TPMS won't reset after changing from winter to summer wheels

[jbaugh]

I have a 2017 Lexus RX350.  I bought a second set of rims and tires (from Discount Tires) for Winter driving. The first time I switched from the factory wheels to the Winter wheels the TPMS did not show a reading for the tires.  I tried to follow the user manual to reset the TPMS by navigating to the  Settings item and following the instructions.  I held down the center button until the TPMS icon blinked 3 times.  The monitor indicated that calibration was in progress.  Finally I took it to my Lexus dealer an hour's drive away for other servicing.  I asked them to reset the TPMS which they did.  They were going to charge me $70 or $80 to do this.  But as a gesture they did it for free.  Now I've just switched my wheels back to the stock summer wheels.  Same problem again.  Can't get TPMS to show any values for the tires.  Going through the calibration system in the owner's manual results in nothing.  Any ideas?  Am I going to have to have the Lexus dealer fix this each time I switch wheels at an exorbitant charge?

John

[Les Lex 2018]

I’ve always successfully contended with other manufacturers that if something does not work per the OM, then it is a warrantee problem, not some magic adjustment they can charge your for.  Ask the dealer to call Lexus for a workaround for an OM that keeps you from a simple reset.  If you are using genuine Lexus parts in all your tires, then tell them you want the corrections to the manual that should put you back in the loop and them out of the loop permanently.

[1990LS400]

On 5/10/2018 at 5:55 PM, Les Lex 2018 said:

I’ve always successfully contended with other manufacturers that if something does not work per the OM, then it is a warrantee problem, not some magic adjustment they can charge your for.  Ask the dealer to call Lexus for a workaround for an OM that keeps you from a simple reset.  If you are using genuine Lexus parts in all your tires, then tell them you want the corrections to the manual that should put you back in the loop and them out of the loop permanently.

If the OP bought a winter wheel/tire package from Discount Tires, the package likely came with aftermarket TPMS already mounted.

But regardless of the sensors being aftermarket, here is what the 2017 RX350 owners manual says:

"The tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is equipped with a unique ID code. When replacing a tire pressure warning valve and transmitter, it is necessary to register the ID code. Have the ID code registered by your Lexus dealer."

Based on the above quoted text, it appears that the TPMS system used on the 2017 RX350 is not the more sophisticated type that senses the ID codes for whatever sensors are currently mounted on the vehicle.  According to information on page 591 of the owners manual, holding down the button the OP mentioned until the icon blinks three times merely resets the system after tire pressures have been adjusted and determines how information from registered sensors will be displayed.  The action does not "register" the sensors in the ECU.

There are a number of available tools that a vehicle owner can use to register (i.e. upload) TPMS ID's in a vehicle ECU.  I use the popular ATEQ Quickset programming tool - price was down to around $100 last time I checked.  After programming a Quickset with a vehicle's TPMS ID's, upload of the ID's to the vehicle ECU is instantaneous after plugging it into the vehicle diagnostic port and pressing the appropriate Winter (Snowflake) or Summer (Sun) button on it. 

$70 to $80 to register TPMS ID's is a pretty good deal.  Most dealerships where I live charge more.

 

 

[Les Lex 2018]

Great information, Jim.  I have upgraded to better wheels a bunch of times being a wheel geek. But Iv’e always saught out and purchases Toyota take-offs that already had the right Sender units.  So I do see the trouble one can get into with aftermarket stuff.  Online eBay has been a fantastic source for backup and take-off wheels that still have the TPMS devices still installed and they always worked well.

I am not without fault either - I purchased my first set of wheels that were not designed for the Toyota Vibe but had a slap-on yoke conversion kit to make it fit. When I discovered this, I knew I was in trouble. NEVER EVER able to balance any of the tires/wheels on the car.  STUPID them - STUPID Me. 

[1990LS400]

1 hour ago, Les Lex 2018 said:

Great information, Jim.  I have upgraded to better wheels a bunch of times being a wheel geek. But Iv’e always saught out and purchases Toyota take-offs that already had the right Sender units.  So I do see the trouble one can get into with aftermarket stuff.  Online eBay has been a fantastic source for backup and take-off wheels that still have the TPMS devices still installed and they always worked well.

