Has anyone gotten an intermittent TPMS malfunction? I had a couple which eventually cleared. Lexus even reached out to me directly about it because they saw the malfunction. I setup an appointment with the dealer and they said they won't fix it because it is working at the time of inspection even if there was a confirmed malfunction. Is this really how Lexus treats a malfunction of safety critical component?

 

The batteries start to fail in those starting around 5 years old

 

I just had this on my 2010 Acura MDX. Assumed it must be weak battery since they are original. Tech did a relearn and everything is now ok. Read where extraneous radio signals can do this. Would be rare for a five year old battery to fail

 

I just had these fail on our Prius at age 13. I think multiple Toyota and Honda models use pretty much the same ones.

 

Yep, Denso. 13 is on the tail of the curve. I expect to lose my X batteries pretty soon.

 

I can understand your frustration with the dealer - and I would challenge them a bit to understand if there is really no investigation they can do, as I do get that it could be impossible to diagnose the issue when it is not occuring. If it is warranty work, they likely need to demonstrate what has failed for reimbursement. If it is not warranty work, do you want them randomly replacing parts hoping it will help?

I am not sure this falls under safety critical. Did you have it towed to the dealer as it was so unsafe to drive?

 

It's probably considered safety critical these days.

 

The TPMS system in ES 350’s is not safety critical. I just went through this with my ‘22 ES F-Sport, cause the dealer wanted to charge me an arm and a leg to install them in new winter tires and wheels in Oct. I declined, went to a reputable tire shop and got the same wheels, hub centric, and better tires (X-Ice Snow) and saved over $1200 CAD. I see the TPMS symbol, but it’s no big deal to me. My all-season 19” factory wheels and tires still have the sensors in them, and are in my garage, so when I change them out in the spring (May), the TPMS light will go away.

 

I have winter wheels & tires with no TPMS. The dash light stays on but I don't care one bit. I ordered the set online and it showed up at my door and I swap my tires semi-annually so yeah TPMS no big deal as long as you look at your tires once in a while LOL to make sure they're not low or flat.

 

I actually look at them every time I get in the car but I don't have winter wheels!