Another TPMS Question

I know there are literally a metric ton of posts and threads on the TPMS systems on this site. I have participated in several, contributed to some, and read most. But, now my TPMS dash light has become inconsistent in operation.

First, my 2010 Tacoma Access Cab came with steel wheels. I bought a set of OR wheels with TPMS off CL not long after I got my truck. I sold my steelies with their TPMS to recover some of my costs, and paid a fair price to my local dealer to reprogram my truck to recognize the new-to-me TPMS that came with the used OR wheels. All worked fine for a couple years.

Then, my TPMS light came on, and stayed on (not flashing)for the duration of my drive. I verified my tire pressures were good, and I understood this to mean a failure in the TPMS system, and since I wasn't exactly sure how old the OR wheels were, I concluded it was likely a dead battery in one of my TPMS sending units. I took the truck to a local tire dealer, who was unable to use his own tool to test each tire for whether the sending unit was actually sending. I planned to get to my local dealer again to have my premise tested.
But days turned into weeks, and before I got to my dealer, the light stopped staying on. It still came on at start-up to verify the system was working, and monitoring. But, it seemed to fix itself.

So, I never took it to the dealer, how can you ask a dealer to diagnose something that isn't happening any longer.

Fast forward another year, and around Thanksgiving, the TPMS light came on, and like the last time, stayed on. Not an indication of low pressure, but I checked that anyway. It seemed even more likely this time that I had a battery failure in one or the other of my TPMS. But with my previous experience, I just drove the truck with the light on for a couple weeks, and lo and behold, it seems to have fixed itself again????

So, my questions:

1. Has anyone had 2nd Gen TPMS sending unit batteries fail? At what age?
2. Has anyone had any luck with Tire Dealer (not Tacoma Dealer) TPMS readers actually working as advertised?
3. Has anyone had their TPMS dash light stay on, indicating a failure, for a couple weeks, then stop indicating?

I'm not looking this gift horse in the mouth. If this issue is a couple weeks every year or so of the TPMS light staying on, then returning to apparent proper function for the rest of the year. I can live with it.

Thanks

 

My TPMS light came on last July and has stayed on since. The truck was just 8 years old. I assume it was just one or more sensor batteries. I figure to leave it alone, and possibly find an easy way to turn off or hide the light. It isn't very difficult to check the tire pressures periodically.

Are you sure the system is working properly when the light is off now?

 

Good question. I assumed because the light was coming on during start, then going off after the start that it was working properly. But, that was an assumption. This evening I let air out of one of my tires to test that it does accurately report a low tire, and it does. Then I aired back up and it accurated detected the tire was back on pressure. So, I believe it is working.

I guess I could have a sensor whose battery is low, but not dead, at least yet.

 

OP, have you check your spare? Remember, your truck has 5 sensors including the spare... If your spare is low, the light is going to be on.

 

My light came on the 1st day the temp went below 30. Checked all tires, spare was kinda low, aired it up, light still stayed on so I just reset the system. If you hold the button in until the light flashes, it will reset, but you have to release the button when it flashes off. If you release when it is on, the light stays on. If the light flashes when driving then yeah your battery is dead in one of them.
Currently my truck is 10 yrs old and at Toyota getting a new frame.

 

There is no TPMS in the spare of 2010 Tacoma. Toyota removed the annoying feature at some point, but before the 2010 model year.