hitechrr

I had a problem with one of my TPMS sensors. It reads 14 lb when the tire has 35 lb in it. I took it to Smithtown Toyota on long island NY. First they told me I only had 14 lbs of air in the tire. I checked it before it went in and it had 35lbs. then they told me someone changed the tires because Toyotas don?t come with firestone tires. The date code on the tire is Oct 05 and the truck was built Nov 05. When they checked the sensor they said it wasn?t covered by the warranty. They said that the sensor was damaged. It would cost $396 to change it. Then they said the good news is that there is a service bulletin on my tires and I would get new tires. I told them that I didn?t want to fix the sensor. So now they don?t want to do the tires. I asked why the sensor is so much when it retails for $112 and takes ? hr to install and program. They told me it takes 3 hrs. They charged me $102 for a diagnostic charge on my in warranty truck. They said the tire was losing air. Said I must have picked up a nail. They replaced the one tire with the bad sensor. When I went behind the shop to get my truck I saw my old tire sitting there. They ripped the bead on the tire taking it off the rim to check the sensor. There was no nail in it. Only Toyota dealers can service your wheels and program these sensors. Other car companies have sensors that any auto shop can service. I still have the flashing light on my dash. The service writer (Larissa) handled herself in a very courteous and professional way.

plumb bob

I won't buy a vehicle with that much technology in it for that very reason, it is unnessacary and who's gonna fix it when it's 10-15 yrs old??

If the manufacturers persist in doing this kind of thing, they will find their market share falling.

BigBen

btw it takes about 10 minutes max to install a tpms sensor...we do it all the time when a dumb a$$ brakes one at discount tire...

Adam F

Stupid question....did you check the tire pressure of your spare tire? (Assuming you have a 4Runner) That is monitored too, and often overlooked.

hitechrr

yes i did check the pressure before it went into the shop. i looked in my tire today and found the tpms missing. i think it should still be covered if it broke off in there.

hitechrr

toyota has aproved a replacement of my new sensor. the dealer turned out to be helpfull. the sensor was broke off inside the tire. i don't know how it broke. noone has done any service on the tire. they should have a system that someone other than toyota can service. in 10 years all these will have to be replaced and the dealer is the only one that has software to update the esu with the new id numbers. i didn't start this thread to start a class action. i can't change the title now.

CoedNaked

These tire sensor/pressure things are mandated by the government and are law to be installed in all new vehicles.

If I owned a vehicle with one I drive it normally and if one of the sensors screwed up it would be removed and the light in the dash would be removed/deleted b/c it's not worth the head ache/$$$ to fix/deal with it.