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Your car's dashboard is full of lights and indicators, and some are more commonly used than others. One of the more mysterious lights, which you may not see often, is the TPMS light. Many people don't even know what it means when it comes on!

In fact, the TPMS indicator is extremely important, and paying attention to it could prevent an accident! So, let's talk about TPMS and what you need to know about it. 

What Is TPMS?

TPMS stands for "Tire Pressure Monitoring System," and it does exactly what it says. Your computer has sensors in the wheels keeping tabs on the pressure, and the TPMS light will turn on if it ever appears your tires are too flat to use safely.

The indicator itself is a bit unusual, looking something like a pot with an exclamation mark in the middle. It's supposed to indicate a flat tire, although that's not entirely clear from the icon. If you ever see it, one or more tires on your car could be critically low on air!

The Three States of Your TPMS Indicator

Most of the time, your TPMS indicator should be off and stay off. However, there are three different ways it may flash, indicating different problems.

1 - The TPMS light turns on and stays on while driving

This means one or more tires is flat, plain, and simple. If possible, immediately pull over and either air up your tire or swap it with a spare. If you can't, get to a service station as soon as you can. 

To be clear: if TPMS is activated, that means the tire is already dangerously flat. It's not a suggestion; it means you need to visit a Texas tire shop ASAP.

2 - The TPMS light turns on and off

If the light turns on and off over time, that means your tires are near to being dangerously low, and the pressure in them is being affected by environmental factors. For example, tires might lose pressure during a cold night, but regain that pressure when the tire heats up on the road. So, the pressure goes from too low, to being high enough to turn off TPMS.

However, the pressure is still too low if this happens, so try to get more air in your tire as soon as it's convenient.

3 - The TPMS light flashes rapidly when you start the car

This means the TPMS system is malfunctioning and cannot properly measure the pressure. While not a critical problem if you're careful about keeping your tires inflated, you should still visit a Texas tire shop when you can, to have your TPMS system checked out.

Shop Tires by Vehicle at the Wheel and Tire Superstore!

If a tire is flat enough to trigger TPMS, there's a high chance that the tire is damaged. Bring your vehicle to the Wheel and Tire Superstore to look into repairs, or to browse our extensive selection of replacements. Shop tires by vehicle, look, or just ask one of our associates for help.

Click here to contact us if you have any questions!