I'm about to buy some new tires for my 2018 with 25k miles on it. I have no idea how long the tire pressure sensor batteries last. Should I replace them when I buy new tires, or is there plenty of life left in them?
Your good for a while yet! My 2010 Altima went 10 1/2 yrs with no issues. And my 2014 Frontier, put in service in late 2013 no issues with the sensors, and is still going strong at 109k miles. So unless one fails, your good for a while!
There is a service kit that they recommend every time you change tires. O-ring and valve cores. Mine are original and they still seal fine, on 2006 TPMS that have dead batteries, so I do not think they are needed.
Its published that sensors should last 5-7 years. Mt '15 xterra just started dying this past winter, my '14 frontier are still going strong.
If you park out in the cold, they dont last as long. Garage it, get more time.
That said, tpms is a pita. And it has no impact on any other system.
I do all my tire stuff at Costco. My 2009 NIssan Maxima has one or more TPMS sensors die due to battery. No worries, give Costco $250 and they will change them all out. Today I found out at Costco that the sensor for my car is no longer being manufactured. I must find another solution which probably means the dealer and probably $500.
The message is the long term support for these sensors is not what you would expect from a mission critical item. Digging deeper, these sensors are just a PITA so we should learn to live with the yellow icon.
I wish all auto manufacturers would use indirect TPMS like some Fords, Hondas and Mazdas. Indirect TPMS uses the ABS wheel speed sensors to calculate rotations of each wheel. If a tire rotates more than 3% faster from the baseline value, TPMS assumes the tire is low and triggers the light.
The tires use standard rubber/plastic valve stems, and the baseline values can be easily set by pressing the TPMS-Set button or menu option and driving until the light turns off (usually about 5 miles).
It's great for summer/winter tire swap-outs, or off road tires that require lower pressure than the door sticker recommends.
TPMS compatibility question
So I have a 2012 Frontier and bought OEM used Tires/Wheels that came off a 2019 Frontier . The tires were balanced and mounted but I am having trouble with the TPMS relearn process.
I reset the computer by grounding out then drove for 5-10 minutes but the light was still blinking and did not disappear as I was hoping.
I plan to go back to the tire shop that mounted the them. They use a tool for resetting TPMS . The tool is very inexpensive (around 10 bucks at amazon) but before i buy I try it myself
want to be clear that he 2019 sensors are not having compatibility issues with a 2012 model frontier .
TPMS compatibility question
So I have a 2012 Frontier and bought OEM used Tires/Wheels that came off a 2019 Frontier . The tires were balanced and mounted but I am having trouble with the TPMS relearn process.
I reset the computer by grounding out then drove for 5-10 minutes but the light was still blinking and did not disappear as I was hoping.
I plan to go back to the tire shop that mounted the them. They use a tool for resetting TPMS . The tool is very inexpensive (around 10 bucks at amazon) but before i buy I try it myself
want to be clear that he 2019 sensors are not having compatibility issues with a 2012 model frontier .
They 2012 and 2019 Frontiers both use 315 mhz TPMS sensors, so they should work fine. One thing about doing an ID register procedure using the manual TPMS procedure: you have to adjust the tire pressures accordingly before you take your drive to relearn the sensors: Left-front @ 36 PSI, right-front @ 33 PSI, right-rear @ 30 PSI and left-rear @ 27 PSI. Personally, I think it's a whole lot easier to use the TPMS trigger tool, in which case you would not have to mess with the tire pressures. Once in ID register mode, you go to the left-front tire and hold the trigger tool by the tire, near the TPMS sensor, and push the button on the tool. The exterior lights should flash if the ID for the sensor was registered. Continue the process to the right-front, right-rear and left-rear (making sure the exterior lights flash at each wheel when programming) and then turn the key off when done.
@erturne if it were me at 3 years, I'd probably rick is and just have the shop do the o-ring and valve core "rebuild kit".
To others, I grabbed a set off amazon and they work fine. I had Discount tire mount used tires on used wheels for me with the new sensors. Initially the light was off, but came on. I went back in, the guy at the tire shop had to use two different scan tools in order to get the light to turn off. He said it happens, not a single worry.
My 2009 Lexus RX 350 (actually 13 years old) still has the original sensors and working just fine. The TPMS light is on on our newly-acquired 2006 Frontier, but our mechanic says the tires are shot. About to have them replaced and have the sensor batteries checked at the same time.