amypinseattle

Yesterday morning it was about 28 degrees and everything was frozen. When I started my car, it said there was something wrong with the pressure in my right rear tire...based on the little flashing picture, I expected it to be flat!

I got out and looked - and it looked normal.

So on my way to work, I stopped at the dealer. Maybe there was indeed something wrong - nail maybe...and I didn't want to be stuck on the 520 bridge getting those nasty glares due to a flat tire!

Well, they checked and there was nothing wrong with the tire - tire pressure was perfect. The sensor just thought there was. They couldn't get sensor to stop thinking there was something wrong! Their best guess was that the freezing weather made it malfunction. Uh...so should I just ignore the warnings when it freezes?

Half way to work (about in the middle of the bridge) the sensory changed it's mind and the light went out.

Today was below freezing as well, but it didn't tell me there was anything wrong with the tire. The only difference is that it rained on Sunday and there was no rain on Monday - so nothing would have been wet to freeze overnight on the car.

Any one else experience anything like this? Any ideas?

visuelz

The circuitry might be frozen. Seems to me like that cold weather made the sensor unable to do its job. I wouldn't be surprised since everything was "frozen."

neo1738

My guess is cold weather dropped the pressure in the tire, when the tire warmed up from driving, air inside expands, and poof, warning goes off.

schuchmn

It seems to me that 28 degrees is not very cold. If sensors are freezing at that temperature, what are we supposed to do when it gets really cold?

Has anyone from our esteemed neighbor (or neighbour) to the north who's driven in colder weather experienced any such problem?

My peronal feeling is that a part that fails under normal conditions (it's not like you were driving in Antarctica for cryin' out loud!) is defective. Especially since only one out of four sensors had an issue.

If it does it again, I'd want it replaced.

NemoUmbra

No issues here with mine, I've had it parked outside at around -8 celsius average through the day (I'm guessing that's high teens low twenties) for around 9 hours.

schuchmn

Right, -8 degrees C is +17.6 degrees F. So there should be no problem at 28F.

Something's not right, AmyP.

sasair

I agree that 28 degrees is by no means cold enough to have anything mess up like that. Hopefully it was just a one time fluke that will never show again, but if it does, then it is likely a faulty TPMS sensor in the wheel. it probably just didn't wake up from sleep mode when you started the car.

When you saw the problem initially, did you turn the car off and restart it to see if it would clear? or did you go straight to the dealer to show them the problem? If they told you that it froze at 28 degrees and that was the reason, then should you expect it to happen everytime it is freezing outside?

You have the tech package, so what pressure did it show? or did you look?

amypinseattle

I did stop and restart...no difference.

The dealer said there was absolutely no problem with the tire pressure.

Their take was there was something wrong with the sensor due to the cold...they didn't have a response to my comment about it just not being reliable in the cold?

It hasn't happened again. HOWEVER, I haven't driven in rain followed by a freeze. Although, I am tempted to wet the wheel area down with water and wait for it to freeze overnight to see if the behavior happens again...

NemoUmbra

I would probably still venture a guess that the sensor has an issue. I haven't driven in a rain with freezing temps but I have driven in slushy conditions with a freeze and no problem. Wonder if it's a problem with the remote sensor?

amypinseattle

Hoes does one tell what the pressure is? This is new territory for me...

sasair

I agree, definitely something went wrong with the sensor. Question is if it will ever happen again. then on top of that, how do you convince your service dept to act on it. I wouldn't worry about it though. Not like it creates any kind of unsafe condition as long as it looks like you have air in there...

Did you get a chance to check what the MID was displaying as the tire pressure when the problem was there? My guess is it was probably telling you you had zero pressure in there, which was obviously wrong. Either that or it was telling you that it lost communication with that particular sensor. could be something as simple as a low or defective battery in the sensor.

When you select the TPMS on the MID, you hit the middle button and it shows you the pressure readings from all 4 tires.

NemoUmbra

The only other thing I could add is if it shows up again, at very leat bring it back in and even if they still say things are okay, it's documented in the service logs so should the problem finally show itself after warranty has expired, you'll hopefully be able to get it fixed for free with as little fight as possible.

sasair

on the second time it happened I'd be insisting they replace that sensor or at the very least have them hook it up to an HDS to see exactly what trouble code is displayed.

I'm actually surprised they let you drive away with it not functioning correctly and they only explanation they gave was the cold (28 degree) weather.

Colin

[sarcasim] There is this new fangled thing called a Tire Pressure Gauge[/sarcasm]

Sorry, but I'd double check the tire pressure with a manual gauge. See if its the same as the reading shown on the dash. Take notes on the conditions, and if it reoccurs, take it in and have the sensor changed. Hopefully they'll do it with little prompting if you can show that it's not reading the pressure correctly.

amypinseattle

Ok...I kept pushing buttons till the tire pressure popped up (sorry didn't read this post till after I did this), it says the tire pressure is 28 on that tire, but that morning, they physically tested it and it was at 32 - or are least that's what they told me. All the other tires are showing 32.

