Was 16 degrees this morning when starting car 2013 Madza3 noticed tire pressure light was on for 1st time . Didn't get much warmer and light stayed on all day. I drove around for about 1 hour. Get nervous when dashboard light is displayed. Any advise on what to do? I believe extreme cold cause it?
tire pressure light
- Thread starter mikegrim
- Start date
You are probably right about the cold temperature causing the light to activate. Fairly common here. Once the light is on, correct the tire pressure to the nameplate value as soon as practical. The system is measuring the difference in tire pressure and if the difference exceeds a certain value, the tire pressure light illuminates. If you cannot immediately re-fill the tires, visually check the tires to ensure that they are not going flat such that they should not be driven on. You need to exercise some judgement. You can over-inflate the tires for some economy improvement. Having the tires at an equal inflation pressure is the goal.
Follow the directions in the manual for re-setting the monitoring system after correcting the inflation pressure.
Follow the directions in the manual for re-setting the monitoring system after correcting the inflation pressure.
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- San Diego, CA
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- 2014 Mazda3 S GT auto, 2008 MX5 6-speed
Even adding air (without any warning light being illuminated) to bring tire pressure up to recommended pressure can result in the warning light coming on. I found this out, the first time I added air. Reset as per owner's manual instructions.
snowblazin
Member
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- 2014 Mazda3 SGT - It's the color of snowflakes!
I had the opposite problem just now. Hit a huge pot hole, kept checking for the light to make sure I didn't have a flat. Car wasn't driving much different, not showing the usual signs or sounds of a flat. I drove another mile and a half or so to my parent's to find the seal broken and the tire completely flat and off the wheel. I'm more pissed about the light not coming on than anything.
That surprises me. I have thought the system was overly sensitive. I have noticed that the instrumentation does not update quickly. Also I find it hard to believe you could not feel the difference if the tire suddenly deflated. The tire may have deflated slower than you think.
snowblazin
Member
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- 2014 Mazda3 SGT - It's the color of snowflakes!
I thought that might have been the case too, but there was a huge gash in the sidewall, so it had to have gone down quick. Thankfully there was no damage to the wheel. And the TPMS light came on driving home after I put the spare on. Here's a pic of the tire when I stopped at my parent's. No light!
The 3rd gen Mazda3 does not have TPMS sensors. Instead of the sensors, the system monitors the wheel rotation speed. If the differential rotational speed exceeds a certain value, the tire pressure warning light illuminates. I do not know what system is used by the 2nd gen 3s. Snowblazin may not have noticed the flat due to his low profile tires but the lack of notice from the tire pressure monitoring system is a concern. That said, I know of other sudden deflations that did not lead to loss of vehicle control, in spite of the problems with Explorers and Firestone tires sometime in the past.
Isn't checking the tire pressures the obvious thing to do when the light comes on? Have I missed something here?
Once you know the pressures, then you can think about what might have caused the indication... with some information to work with
Changes in temperature (up or down) will change tire pressure, and with the Mazda3's speed-based system that can cause a TPMS indication, but only if the tires change unequally.
While extreme tire deflation is routinely handled without loss of control (especially with rear tires), it should still be noticeable (with any tire profile, and even in the rear). Aside from the driver's observations, I would certainly expect the TPMS warning light to come on (even though it is just a speed-based system), and I agree that the system operation should be checked.
Snowblazin, at least it looks like your wheel survived unharmed - if you've priced a replacement, you know that's a good thing!
Snowblazin, at least it looks like your wheel survived unharmed - if you've priced a replacement, you know that's a good thing!
