A Heads-Up Concerning the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

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Alacoyote

Member
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2013 CX-5 GT FWD w/Tech Package
Under the category of RTM (Read The %#^& Manual)(rules):

If the Tire Pressure Monitor light comes on, once you've properly adjusted the air (or nitrogen) in your tires, you must reset the warning light by pressing and briefly holding a button on the dash. The button is located to the left of the steering wheel and is clearly marked.

This is different than most (or at least many) other vehicles, including other Mazdas, in which the TPMS warning light automatically resets once the tires are properly inflated and you drive the vehicle a short distance. In fact, the service department where I purchased our CX-5 wasn't aware of this difference until, after 15 minutes of trying to figure out why the light wouldn't go off, I read the manual and educated them. Just a bit of friendly advice for future reference.
 
The TPMS monitor light came on yesterday, along with the loud beeping. I checked the tire pressure and all 4 are at 40, which is 4PSI too high.

Not sure why the warning light came on, but I deflated the tires to 36PSI and reset the TPMS.
 
joepro said:
The TPMS monitor light came on yesterday, along with the loud beeping. I checked the tire pressure and all 4 are at 40, which is 4PSI too high.

Not sure why the warning light came on, but I deflated the tires to 36PSI and reset the TPMS.
Click to expand...

You answered your own question, the light came on because the pressure was too high. It's not always a minimum pressure warning, my Caddy does the same thing if the pressure gets too high.
 
I thought of that, but the manual says "The warning light illuminates and a beep is heard when tire pressure is too low in one or more tires, and flashes when there is a system malfunction". It wasn't a malfunction because the light wasn't flashing. On top of that, why would it have taken the car 5 days to realize the pressure was too high?
 
Does the TPMS in the CX-5 work off sensors on the wheel/inside the tire, or ABS based?
 
DougNuts said:
You answered your own question, the light came on because the pressure was too high. It's not always a minimum pressure warning, my Caddy does the same thing if the pressure gets too high.
Click to expand...

It would be rather odd for a monitoring system to go off with the pressure just 4psi above recommended. Surely the pressure gets that high just with heat once the car is driving for a while especially on hot pavement.
 
swooshusn said:
Does the TPMS in the CX-5 work off sensors on the wheel/inside the tire, or ABS based?
Click to expand...

The manual says: The system monitors the tire pressures indirectly using the data sent from the ABS wheel speed sensors.
 
joepro said:
The manual says: The system monitors the tire pressures indirectly using the data sent from the ABS wheel speed sensors.
Click to expand...

that's good to know. I saw the TPMS reset button during a test drive but the sales staff wasn't sure. NOT having in-wheel sensors is a definite plus.
 
swooshusn, can you explain why not having in-wheel sensors is a definite plus?
 
Last edited:
Wait, there are no sensors in the rims? So you can run aftermarket rims and still have TPMS? AWESOME!
 
hooked said:
swooshusn, can you explain why not having in-wheel sensors is a definite plus?
Click to expand...

My Fusion is an 07, a year before they were mandatated for all NA cars to have them. My wife's car, sister's car, and any number of other friends, associates, co-workers, etc who have the in-wheel sensors have all had issues with them. Ranging from constant false alerts that the tire pressure(s) was low, to one that leaked or eventually failed. Then there's the issue of people that want to run multiple sets of wheels, whether its just winter/summer or show/snow... its inconvenient and expensive. The ABS systems work just as well, and calculate wheel rotation based on a known outer diameter of the tire at a specific pressure -/+ a value. Its probably not at accurate but it doesn't need to be... its just an indication that you should check your tire pressure. You should be doing it periodically anyway, but can alert you to a potential problem.
 
Thanks for the explanation. I don't own a car with TPMS (yet) so I was not familar with the nuances of the various technologies.
 
Gunbuster said:
Wait, there are no sensors in the rims? So you can run aftermarket rims and still have TPMS? AWESOME!
Click to expand...

I have no proof to back this up accept for what Mazda has told me. Anybody running aftermarket rims/tires WILL have the TPMS sensor illuminate. I work for Mazda and have PDI'd several of them, but cannot confirm as we haven't had a 19" model to swap wheels with. Just throwing that out their. Also, it has been said that these following items can cause the TPMs to illuminate:

Offroading
Rough terrain
Ice roads
Snow/Ice chains
Aftermarket tires/wheels
 
Just got my new CX-5 a few days ago and the TPMS light/warning beep came on. My husband reset the TPMS light BEFORE I was able to check the tires and inflate to the proper pressure (he's not a manual reader....); the CAUTION note in the manual says that you should not do this as now it is initialized with the improper pressure. Do you think this is a problem or should I go ahead and inflate the tires and re-initizliaze it again?
 
Tpms light went off luckily I was just down the street from the dealership , they checked tire pressure and reset. Guess someone didn't do it when it got off the truck, driven 500 miles since and no problems .
 
TMPS light keeps coming on for us too on our 17" Yokohamas on CX5 GS. I've checked the pressure (all at 37psi cold). Maybe a little high but I didn't take any air out. Light came on again today and I Reset it. Got a flat on the way home tonight - Mazda Roadside Assistance dispatch was friendly enough. It was getting dark but I couldn't see anything protruding from the tire... I'll have to check tomorrow in the light. 1323 kms on the vehicle. Couldn't have been the pressure?
 
lovmyrx7 said:
I have no proof to back this up accept for what Mazda has told me. Anybody running aftermarket rims/tires WILL have the TPMS sensor illuminate. I work for Mazda and have PDI'd several of them, but cannot confirm as we haven't had a 19" model to swap wheels with. Just throwing that out their. Also, it has been said that these following items can cause the TPMs to illuminate:

Offroading
Rough terrain
Ice roads
Snow/Ice chains
Aftermarket tires/wheels
Click to expand...

Can't you just initialize the TPMS to accommodate the aftermarket tire/wheels?

If the system initialization is performed without adjusting the tire pressure, the system cannot detect the normal tire pressure and it may not illuminate the tire pressure monitoring system warning light even if a tire pressure is low, or it may illuminate the light even if the pressures are normal.
The system initialization will not be performed if the switch is pressed while the vehicle is being driven.
Click to expand...
 
swooshdave said:
Can't you just initialize the TPMS to accommodate the aftermarket tire/wheels?
Click to expand...

Should be able to, I think their warning was though that if they are too big of rims the sensor would be in the wrong position and not able to accurately read the tire pressure.

So if you go 19's of stock dimension or probably 20's even you could be fine but if you did 21's or 22's you might run into issues.
 
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