I am not without fault either - I purchased my first set of wheels that were not designed for the Toyota Vibe but had a slap-on yoke conversion kit to make it fit. When I discovered this, I knew I was in trouble. NEVER EVER able to balance any of the tires/wheels on the car.  STUPID them - STUPID Me. 

I didn't mean to imply that aftermarket TPMS wheel units were necessarily bad - only that it must be verified that they are compatible with the vehicle system and that a car dealer should not be expected to make aftermarket sensors function properly.  I didn't buy any of the TPMS modules for the winter wheels we use on our current Toyota vehicles from a Toyota dealer although at least one set is the same brand that is factory installed on many Toyota and Lexus models.  But then I'm never going to ask a car dealer or anybody else to do the programming.

Ah, yes ... the Toyota Matrix \ Pontiac Vibe.  I distinctly remember renting a Vibe at the Albany NY airport in the mid-2000's.  Funny, I remember that trip because I didn't realize that the office I was visiting and the hotel I was staying at were within a mile of the airport.  I doubt that I drove the Vibe even 5 miles over several days before I returned it.

It's only OEM wheels for me.  I bought Mille Miglia wheels from Tire Rack to use with winter tires on my last Lexus and found that they were no longer available when I curbed one a few years later and wanted a replacement.  And the steel wheels I bought for a currently owned Prius v have been a complete PITA requiring different lug nuts and ill fitting wheel covers - I should have bought OEM alloys for it.

[Les Lex 2018]

That was wild!  You knew the the Toyota Vibe is AKA for a Pontiac Matrix, AKA Pontiac Vibe, etc.

Ah, Fremont, California = Toyota’s attempt to teach GM how to build good cars.

It didn’t work!  Pontiac is just a memory like Saturn and Olds.

I really do hate TPMS.  Every year on two cars, got to pull out the spare to add air, because the air valve is face down on the spare, and needs air to keep from tripping the warning. Great Idea - Super PITA!  What ever happened to “Set it and forget it”?

[quidmaker]

I have a 2018 rx 450h and regularly change my wheels/tires as per summer/winter season. once the recalibration message ends, you have to drive for 30 minutes before the tire pressure is displayed.

 

 

[Maxrpm]

"Greetings", I'm wondering if any SC430 owners have had difficulty resetting their TSMP light after replacing the tire sensors. Discount tire replaced my (2002) 4 sensors with OEM equivalents and I found a tech with the Toyota software to register the new ID's on the cpu. However, I can't get the warning light to turn off. I've tried disconnecting the battery and holding down the glove box button for 2/tire sets and failed to turn off the light. I saw a U-tube equipment seller mentioning that Toyota/Lexus can need the 'unlock' feature on their equipment to allow registering the new ID's in the system. My tech said he's never heard of such a need and he's done many resets. I'm hoping to find a not well known nuance for the original SC series that could be the missing link. Thanks for any thoughts on the subject.

Max

[1990LS400]

1 hour ago, Maxrpm said:

"Greetings", I'm wondering if any SC430 owners have had difficulty resetting their TSMP light after replacing the tire sensors. Discount tire replaced my (2002) 4 sensors with OEM equivalents and I found a tech with the Toyota software to register the new ID's on the cpu. However, I can't get the warning light to turn off. I've tried disconnecting the battery and holding down the glove box button for 2/tire sets and failed to turn off the light. I saw a U-tube equipment seller mentioning that Toyota/Lexus can need the 'unlock' feature on their equipment to allow registering the new ID's in the system. My tech said he's never heard of such a need and he's done many resets. I'm hoping to find a not well known nuance for the original SC series that could be the missing link. Thanks for any thoughts on the subject.

Max

I've never had an SC430 but I'm pretty familiar with how TPMS works since I do the programming myself on our vehicles.

Based on what I read in the 2002 SC430 owners manual, it looks like the TPMS button in the glove compartment does not function like the ones on most other vehicles manufactured by Toyota.   I don't see anything in the manual about holding down the button to reset the TPMS system like is done on most vehicles.  The SC430 button is a 2-position switch for the purpose of selecting between two sets of wheels/tire.  When the button is in it's outer position, the "main" wheel/tire is selected, e.g. for the summer wheel/tire set.  When the button is in it's inner position, the "2nd" wheel/tire set is selected, e.g. for a winter wheel/tire set.