So either the tire has a problem or the sensor does. This could explain why I get a flash of a psuedo flat ish tire when I start my car...that goes away within like 3 seconds. Mind you I just started noticing it so I don't know how long it's been there showing up.

I'll call and take it back in.

sasair

28 is slightly low. It makes sense that it went up to 32 at the dealer as tire pressures will rise as the tire gets warmer from normal driving. But I'm not sure 28 would give you any kind of alert. Mine are usually around 31 at cold and have gone up to 35/36 when warm. Maybe in freezing temps mine will drop, but I doubt it would drop to 28. You should at very least put a little bit of air in that tire to get it to match the others.

amypinseattle

So I finally got back to the dealer last Friday on my way home from work.

The MDI is still showing that tire aired up to only 28 (29 when warmed up). The others are at 32 (33 even 34 warm).

They checked and that tire is actually at the same pressure as all the others.

It's scheduled to go in and get checked out on Thursday. They think it's a bad sensor.

dhager

My same right passenger tire sensor does that...and reads around 28-29 while all others are 32

amypinseattle

So the back passenger tire would always show lower pressure.

They checked it at the dealer several times, but the pressure in it was just fine.

They replaced it last Tuesday...but it didn't fix it. When they called, they said they though the replacement sensor had been dropped since the box was dented so they wanted to replace it with another one.

Wednesday, they replaced another sensor. Problem solved.

As an aside...I drove a CGP RDX as my loaner car. I loved the color, but wasn't too impressed with the car.

It only had 852 miles on it, but the front seat creaked and groaned. I kept hearing this grinding sound when I drove - almost as if the parking break was still on or something like that, only it wasn't.

I told them about the two problems when I turned it in for my car. I said if that was my only introduction to an RDX, there's no way I would buy one because I'd have my doubts about the quality and luxury of the car. They were going to look into it, but I doubt they do since it's always being loaned out!~

sasair

Makes you wonder what happens to the sensors when you hit a pothole pretty hard. it's gotta be able to handle quite a bit of shock being in the wheel. I'm surprised the dealer doesn't keep those sensors in stock. They aren't that expensive, and they probably sell them regularly for people changing out their wheels, especially for winter.

Glad you finally got your problem fixed!

mac_man

__________________________________________________ _______________

I have been reading this thread and it has gotten me worried as well. We bought our car from the same dealership as amypinseattle and I swear I have been having the exact same issue with the same tire - the LEFT REAR!!! It has happened at least 3 or 4 times.

Intially, we would start the car and the yellow hazard warning light would come on. The display in the dash would also show that the left rear tire pressure is low. I would step out of the car to take a look at it and it looks just fine. So then I would drive to the nearest gas station and add air to the tire. This method worked fine.

Then less than a week later the same warnings would come on and I would go through the same process above. I didn't think it was a big issue, but now that I read this thread I really want to take it in to make sure I am not experiencing the same malfunction issues that amypinseattle did.

amypin - did you ever add air to your tire? or did you just leave it as is in hopes that it would go away? I think the next time the warning pops up I will just take it straight to the dealership and let them know that you were experiencing the same thing and you had them fix it. I am assuming this is covered.

sasair

Just treat it like you would if you didn't have the TPMS, check the pressure with a tire gauge and make sure it is right. But definitely take it in and have them replace the sensor. At least they should be familiar with the problem if it is the same dealer! Its either a bad sensor or you have a leak in your tire. Did you inspect your tire for something like a nail?

mac_man

Thanks for the advice. I actually have not inspected the tire for a nail. The warning sensor has not come on for a week. I'll just keep an eye on it till I have the chance to bring it in.

Claire

This happened to me this morning.

It was pretty cold this morning, low 20's and when I turned the car on I got a message on the MID that there was a problem with my tire pressure (on three of the tires) although it would not tell me what the pressure was. I only drive about two miles to the train station so it really didn't get a chance to warm up. I'll see what it says tonight, all three tires looked OK to me but what do I know. I noticed no difference in the ride.

I got the car in April so this is my first winter. I still only have 3000 miles on it because of my short commute so the oil is at 40% life and I'd really rather not have to take it in just for this. Do you think I should?

sasair

Check the tire pressures and make sure they are OK. If they are OK and you are still getting MID messages, then take it in to the dealer whenever convenient. If they are low, add some air and see if the messages go away.

It is typical for tire pressures to be low at the beginning of the winter season. As the temperature drops, so does the air pressure in your tires. If you were running 35psi during the summer(90-100 degrees), then chances are your pressure would drop to around 5-10psi in 20-30 degree weather. You should be running at about 32psi cold. As the outside temperature changes, so does your cold pressure.

