Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) do exactly what their name implies: they monitor tire pressures at each wheel and illuminate a dashboard warning to alert motorists about underinflation of one or more tires.

In direct monitoring systems, a pressure sensor at each wheel transmits pressure data wirelessly to a TPMS control module. Each sensor contains its own battery powered radio-frequency (RF) transmitter.

Common reasons for replacing TPMS wheel sensors include:

• a dead sensor battery

• sensor damage caused by a road hazard

• sensor damage caused when a tire is removed from the rim for wheel or tire service.

• sensor failure caused by age, heat, and vibration