What to do when your Tire Pressure Warning Light turns on


"Help! My tire pressure light turned on and isn't turning off! What do I do now?"

TPMS is a pro-active solution to tire pressure monitoring and can help prevent flat tires, blowouts, and accidents that may result due to low tire pressure. When your tire pressure warning light comes on, stay calm, exercise caution, and be aware of your surroundings. The most common reason for the TPMS warning light turning on is that one or more of your tires is at least 25% below manufacturer recommended inflation pressure. 

So what's next?

1) Locate a safe place to get off the road so you can check the pressure in each of your tires. Please note: If possible, check your tire pressure when your tires are cold. Checking your tire pressure when your tires are hot can lead to inaccurate readings. Why? The answer is heat expansion. The pressure in a tire increases on hot days and increases after being driven on for a period of time. The flexing of the tire heats up the tire and the air inside of it. Heating a gas (in this case, the air inside the tire) without letting it expand will result in an increase in pressure. 

If you're driving on the highway, firmly hold the steering wheel with both hands, slow down, and proceed to move out of traffic.

2) Use a tire gauge to check the pressure in each tire. Compare the pressure readings to the manufacturers recommend inflation pressure. You can locate the manufacturers recommend inflation pressure on the vehicle placard. This is normally located on the door sill on the drivers side. Many vehicles include a tire gauge as standard equipment within the set of emergency included in your vehicle. If you pull over at a gas station, you can use the tire pressure gauge attached to the air pump machine or ask a worker to assist you.

3) Fill your tires to vehicle specifications. Your local automotive service center can do this for you or you can do it yourself using an air compressor at a nearby gas station. 

4) The tire pressure warning light should turn off moments after inflating your tires to vehicle specifications. 

If your tire pressure warning light does not turn off even if your tires are properly inflated, please contact us at [email protected] or give us a call at (714) 482-3996.