Not many TPMS systems can store two sets of four TPMS codes.  The "tech with the Toyota software" may have never dealt with a system like your SC430 has and may not have correctly uploaded the new codes to the correct "Main" or "2nd" memory locations in the the vehicle ECU.  Can you ask the tech, which ECU memory - Main or 2nd - he uploaded the ID's to?  If his response is a blank stare, you might want to find another tech.

Is it possible that the switch isn't set to the correct position?  If you have only one set of wheels/tires, then the sensor ID's should have been uploaded to the "Main" memory location in the vehicle ECU.  I would think that the tech who uploaded them would have asked you which ECU memory location you wanted the ID's uploaded to.  Try setting the TPMS switch to the outer "Main" position and drive a while to see if the warning light goes out.   How long it takes for the warning light to go out is variable.  The warning lights on our vehicles extinguish after driving only a block or two but it can take driving a few miles on some vehicles.  Of course, first verify that the tire pressures are set correctly.  The TPMS warning light is triggered by tire pressures falling below a minimum pressure setting stored in the vehicle ECU.

If that doesn't work, verify that the brand and model of TPMS sensors you bought really are compatible with your SC430.  Did you get a list of the four sensor ID's when you bought them?  If you have the boxes they came in, the sensor ID's are sometimes written on the boxes.  If you don't have the sensor ID's, a technician will have to "ping" the sensors by holding an appropriate electronic tool by each wheel to retrieve them.

If all else fails, you may have to visit a Lexus dealership.

Also, here is a link to the 2002 SC430 owners manual - the part about the 2-position TPMS button is on page 224:  https://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM24438U/pdf/OM24438U.pdf

 

[hate Lexus and MB]

Great post. I just replaced 4 new tires by Discount Tires from the original 2018 RX450hl Bridgestone tires. At first the TPMS won't show pressure even after more than 30min of driving. After resetting from the console, the TPMS still won't show. After another 30min of driving the tire pressure warning light started blinking then stay lit. WTF? 

After reading this post I realized it's the over sophisticated Lexus TPMS sensor information that is rejecting the aftermarket sets. What an inconvenience! It's annoying to have this warning light on while driving with a new sets of tires. Not that I hate Lexus, but all these unnecessary Japanese technology is really bugging me. I missed my old 90's Jeep that had more than a quarter million miles and numerous sets of tires without all this over complicated sensors that keep bugging the fun of driving. My next car will be customized with hand crank windows. 

[1990LS400]

3 hours ago, hate Lexus and MB said:

Great post. I just replaced 4 new tires by Discount Tires from the original 2018 RX450hl Bridgestone tires. At first the TPMS won't show pressure even after more than 30min of driving. After resetting from the console, the TPMS still won't show. After another 30min of driving the tire pressure warning light started blinking then stay lit. WTF? 

Replacing the tires shouldn't have affected the TPMS.  If the TPMS was working with the old tires then they should be working with the new ones.  I suggest you take your RX back to Discount Tire and have them diagnose the problem.  Perhaps they damaged one of the sensors during the tire changeover.  It wouldn't be the first time a tire shop has done that.  I doubt if one of the TPMS batteries would be low after 7 years but that's possible - but too much of a coincidence if the problem started immediately after getting new tires.

I love TPMS.  It's save both my wife and me a lot of trouble.  TPMS has twice allowed me to get to the next Interstate highway exit before tires went flat so I could address the problem without vehicles whizzing by me at high speeds while stopped on a shoulder.  My wife has had several leaking tires while driving in town and TPMS has given her time to drive to a shop before tire went flat.  It's impossible to tell if many low profile tires are low on air just be looking at them like we could in the old days of 70 or 75 profile tires.

I don't know which model year the RX got a TPMS system that automatically learns TPMS codes.  I don't know if any vehicles are still made that have the type of TPMS that has to be programmed with electronic devices.