I know there's a number of posts about this but hoping everyone can bear with me.

I have a 2013 ES350. Awhile back my TPMS indicator starting coming on sporadically and the individual pressure reading for each tire on the display just showed dashes. At first I was able to use the reset button on the underside of the dash and that would fix it for awhile. But then that stopped working.

Now when I start the car, the indicator flashes for awhile, then goes solid and each tire continues to show dashes. I finally took it to my local mechanic (old-school sort) who determined that one of the sensors was bad and replaced it. But the car showed the same symptoms. He thought maybe the main TPMS module or receiver was bad. I was in a bit of a rush and thought it sounded expensive (and I'm a bit strapped for cash at the moment to be honest), so I just let it go.

I have an OBD and the Carista app (free version), and I can see that all of the sensors are working:



For the ECU test though, it shows:



So I'm not sure what's going on. Is that simply a programming issue, that it just doesn't know which sensor is which? I thought that would be something it straightened out on its own after driving a bit. Or is it something else?

As I said, I'm hoping to save some money here and that it's something I can fix myself, or at least what to expect if I take it somewhere else.

Thanks very much for any advice.

 

When your mechanic replaced that one sensor did he "clone" the new sensor to have the same Sensor ID as the one he removed? OR, did he reprogram the car to accept the new sensor ID? (You said he was "old school" so I'd guess neither of these were done). If not, then that's likely the problem. Carista can "read" the IDs from the ODB port but the car's "brain" is looking for a different (original) number if it hasn't been "told" what to look for. For the one that was replaced, it is likely that the battery in the sensor was weakening: they are generally good for 8-10 years and then either the battery or the sensor needs to be replaced. Best to do all 4 at the same time (while doing a seasonal tire change is the best time. You can get aftermarket sensors that can be "programmed" (or "cloned") to match the original IDs so you don't have to keep going back to the dealer twice a year; I use Autel in my winter set with no problems...don't even have to hit the reset button. A good tire shop can do that work for you but for now a trip to the dealer is likely in your future to retrain the car to the new number. And "Yes" I also have the Carista system and it reads ID codes and pressures identical to what the tire shop's Autel hand programmer displays.

 

Not sure I have a clear answer - but at least here are some TIS printouts on the topic.

 

A few more thoughts:

The IDs that you read all have very close values - so most likely those are the original IDs. That means that the sensor that got installed is a cloned one. Often the cloned sensors may have issues with localization (determining which sensors is at what corner). If localization fails you would end up with "---" dashes but NOT the TPMS warning light and would be able to read pressures with Carista.

Since your TPMS light is on this means something else is going on. From my interpretation of the C2177 code it looks like not all sensors where found initially, but were found afterwards. Replacing the TPMS module may be a good place to start. Lucky for you these cars are getting old and TPMS failures are rare - meaning there is oversupply of used TPMS modules. You can get them on ebay for $30. It should be located on the left side c-pillar:

 

If you keep pushing the reset but with a dead sensor the system can go into what is called a closed loop and you will need a special scan tool to get it out of it. Not sure if Carista has that. Biggest problem that people seem to have when relearning TPMS systems without an actual tire scan tool is that after programming you need to drive the vehicle and hope the light turns off. If you have a scan tool generally all you need to do is rescan each sensor and the vehicle ECU will complete the process without having to drive.

Doesn’t your car have 5 sensors?

 

Reset is just to set the current tire pressures as the nominal - at least in a working system. It is possible that if a fault is present then reset will also trigger initialization - that would explain how the OP was able to fix the light by using reset. It will not make the car to learn new sensor IDs.

6th gen ES only uses 4 sensors - at least in the US market.

 

Thanks all, lots of good info.

I had noticed all of the IDs were very close...so like what @NdYAG said, I thought that he must've cloned it, But based on @Tootsall 's post, if he didn't, the "brain" could just be confused?

If it really is a bad TPMS module, then I'd prefer to go the fix-it-myself route that @NdYAG outlines. If I replaced a bad module, would it straighten itself out on its own, or would I have to visit the shop anyway for programming?

Is there any "at home" way to reprogram? I mean an app (paid or not) to tell the system which sensor is which? I was thinking I could identify each by draining 5 lbs of air out of one, using Calisto to see which tire it was, then doing each of the others in turn. If that makes sense.

Thank again.

 

I have just checked TIS - it says you need to reenter sensor IDs after the module replacement. You can do it with Carista or Techstream. Then inflate tires to the correct pressure and hold reset button for a few seconds to store the preferred pressures.

There are instructions on how to remove all the trim to get to the module in TIS - I can share those if you decide to go this route.

 

I wouldn’t change out a module just to see if it solves the problem. I would highly recommend you have someone with the proper scan tools try to relearn them for you. One thing even they might miss though is after relearning the system without turning the car off go around the vehicle again and scan each sensor so that it resends a signal for the ECU to store

 

I do not see how it would be possible for Carista show all four sensors with proper pressure readings if there is an error in programming.

But just to be sure - lower the pressure in all 4 tires one-by-one and monitor redout in Carista.

 

Pretty sure there should be 5 sensors

 

Nope, not on Gen 6. Only 4, none on spare. (This scan taken after a drive on a warm day).

 

Sorry forget the forum has Members from all over the world. I don’t think I’ve seen a California ES without a sensor on the spare but don’t quote me on it

 

Possible although I don’t see the point of having a sensor on the donut; it’s not like you’re going to drive far enough on it to affect mileage!

 

Got it. I assume I'd need the paid version of the Carista app. I don't have Techstream, never thought I 'd use it enough to justify the purchase - although as my car ages...

There's a number of OBD apps out there, all with mixed reviews. Is Carista considered the best, or is there one more suitable for someone like me for minimal personal use? I'm on Android.

Yes, please - thanks very much. Or else I'm off to YouTube...

I'll do this and report back.

And, just to confirm, yes, my ES has only the 4 sensors.