TPMS
TPMS SERVICE Gaining a better understanding on diagnosing
I
By Edwin Hazzard
ASP
Februa ry 20 2 0
Figure 1: Step one in profitable tire pressure monitoring system service is making sure the tools you are using are top quality, including a TPMS scan tool and tire pressure gauge. TPMS and why? Vehicle safety is the main reason. Some of you might remember the Firestone recall back in the late 1990s, which was linked to more than 100 deaths from rollovers following tire tread separation. This pushed the United States Congress to legislate the Transportation Recall En-
hancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act. The act mandated the use of a suitable TPMS technology in all light motor vehicles (under 10,000 pounds), to help alert drivers of under-inflation events. This act affects all light motor vehicles sold after Sept. 1, 2007. The first phasein started in October 2005 at
COURTESY OF SOUTHEAST MOBILE TECH
8
COURTESY AUTEL
It’s hard to believe that tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) have been included in passenger vehicles for a little over 30 years. TPMS started with the European vehicle car lines. The first passenger vehicle to adopt a TPMS was the Porsche 959 in 1986, using a hollow spoke wheel system developed by PSK. In 1996 Renault used the Michelin PAX system for the Scenic and in 1999 the PSA Peugeot CitroÍn decided to adopt TPMS as a standard feature on the Peugeot 607. The following year (2000), Renault launched the Laguna II, the first high volume mid-size passenger vehicle in the world to be equipped with TPMS as a standard feature. In the United States, TPMS was introduced by General Motors for the 1991 model year for the Corvette in conjunction with Goodyear run-flat tires. The system uses sensors in the wheels and a driver display which can show tire pressure at any wheel, plus warnings for both high and low pressure. It has been standard on Corvettes ever since. But what led to the industry-wide incorporation of the
