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"Tire Pressure Monitor Service Required" Error Message

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Then everyone with a 2.0 or 2.5 should file a complaint with the NHTSA and force a recall. Even if Tesla fixed it under warranty.

I don't disagree. I've have my own fair share of TMPS issues (all outside of warranty) on my 2.5.

Personally, I don't want to disable the system. I actually LIKE having TPMS. I just wish it were a more robust system.
 
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I don't disagree. I've have my own fair share of TMPS issues (all outside of warranty) on my 2.5.

Personally, I don't want to disable the system. I actually LIKE having TPMS. I just wish it were a more robust system.

That's how I feel. If you go to a good tire shop when mounting your tires they will remove your old sensors so you can get the part numbers off of them. Or leave them in and read the part numbers. I found an aftermarket supplier for the 2.5 sensors that were $98 each. The tire shop was willing to put them in for free when mounting my tires. Tesla has to re-program with their proprietary tool but they might do that for free or not much money.

My winter set of rims have no sensors so I just put up with the warning until spring.
 
I've had the error intermittently. It'll come on, stay for a day or two, then go away for a week or two. Inexplicable.

That is typical when a single TPMS is failing, a battery is dying or...

if you do not drive longer than 20 minutes. The Tesla TPMS receiver will not throw an error for the first 20 minutes that the car is on (it will continuously search for the 4 sensors).

I mentioned in another thread that I haven't figured out why it sometimes resets and restarts the search upon restarting the car and sometimes doesn't (sometimes the error clears and takes a 20 minute drive to reappear, sometimes it doesn't).

I had 2 sensors replaced about 18 months ago and haven't seen an error since (although, to be fair, I am now driving with the winter wheels which do not have sensors).
 
My TPMS has been acting up for months. When I had it in for service last time (December) they told me the sensor batteries were reading low voltage and that the rear antenna module needed to be replaced. They quoted me $450 to do the work. I declined it at the time but now thinking I should have done it. I don't know if that quote was only valid during the service when they had the car torn apart already.

I have what I think is a bearing going out on the front right wheel so may take it in and have them do the TPMS while it's there.
 
This is a problem for us in the US.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) passed a law (Motor Vehicle Safety Act (49 USC 30122(b))), which mandates TPMS.

It states that it “prohibits manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or motor vehicle repair businesses from knowingly making inoperative, in whole or in part, any part of a device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle in compliance with an applicable motor vehicle safety standard.”

This includes TPMS.

Hmm... which leaves it up to the end-user to disable. I'm guessing there's no way to do this in the service menu? Mine has failed now for the third time in five years. Would love to just be rid of them.
 
That is typical when a single TPMS is failing, a battery is dying or...

if you do not drive longer than 20 minutes. The Tesla TPMS receiver will not throw an error for the first 20 minutes that the car is on (it will continuously search for the 4 sensors).

HA!! So that is why my TPMS kept going off at the same place every day! I was thinking it was interference or something local to that place... Nope; that's just about 20 min from home :)

It's been replaced, and all is well now. But now I know why.
 
I am now getting the 409 Tire Pressure Monitor Service Required message in my 1.5 Roadster. It does not take 20 minutes to come on for me, it happens after about 1 minute from starting the car whether I am sitting or driving. The weird thing is that all 4 tire pressures show and they do change as the tires warmup from driving. It just started after a technician fixed a 287 fault by heating the Heater Box. Is there any connection between heating that Area of the car and the TPMS?

From what I am hearing here it sounds like it is most likely one of the batteries is low (the car is almost 8 years old), but it is strange how it occurred immediately following the fixing of the 287 fault.
 
I believe that you can save some money on the fee for changing the tire sensors by coordinating the replacement to coincide with new tires. The labor is about the same.

I am under the impression that the tire sensors are standard, but they do have unique serial numbers that must be programmed into the Roadster computer before the system will recognize them. So, that means the tire shop can update your sensors every 3 or 4 years before the batteries die, and you should be good so long as your Tesla dealership will reprogram your computer with the new serial numbers. I have winter and summer wheels, so I have to swap twice a year. I really wish the Roadster firmware could track two sets of wheels and provide a menu option to select Winter versus Summer wheels.

Can anyone confirm whether the tire sensors are standard or if they are Tesla proprietary?

I know that Tesla's programming tool for the on-board computer is proprietary, but that's a separate piece of the system.
 
I am now getting the 409 Tire Pressure Monitor Service Required message in my 1.5 Roadster. It does not take 20 minutes to come on for me, it happens after about 1 minute from starting the car whether I am sitting or driving. The weird thing is that all 4 tire pressures show and they do change as the tires warmup from driving. It just started after a technician fixed a 287 fault by heating the Heater Box. Is there any connection between heating that Area of the car and the TPMS?

