Interesting TPMS issues

This started back in the summer where the TPMS screen would flat line on all 4 sensors. No errors on the dash. Eventually all sensors would report again.

The symptoms have now changed. All the sensors now report.....until about 20 or so minutes into a drive cycle and then the TPMS light starts blinking and then goes solid. Again all 4 sensors flat line. In the morning this starts all over again.

I set the pressures to 29 pounds on all 4 wheels with an accurate air gauge. I also went through the procedure using the button to set the base line for the pressure at 29 pounds. 29 pounds works good for me as I don't haul anything heavy. Tire wear is excellent and even.

I'm thinking that this is a receiver issue for the moment. Either the unit itself or the antenna. Everything is stock on this truck no mods from the exterior to the interior and I can't see any sign of water infiltration.

The only work done in the area was the brake light recall. There were no issues immediately after that recall. This only just started. I've cleared all the codes in the truck and now I'm waiting to have it happen again so that I can rescan. Which should be today as I have to go out.

Does the receiver store the sensor id's or does it just pass along information to some other computer? I did have an issue a few weeks back where it didn't detect the fob but I did replace the battery in it and I haven't that occur again.

 

I've had trouble in both my Tacoma and another TPMS equipped car due to a electrically noisy cigarette plug charging adapter. If you have anything non-stock connected to your electrical system, try removing it as a test.

 

Is anything mounted to the roof with a magnet?

 

Nothing mounted magnetically to the body anywhere. The only charging adapter I use is the wireless charging pad in the front.

 

It sounds like one of your sensors is starting to fail. Either it's battery or the sensor itself. When the sensor stops transmitting the TPMS light on the dash blinks and all 4 of the sensors display ----.
I just went through the same scenario and had to replace the faulty sensor. Afterwards the system failed working for about 1 mile and then restarted. Over 800 miles since then.

 

You know, that could be it! One of the codes I saw before I cleared it was indicating a sensor. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I'll be damned. It does seem strange that all the sensors would show flatlines, though. At any rate, It's due for the 110k service so I'll get them to replace it when I get that done. Thank you!

 

110K on your sensors. That's pretty good. Unfortunately if one sensor fails the whole TPM System crashes. My sensor died at around 82K and from what I've read some folks started to lose them at 50-60 K miles. Now mine died when the new tires were being put on so maybe it was winged during the mounting process. The shop said No and I didn't see the old one. I was pretty pissed off but after reading posts on TW and elsewhere I learned the sensors were a replaced part after 5-6 years and not a permanent part. I'm just waiting for the other 3 to start dying off.

You may want to have the sensors checked by a tire store like Big-O or similar instead of a Toyota stealership. My replacement sensor was only $45 at NAPA. I've seen some posts complaining that a dealer charged over $500 to test the system and replace the sensor(s). The handheld sensor tester is a common tool at most tire stores and they can tell you which sensors have failed.

 

29 PSI is about the minimum pressure. If you're tires are inflated to 29 PSI you're probably at 25 PSI or less after a cool night until you start driving, or as the day warms up.

Sensors typically last 7-10 years, miles has nothing to do with it. A 2016 should still have good sensors for a few more years. The ones in my 2007 were still working as of last March and well over 200,000 miles.

That was over 14 years. While rare, it does happen. I ordered new sensors from Amazon @ $20 each and had them installed almost a year ago when I bought new tires. I knew they would never outlast another set of tires and there was no extra charge to install or program them while new tires were being installed

 

29 is the recommended pressure on the door and after driving a few miles it goes up to 32 as the tires warm up. I do check tire pressure regularly with a very accurate gauge. This truck doesn't carry heavy loads at all. It rides well at that pressure. If I do carry a heavy load I bump it up to 32 or even 35. I'm a bit disappointed in a sensor battery or the sensor itself going bad but 6 years on it isn't too bad. My Kawi Concours 14 had tire sensors just about bad out of the gate. However, with those you could at least replace the battery.

What did you do to get the new sensor registered? Did you get Toyota to do it?

In looking at odb2 diagnostic tools, I see that Carista has an option (paid of course) to relearn the sensors. The first month is free for all paid diagnostic options. I have Bluedriver but I don't think that will register a new sensor.

 

You are right. My wife’s 2007 4Runner still have the original sensor. Never changed the batteries either . Still works perfect

 

Good info, I have a set ',19 SR steel wheels old style tpms sensors, my 21 has rubberstemed sensor, my 21 didn't read them at first. Took it in for bad speaker to have it looked at no light on even though I said it wasn't reading them the truck picked up the sensors in the garage from the summer tires. The winter steel rims it couldn't read . Fast forward brought it back for the speaker that came in with the light still off but with the dash showing the lines . Tech said couldn't get "aftermarket" genuine Toyota sensors to pair with truck , boom drive away and they read. So my guess is dying sensors or needs repairing.

 

Well as it was doing this every day for the past several days, I decided to keep the sensor readout up on the dash so that possibly I could see which one was winking out before they all went flatline. I've discovered that if you have the sensor readout up on the dash, they don't fail. Went nearly two hundred miles there and back and no failures at all. Very cheap fix. All you have to do is watch them. LOL. I've got another sensor coming and will try that Carista app and odb2 plug in once they fail again, which they will.