TPMS Error
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 157
Likes: 98
Sensors go into a sleep mode when no movement is detected for 30 min to save battery life. Battery life is specified as 10 years. Sitting on the shelf for awhile should therefore not have an impact on battery life.
The sensors are susceptible to RFI interference with the following being listed causes:
1. Video equipment has been found to cause RFI especially when the video and power supply lines are near the TPMS.
2. Anti-theft alarms (even those installed by the dealership) have been found to create enough RFI to cause the TPMS to malfunction or lose considerable range. These anti-theft alarms can be difficult to locate, as they are usually hidden somewhere out of the way for reduced accessibility.
3. Many in-vehicle cell phone chargers have been found to cause considerable RFI. The vehicles with the power point closest to the RTM are the most affected. It must be noted that most cell phone chargers do not produce high levels of RFI all the time. This depends on the state of charge of the cell phone battery. The phone battery must be almost completely discharged in some cases.
4. Power supplies and DC/AC inverters typically create a lot of RFI. Most consumer grade equipment has very little filtering or shielding.
The sensors are susceptible to RFI interference with the following being listed causes:
1. Video equipment has been found to cause RFI especially when the video and power supply lines are near the TPMS.
2. Anti-theft alarms (even those installed by the dealership) have been found to create enough RFI to cause the TPMS to malfunction or lose considerable range. These anti-theft alarms can be difficult to locate, as they are usually hidden somewhere out of the way for reduced accessibility.
3. Many in-vehicle cell phone chargers have been found to cause considerable RFI. The vehicles with the power point closest to the RTM are the most affected. It must be noted that most cell phone chargers do not produce high levels of RFI all the time. This depends on the state of charge of the cell phone battery. The phone battery must be almost completely discharged in some cases.
4. Power supplies and DC/AC inverters typically create a lot of RFI. Most consumer grade equipment has very little filtering or shielding.
Thread Killer
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 199
Likes: 186
From: So Cal
It just started happening to me a few days ago.
My LF tire, exactly the same, it displays --
then it goes away.
then it comes back.
no rhyme or reason.
My truck has after market rims and tires but I bought it that way from the dealer.
I live in So Cal, where the weather is almost always nice. 60's - 70's - 80's. not too cold not too hot
I think I'll go back to the dealer and ask for a new tpms sensor for that tire.
My LF tire, exactly the same, it displays --
then it goes away.
then it comes back.
no rhyme or reason.
My truck has after market rims and tires but I bought it that way from the dealer.
I live in So Cal, where the weather is almost always nice. 60's - 70's - 80's. not too cold not too hot
I think I'll go back to the dealer and ask for a new tpms sensor for that tire.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,134
Likes: 402
From: Rocky Top
Quick update. I got my new Motorcraft sensors in the mail a couple of days ago and ironically the error hasn't recurred in over a week. I am still going to change them for peace of mind but if no more errors, I will wait till my first rotation and get them swapped then.