (and its very expensive), so I now just live with the random error message.. Was annoyed, but have to remember the car is 15 years old and it's the only thing wrong, so really not that big of an issue.

 

[trjc3rd]

Thanks Gary. At least someone shares my frustration, knows what I'm talking about, and thinks that I'm not crazy. I figured whatever that was causing it wasn't going to be cheap to fix. It is what it is and I'll just have to deal with it. Scares me to some degree that I'll get so complacent with it going off sporadically that I'll no longer care. I just know that one of those false errors is going to be a real warning one day and I'm going to ignore it putting myself and family in danger. Ah, the things that keep me up at night. You can add one more to the list.

 

[Gary Waugh]

I had those same worries, but in 15 years of owning my car, I only ever had 1 puncture and have just got used to the random warnings, so now sleep easy, but it is a shame that I can’t rely on it to tell me if I do get a leaking tyre..

 

[Modelcarguy]

The stock band type (around the rim near the hub.) TPMS units suck. Same issues with my 08, on multiple occasions. So when the time came for new tires (Costco) they replaced the band units with stem type monitors and I have had zero issues in the last four years.

 

[Johnathan M]

There was a time when the TPMS system didn't exist, and people would just look at their tires to see if they were low, or check the pressure with a gauge. I turned off the TPMS system in my expedition with Forscan, because it was giving an error message. I just keep an eye on my tires and check the pressure every now and then. No big deal.

 

[purevw]

I had the TPMS all changed when I purchased new tires around a year ago so I doubt it’s the battery. Plus when they scanned them they all came back with plenty of battery life in them. Of course, they scanned them when the light was off. But would that make a difference? I think there’s a short somewhere but with the light going off indiscriminately there’s no way to know for sure. And yes, I took it back to the shop that installed them when they replaced the tires. They’re under warranty so it won’t cost them a thing. Therefore no reason to lie about a bad one being good. If I could I would replace them all myself.

Are you sure that they didn't change wheel positions during the tire change? I had mine changed and they pulled all 4 at once and they got mixed as far as position is concerned. Not sure if that could trip a light, but it sure gave me incorrect information on which tire was low. I spent $20 for a TPMS tool to reset everything. What was bad is that I specifically asked if they would make sure that right rear ended back at right rear (and so on) after the change. I dislike big chain tire stores.

 

[callwill]

There was a time when the TPMS system didn't exist, and people would just look at their tires to see if they were low, or check the pressure with a gauge. I turned off the TPMS system in my expedition with Forscan, because it was giving an error message. I just keep an eye on my tires and check the pressure every now and then. No big deal.

I will say you are right...with a big but...Was on a trip with a buddy of mine, rolling down the highway after leaving baltimore when the TPMS in my buick reported low pressure in one tire , and that another...both on the same side of the car. Had my buddy search for auto services at upcoming exits. Got off and found a place. Nails in both tires. Went flat waiting and were able to be repaired. Did not have to wait for towing...did not have to replace tires. Godsend!

 

[Orlando Gotay]

My 2011 Exp. will sometimes (but always at night) throw in a random fault TPMS code. This is different from low air pressure codes which work as advertised.

I have replaced some, but not all the TPMS sensors over time. As our friend suggested, my fault code resets whenever I restart the engine.

I suspect that this "no communications" code is a function of two things: some type of interference, plus a low voltage in one (or two) sensors.


Does anyone know if Forscan can display individual TPMS data?

 

[Gary Waugh]

Just FYI, I replaced my original Expedition wheels (they had plastic covers and all the chrome was peeling off, so they looked a real mess), with a set of F150 alloy wheels, I had to replace the TPMS units as the F150 wheels were more recent and the tpms was not compatible with my expedition, I bought a set of stem mounted tpms units from amazon, and in over a year I have not had a single false or error message from the TPMS system!! As I had used original motorcraft parts i didn’t expect any issues, but the band mounted systems do seem a bit error prone based on my experience. Anyone with the old band system that is getting random TPMS error messages might want to try changing them for stem mounted units, you might get lucky like me and fix the issue!!

 

[callwill]

My 2011 Exp. will sometimes (but always at night) throw in a random fault TPMS code. This is different from low air pressure codes which work as advertised.

I have replaced some, but not all the TPMS sensors over time. As our friend suggested, my fault code resets whenever I restart the engine.

I suspect that this "no communications" code is a function of two things: some type of interference, plus a low voltage in one (or two) sensors.


Does anyone know if Forscan can display individual TPMS data?

I think a fault message can also be reported if a tire has a significant differential from the others or its pressure is over its limit. I sensors i bought 6mos ago and installed 3 mos ago as one of the old ones was dead. Recently, 4+ hours into a 6 hr trip i got a fault message (this is why i would prefer a system that reports individual tire pressures). I had added air before my trip and took a gauge with me. Checked the tires and one was a bit higher than the others. Took some air out and went on my way. No report of fault after that, nor on the return trip, nor in the week+ following.

 

[Orlando Gotay]

Good to know excess pressure may trigger faults!
My fault message says that the sensor is not responding. An intermittent lack of comms makes me think it's either interference, low battery voltage or both.

 

[Trainmaster]

You have a bad battery in one of the units, or the replacements are simply cheap garbage. Lots of $8 replacement junk out there that last for a year.