Hey everyone, I've had my 8 since October and now just recently (May) my tire pressure monitering system has been acting up. I keep checking the tires with my gauge and i know there all right (31-32 psi). Now i DO auto-x my car and the tires are just a tad bit on the worn side and i was just wondering if anyone else had this problem or if i should just go straight to the dealership.
If i dont have to go to the dealership, i really dont want to because im afraid its going to be something expensive to replace. so once again anyone else have this problem. Oh yeah and i am running on stock tires.

the funny part is that the warning light will go off if I turn the car off. Weird, oh well I know the tires are properly inflated.

 

Sounds like one of the sensors is dead or dying. Dealer should replace it.

 

Assuming that

1. You checked the tire pressures with the wheels stone cold.
2. You checked the pressure with a different gauge to verify the readings.
3. The wheels and tires have not been messed with.
4. The rims/TPMS sensors are OEM.

try a "wheel unit auto registration" as directed by service bulletin 02-004/04.

"a. turn ignition on.
b. turn ignition off.
c. Leave vehicle with engine off for more than 15 minutes.
c. Drive ... vehicle over 25 KM/h (16 MPH) for more than 10 minutes to register the new ID codes."

This procedure refers to ID registration after swapping wheels from another vehicle or, presumably, installing a new TPMS sensor. It may not help, but it's a simple thing to try. If this fails, have a dealer troubleshoot the problem. If the car is still under warranty, and the problem is not the result of abuse, they will repair under warranty.

 

go48, thanks man i've already tried steps c. and d. kinda by accident. I've checked it with 2 different gauges and they still say the same thing. 31 psi. I just hope they dont call auto-x an abuse to my car.

 

I wouldn't mention the autocross thing, but if they already know about that and they try to deny a warranty repair, do not accept that. Let them know that you will be contacting Mazda customer service for their assistance. Then if they don't change their mind, go ahead and call the 800 number in your owners manual, calmly explain the disagreement and ask them do what they can do to resolve the issue.

BTW, if a TPMS wheel sensor is the problem, they go for about $100 each. Plus labor to install it, of course.

 

if it is "acting up" and goes off when you turn the car off there is a problem with the sensor. what i would expect that you are seeing is that after about 10 minute of driving your TPMS light starts blinking. this indicates that there is a malfunction with one or more of the TPMS, not an issue with low tire pressure. if you need to buy a new one Rosenthal has them for about $70.

 

i had the same problem, turns out one of my tpms sensor has gone bad, bought new TPMS sensor (past warranty) and had it installed at rosenthal arlington, all is well now.

a new TPMS sensor is about 70-ish online IIRC

 

Thanks everyone, I'm getting my TPMS checked soon. If the car is still under warranty then will the repair be free? Oh and its actually been a while since the system has gone off. Makes me wonder...

 

i had one bad sensor...replaced it.....still getting tht damn blinking light..

 

i had one bad sensor...replaced it.....still getting tht damn blinking light..

 

Maybe they didn't do the registration correctly. Do it yourself. See post #3 for instructions.

 

i swapped to my winter tires yesterday and im having the blinking problem. what your saying is to turn it on, then right back off for 15 mins, then drive for 10 mins or so? should i not be worried about flooding?

whats odd is that this is the fourth winter ive put these on, and never had any issues. they are stock wheels, i just have two sets to make for easy swapping. i put them on yesterday morning, drove probably 20 miles and no problems. about halfway home it started blinking. stopped at a gas station, checked manual and pressure and it was fine for another 10 miles or so and then started blinking. it starts blinking around 10 mi into any drive since, and its pretty frustrating to ignore.

im assuming its a bad tpms, is there any way to test them other than just swapping out the wheels one by one? im out of warranty, so a trip to the dealer is out of the question. thanks!

 

Or................he's got another that went bad!
They do operate on batteries and won't last forever.

 

My tires were all at 25psi yesterday with no warning light in the dash. Whats with this?