TPMS "Tire Pressure Low" error message on all four wheels... what are the odds all 4 tires are low?

[SeanM]

Hello,

My 2018 Model-3 had done a software upgrade over the last Friday evening & I drove it over the weekend. But, today morning when I switched on my car I saw the (see attached snap) TPMS "Tire Pressure Low" error message on all four wheels... what are the odds that all four tires are having an issue??

I drove the car and the numbers rose from 37 to around 40 psi, as I don't have a long commute. Usually I keep the pressure around 43 psi, hence I think the air pressure couldn't rise to 43 due to my short commute and cold weather in morning.

It's been cold over past two days so is it the cause of the issue, what do I need to do next??


Thanks!!

 

[AGENT321]

Add more air.

With the recent temperature changes this makes sense,Cold weather will cause you PSI to drop a bit.

 

[Daniel in SD]

what do I need to do next??

Inflate your tires
Tire pressure goes down as it gets colder.

 

[camalaio]

The odds are very high, since as you mentioned it has been especially cold. Colder temps will drop the pressure a bit, perhaps enough to trigger the warning (and if your pressures were even, it would be expected then that all four report low pressure).

What do you do next? As the car says. Check tire pressures. You will find the expected "cold" pressure inside the door sill on a label, it should be 42psi. Note that this is the "cold" pressure: It should be checked and filled when cold, not after driving for more than a couple minutes or after being in direct sun which will increase the temperature.

 

[acarney]

The odds are very high, since as you mentioned it has been especially cold. Colder temps will drop the pressure a bit, perhaps enough to trigger the warning (and if your pressures were even, it would be expected then that all four report low pressure).

What do you do next? As the car says. Check tire pressures. You will find the expected "cold" pressure inside the door sill on a label, it should be 42psi. Note that this is the "cold" pressure: It should be checked and filled when cold, not after driving for more than a couple minutes or after being in direct sun which will increase the temperature.

Does Tesla still recommend following winter tire manufactures suggestions on going about 3 psi higher on full snow tires? 45 psi seems pretty high and may actually be near the max inflation pressure for a lot of tires...

 

[CharleyBC]

Yep. That happened to us our first winter. Pump 'em up a bit, and you'll be fine.

BTW, your old car probably did this too (got low tire pressure in cold weather), but it didn't have a way to tell you about it. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[camalaio]

Does Tesla still recommend following winter tire manufactures suggestions on going about 3 psi higher on full snow tires? 45 psi seems pretty high and may actually be near the max inflation pressure for a lot of tires...

Not that I recall from the owner's manual. They recommend 42 for the winters they sell. Only reference I could see to increased pressure is for very high speed driving (>220 km/h).

 

[StellarRat]

I get the same thing every winter. When the temperature goes below 50 at night you're going to need some more air in all your tires. It's completely normal. If you want the exact science Boyle's law - Wikipedia .

 

[SD_Engnr]

Surely folks that are new to the Model 3 have heard of the search engine Google, right??

Or have read the forums and seen the response, "RTFM"?

I think the forum moderators (after deleting/moving/editing my post) should create a sticky that suggests the following:

1. Before posting, search and/or read the manual. (Available in car, and also through your account over at Tesla.com)
2. If you can't find it in the manual, try google. (Here)
3. If neither of those solutions work, search the forums. (Here)
4. If that still doesn't work, create a post requesting help.

Thanks.

 

[vickh]

Does Tesla still recommend following winter tire manufactures suggestions on going about 3 psi higher on full snow tires? 45 psi seems pretty high and may actually be near the max inflation pressure for a lot of tires...

Max is 50 for the OEM Michelins. So you're right. It also makes for a stiff ride.

 

[ngogas]

Hire someone to inflate your tires. First time owning a car with tpms? Lol

 

[C141medic]

Add more air.

Inflate your tires

Yep, I think the consensus is definitely add more air. Easy fix.

 

[KenC]

Check your pressures, manually, before adding air. And, look at the day's weather before adding air. If the temps are as I remember down in northern VA, you can get a big temperature swing as the weather cools. Mornings are cool, but daytime is pretty warm. If that's the case, you might want to wait before adding air. Wait until you see a whole week of cooler weather that stays cool, then add air.

 

[acarney]

Check your pressures, manually, before adding air. And, look at the day's weather before adding air. If the temps are as I remember down in northern VA, you can get a big temperature swing as the weather cools. Mornings are cool, but daytime is pretty warm. If that's the case, you might want to wait before adding air. Wait until you see a whole week of cooler weather that stays cool, then add air.

I wouldn't wait, but you might want to add an extra 2 or 3 psi expecting it to drop some again...

 

[tvad]

Old air has lower pressure than new air. So, deflate your tires completely before refilling them with fresh air.

Just kidding.

 

[Whitehawk]

This has happened to every car I’ve owned when the weather cools during the fall. I believe tires lose 1psi for each 10 degree F drop.

 

[eladts]

TPMS isn't unique to Tesla. My 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer had it. If you don't have TPMS, you need to measure the tire pressure regularly and not wait for the tires to be visibly under-inflated.

 

[SammichLover]

As covered, the odds are really good if the temperature change was substantial. I've gotten less than four set off at once before, but there wasn't much of a temperature swing for that. I have indeed see all 4 tires go off....and I've seen this on vehicles before the Tesla, nothing particularly unique in this way although not all vehicles with TPMS have as narrow a window for "acceptable PSI" as Teslas do.

Options for you:
1) get in and drive like your hair's on fire, this will quickly warm the tires and eventually the pressure rise enough and then after a while the error message will reset
Pro
- fun!!!!
Cons
- takes a while
- speeding tickets
- tire wear
- until the temp rises you're driving with flabby tires that are a bit below optimum pressure
- when you park and the tires have time to cool you'll need to repeat the procedure (well I guess this point neutral rather than Con, see the Pro above )

2) go into the Service tab and calibrate the tire pressure level to a lower PSI value
Pro
- takes about 1 minute or so (well maybe a few minutes to read the instructions if you've not done it before)
Con
- you've still got somewhat under inflated tires, until they warm up with driving

3) put some more air in the tires
Pro
- your tires are now in better shape to keep you on the road facing in the direction you wish to be pointed
Cons
- boooooring
- when the season/weather changes and things warm back up you'll need to let some air out

 

[ry-ballz]

Surely folks that are new to the Model 3 have heard of the search engine Google, right??

Or have read the forums and seen the response, "RTFM"?

I think the forum moderators (after deleting/moving/editing my post) should create a sticky that suggests the following:

1. Before posting, search and/or read the manual. (Available in car, and also through your account over at Tesla.com)
2. If you can't find it in the manual, try google. (Here)
3. If neither of those solutions work, search the forums. (Here)
4. If that still doesn't work, create a post requesting help.

Thanks.

Half of model 3 owners turned in 15 year old Priuses. They're so overextended on the new car that every single 'issue' gets a ranting post that blames Tesla.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Take it to a Mercedes dealer, they will charge you $115 for an "air change", hazmat disposal and probably 15 other things it doesn't need.