JLTSX07

I have a TSX, and I am having the same issues. Last winter I never had an issue, but all of the sudden I am. It's been about 15 degrees here. When I start my car in the morning (since it's in the garage, I get no "check tire" indicator), however, if I let the car sit outside in a parking lot for awhile, then I get the indicator light. I called Acura, and they told me that they're seeing a lot of this. They told me that the tire is probably losing a little air since it's so cold, so I should over inflate the tire to about 33psi. Anyway's, I will try doing that, and if that doesn't help, I will be off to Acura!

737 Jock

No normal winter temps should be cold enough to affect the pressure sensor battery. According to the RDX Service Manual the TPMS controller will not see low voltage from the sensor's lithium battery until the temp is below -40 F (which also happens to be -40 C).

It won't. The sensor sends a low pressure signal when it reads pressure below 25 psi. It will only stop the low press signal after it reads press above 29 psi. The tire would have to be just below 25 psi to initially send the low press signal and then rolling friction would heat it to above 29 psi, and you would get the cycling signal.

There is a Service Bulletin out for TPMS sensors. All 2007 RDXs are affected:

If your TPMS is suspect, get new sensors under warranty. Here is the link:

RDX TPMS Service Bulletin

mau108

Weird people report the rear passenger side tire reporting lower pressure, mine does this too.

It hasn't gone off, even in -20 degree weather but its weird that I pump the tire up with an electronic tire compressor thing at my local gas station all to 32 psi and that tire always shows up as lower.

emmm

Nyjumpman23

If it's colder...the tire pressure goes lower..
of course when u drive ...and create excessive heat..rubber tends to expand..
it's normal..
But they say to keep the tires @ 32psi.

If you are slightly anal bout it..then keep the pressure @ around 34 EXACT.
So when it gets colder..it slates itself @ around 30,31 instead of 27,28
and when things warm up..it might hindge up to maybe 35,36 (maybe even lslightly higher...due to excessive driving..but not too much in cold waether). But don't over do it...
(DONT WET UR TIRES on purpose and in cold weather just to see if its your TPS), give it a take to see if there's a malfunction..not pur urself in HARMS way.
just be careful.

BleuM&M

I'm not getting the RR pressure phenom. I have an 08 with a 7/07 production date.

I use a digital gauge that reads to .x, but overall matches the TPM readouts. When I'm in for an inspection/rotation, I ask that the tires be put to 33 psi. When I take cold readings and then drive to an air pump, I add the number of psi I was short to the current reading, which is almost always higher.


Nyjumpman23 is right, in warm weather you have to blow off excess pressure. Anyone want to report on their experience with Nitrogen? It displaces only about 12% of the total air volume (the rest being Nitrogen, Dee-dee-dee), but I've heard it's much more consistent across operating temperatures and weather.

chipt911

For me the range between last winter (coldest) and this summer (warmest) was about 7psi.

k23a1

Typical sensing elements (or sensors in TPMS) should operate from -40 to +125 Celcius. The company that produces these are made by Pacific (Japan). Maybe there was frozen-moisture in the media that caused the TPMsensor to have a temporary-faulty reading. Or, perhaps, the protective barrier (die-electric gel) that protects the sensor from the harsh elements in the tire was frozen, which prevented the actual die (sensor) from getting the actual reading.

Lrpba300

Man, I must have missed this post, or I would have posted much sooner!
Heck, I've learned to live with them! I get low readings, esp. when it's cold. I've checked them w/ a very good air gauge reader & the LOWEST anyone tire ever reads is 30 psi. I've gotten from 1-4 reading low, have put air in, (up to about34-35 psi) & some will go out, sometimes some stay on & it doesn't matter how much I drive to cause expansion from heat build up!!! My left rear one is also the one that reads low a lot. Maybe that's where they put the flakey tpms's! hahaha!
I'll have my Acura dealer check them when I get my RDX in next time, or at least mention to them. Sounds to me as if they have a lot of defective ones out there, even on the MDX's!

Pote757

I'm posting from the car right now and the low Pressure light is on - guess where? Yup - right rear. Outside temp is 44!! This problem is def. not being cause by freezing temps. (btw, SWMBO is driving and I'm running my Verizon EVDO card).

Here's the whols story - car is an 08 with only 1130 miles. We drove ~200 miles up to Alexandria this morning, rode around there a little then parked for a couple of hours. Got in the car for the 3 hour ride home and SWMBO says we got a flat. Thankfully I read this thread just yesterday so I immediate though "Bravo Sierra" its a bad pressure sensor. Looked at the dispaly and is said 33 all around except right rear is 23. Visual inspection looks normal. Been running ~ 30 miles on I95 and the sensor is still lit. Maybe Acura should put a few less bells and whistles on the car till they can make them reliable. "The only thing worse that no data is bad data". Looks like I'll be checking the dealers service center sooner than I hoped. I ditched my last car cus it was in the shop all the time. Hope this is not another repeat.

Stevenm

I was having the same issue. My guess is the cold changes the tire pressure.
Although I had no problems last winter?
Also having problems with the navi screen on cold mornings.It has to warm up.
Anybody else with that one. I think it needs replacing. I'll see the dealer soon