I got my 2012 truck early last summer, and shortly after buying it I've had the orange pop-up message about "Tire Pressure System Fault". I figure at the age of 7 years old (8 years now), that the original TPMS sensors were on their way out due to battery life / age. I've been fixing numerous smaller issues so the TPMS was low on my priority list and I'm just now getting to it. I called my dealer to verify correct part number and found a set of 4 brand new OEM Motorcraft takeoffs that are less than 2 years old. So I got them ordered and now I need them installed somewhere. My tires are fine so they are not being replaced.

Sam's Club says they will install the TPMS sensors for $5 each, but warn me that there is a chance (50/50 actually) they might not be able to program them correctly, and if that happened that I would have to take them to a dealer. Discount Tire and Hibdon's (a local tire shop chain) both charge $10 per sensor to install, and neither of them mentioned anything about not being sure if the new sensors will program correctly.

Has anyone here ever had any issues with replacing TPMS sensors, specifically with getting bad ones online that don't program? Has anyone here ever had Sam's Club replace their TPMS sensors? How was that experience?

Sam's Club also said they would balance the tires for free, the other places charge $15 per tire.

 

i've never tried used sensors but i got one of these for $15 and it works great. i use it every time i rotate the wheels or change from winter to summer sets.

 

I have bought 5 Ford sensors from ebay for very cheap. One of them turned up bad when Discount installed them. They replaced that one with whatever they carry and they all work. I was already purchasing tires, so installing the sensors was no additional at the time. They didn't even charge me for the one they supplied. That was for a 2nd set of wheels, my factory sensors are all still working.

 

I bought new wheels and tires from Tire Rack in January. I had them mount and balance them and install new TPMS in them and then I picked them up in Delaware and had them put on by a local truck shop. You don't need them programmed at the dealership. They should just need to follow the procedure to get the truck into the proper mode for TPMS reset and use the little programmer. Most shops should have the proper stuff to do it.

 

OEM TPMS sensors are about $45-50 depending on where you look. For me, I’d like to assume their reliability is the best and that’s why I went with them. The problem with the cheaper ones or used, for me anyway, is that is they fail you’re breaking into a tire for a maybe preventable situation.

I could be way wrong any the OE sensors are no better, but it gives me a warm fuzzy, so that’s my main driving factor.

 

The 5 I mentioned above cost me about $10 each. They are Ford and 4/5 worked. I'm happy not paying 4 times as much for the exact same product.

 

Just realized that maybe I should have bought 5. Didn’t think to grab one for the spare? Did Ford put TPMS sensors in the spares?

 

Had my situation been different, I would have tried to source them outside of the tire shop. But my wife took the truck in and I am out the US right now.

 

I run 5 wheels, so needed an extra. With Ford, only the spinning tpms work, so you don't need one in the spare if that is all it is. I don't actually know if they put one in the factory spare. I never used mine. Once the rubber was too old I just recycled it. Reminds me, it's time for a rotate.

 

Ford does not put TPMS sensors in the spares. Only the road tires have the sensors. The purpose ... (excerpted from the owner's manual)
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(owner's manual) Don't have one -OR- would like a digital, searchable desktop document?
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