From what I am hearing here it sounds like it is most likely one of the batteries is low (the car is almost 8 years old), but it is strange how it occurred immediately following the fixing of the 287 fault.
Sparrow I think you are correct. This is the same issue I had with my 1.5 7 months ago. They swapped out the 4 sensors and all is well now. But at $250 per tire I was quite frustrated.
 
Holy crap, what a rip-off. I found replacement TPMS sensors for the 1.5 for around $85 if I recall from the thread I posted. Then you have to unmount/mount your tires to do the install. You can get this done at WalMart for $12 per tire that includes balancing. Not sure if the TPMS system will pick up the new sensors or if Tesla needs to reprogram them. OVMS / people have decoded the TPMS flow and found that we possibly can reprogram the sensor ID.

So for a DIY job:
$85 x 4 = $340
$12 x 4 = $48

Total: $384

Then add some change on top if Tesla needs to reprogram. Still high in my terms of cost, but its doable since they last 5-7 years. But still if Tesla has to reprogram the TPMS system to pick up the sensor ID you have around $1,100 to play with it seems.
 
Holy crap, what a rip-off. I found replacement TPMS sensors for the 1.5 for around $85 if I recall from the thread I posted. Then you have to unmount/mount your tires to do the install. You can get this done at WalMart for $12 per tire that includes balancing. Not sure if the TPMS system will pick up the new sensors or if Tesla needs to reprogram them. OVMS / people have decoded the TPMS flow and found that we possibly can reprogram the sensor ID.

So for a DIY job:
$85 x 4 = $340
$12 x 4 = $48

Total: $384

Then add some change on top if Tesla needs to reprogram. Still high in my terms of cost, but its doable since they last 5-7 years. But still if Tesla has to reprogram the TPMS system to pick up the sensor ID you have around $1,100 to play with it seems.
I was told and saw on my pick up that there is no need for a programming tool on the 1.5s. Just drive 20 miles to sync it up. When I picked it up I still had an error and the swapped it again and said to just drive it. I did and the error cleared after about 20 miles. No programming tool was used.
 
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Reactions: markwj and wiztecy
In replacing the fronts once and the rears three times in 45K miles on my 1.5 I've never had to replace the sensors. I've only been billed $8 per tire for a TPMS sensor service/seal kit. All my tire service has been at Custom Alignment in Mt. View, CA.
 
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Reactions: dhrivnak
FYI this link:
That TPMS issue, summarized

My unit failed in Sept. Two weeks after the one year repair. Nice huh?
They tell me it's something else. So I decide to start digging. The result in the above link.

And they love to tell you "Now it's the antenna" "Now it's the controller" "Now it the tire sensors".
Well, guess what..? It's all the same thing. It's the TPM "SYSTEM" that keeps failing. It's always a 409 code. Parsing pieces doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

The unit he sold me looked used. He promised it was new. But after I cleaned my old one, it looked newer than what they sold me.

Now, 3 months later, the error is back. Nice quality. They are thinking of sending people to Mars with the same company owner using crappy parts??

I am now diagnosing the failure. it appears that one unit has just decided to "forget" the tire sensor addresses. And of course the service center would tell you to buy another new (crappy) part. Rather than troubleshoot the real problem and fix it.

I will post my results when I have the information correlated.

-Scott
 
  • Informative
Reactions: hcsharp
In replacing the fronts once and the rears three times in 45K miles on my 1.5 I've never had to replace the sensors. I've only been billed $8 per tire for a TPMS sensor service/seal kit. All my tire service has been at Custom Alignment in Mt. View, CA.
I am not sure I understand. Are they somehow able to replace the battery? My old units appeared to be sealed with no way tp get inside.
 
I am not sure I understand. Are they somehow able to replace the battery? My old units appeared to be sealed with no way tp get inside.

The TPMS sensors are sealed and non-servicable. I believe they make them that way to prevent failure points and to ensure they're fully sealed from any crap that can get inside them such as fix-a-flat.

I believe what Steve is referring to is that he's never had his sensor go out yet. I don't know what a TPMS service is nor a seal kit. I never needed any of that type of service with a simple tire change. I have 60k and 8 years on my TPMS sensors, they finally began failing a few months back so I'll be looking into the aftermarket 1.5 sensors here soon.
 
I am now getting the 409 Tire Pressure Monitor Service Required message in my 1.5 Roadster. It does not take 20 minutes to come on for me, it happens after about 1 minute from starting the car whether I am sitting or driving. The weird thing is that all 4 tire pressures show and they do change as the tires warmup from driving. It just started after a technician fixed a 287 fault by heating the Heater Box. Is there any connection between heating that Area of the car and the TPMS?

From what I am hearing here it sounds like it is most likely one of the batteries is low (the car is almost 8 years old), but it is strange how it occurred immediately following the fixing of the 287 fault.
That is exactly how the issue started with my 1.5. They replaced all 4 sensors.