There is a list of questions that drivers raise when they face some issues during driving. One of the most asked questions is why is my tire pressure light still on after filling the air in tires?
The pressure warning light in the car warns you if the pressure in any of the tires is quite low. But at times, the pressure light remains ON even if the air is filled in the tires recently. The possible reasons include the leakage point in your tire or a problem with the pressure monitoring system.
But before we go into the details of this answer, we need to understand how we measure the pressure inside the tires, and what purposes does the Tire Pressure light serves in this regard.
How to Check and Maintain Tire Pressure?
You can check the pressure in your tire with the help of a pressure gauge (PG). Pressure gauges can measure pressure in different units like the bar, psi, Pa, etc. Different regions have different units of pressure in the commercial market.
You can also check the tire pressure in the near gas station if you do not have any PG in your home. Check out the pressure using the gauge and maintain the pressure as per instructed manual.
Different car manufacturers have proposed different values of pressure based on many parameters like tire width, car weight, etc. Also, the front and the rear wheel has different set value for better grip of tire on road.
The maximum pressure for every tire is always between 30 to 32 PSI.
What is Tire Pressure Light?
Modern vehicles, that are available in the market no longer need a pressure gauge for measuring their tire pressure. They are equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). The purpose of the TPMS is to warn you if the tire pressure is below the recommended value.
The indicator that tells you the pressure is low, is the Tire Pressure Light. There is a symbol, shaped like a tire with an exclamation mark on the dashboard of the car. This symbol illuminates in yellow when the pressure is low.
When this light turns ON while you are driving, it means there is some issue with the pressure in your tire. You need to get your tires inflated. Sometimes, even after filling the air, the TPMS light is still ON, it may automatically turn OFF after driving miles.
Why is Tire Pressure Light still ON after Filling the Air in Tires?
But what if the light remains ON for a long time after you have filled the air in the tires. If the light is still ON after filling the air in the tire, then possibly there are two main reasons for this to happen, either your TPMS isn’t functioning correctly; you can reset it, or the tire is punctured.
Sometimes the tire pressure is as per standard value, and there is no leakage or puncture. In that case, the warning light being ON indicates that the sensor is malfunctioning. And to confirm that, you can manually check the pressure, using a pressure gauge.
How to Fix the Tire Pressure Light Issue?
Now, I have mentioned the possible causes of the pressure light being ON. Now, let’s look at the things we can do to fix this problem. You can fix your TPMS light on your own by following some steps described below. This procedure will be helpful, in case your car is far from the service station.
First, drive your car at 60 to 80 km/h for about 10 mins. After driving, stop the engine and start again. Now, hopefully, your light turns OFF.
But, if the light remains illuminated for a long time even after filling the tires, then you should try to reset your TPMS light. Locate the light reset button. Usually, it i
s under the steering wheel or else you can follow the manual. After finding the reset button, switch ON the car only, not the engine. Press the button until the light starts blinking. Now turn OFF the car and start again. This will also resolve your issue.Now, another possibility is leakage. If the resetting thing doesn’t work, The driver should also check the leakage in the tire. Because it might be possible that a nail might have been stuck in the car and constantly leaking the air, which may have illuminated the pressure light. If you find no leakage move towards the next step.
The fourth solution is to disconnect the battery and check it out. If the battery is dead, replace it. If it’s OK then put back the terminal and start the car again. Another solution is to deflate the tire completely and then fill the air again in the tire. The air must be filled at the standardized pressure.
Now, before concluding, you need to understand the importance of maintaining Tire Pressure.
Importance of Maintaining Tire Pressure
There are Multiple benefits of maintaining air pressure in the tire. For instance, if the tires are inflated properly, a driver gets better mileage and a comfortable driving experience.
Similarly, maintaining a recommended tire pressure is also very crucial for a tire’s life. Treads of the tires wear out more quickly in case of less air pressure. It has also been observed that the wheel lasts long if the driver maintains air pressure in tires.
Road accidents record due to skidding is also mostly observed in low air pressure cars. Underinflation is one of the major causes of tire blowouts.
High pressure is as much dangerous as low pressure. If the tire is inflated above then the recommended air pressure, it causes some problems, like too much friction with the road, and tread erosion.
Due to tire pressure’s significance, many experts suggest that drivers should check the air pressure in the tire, every day and keep a pressure gauge in their car because sometimes the weather also affects air pressure in your vehicle tire.
In this article, we have covered the possible reasons why the pressure light may remain ON even after filling the air.
For this problem, some solutions have been presented. I hope that the solutions we presented might help you fix the problem. If you are unable to fix it by yourself, you can get it checked by an expert mechanic.
