I recently bought a 2008 XC90 3.2 in December of last year, and replaced the front tires in kind at a dealer at 42,000 miles. Recently while driving, the message centre flashed "Tire Pressure System Service Required" and the tire icon came on and stayed on. Just to be sure, I checked the tire pressure on all tires, and they were fine(i.e. 36 psi). The message and tire icon have come on and off intermittently over the course of driving it in a week and a half since it started.

Does anyone have an idea of the cause? Possible DIY remedies? Any help is appreciated.

 

Diy, dont think so. Need to be scanned by VOLVO


In florida?

 

I would get the low tire pressure message whenever I would go to the mountains for skiing (Lake Tahoe is at 6500 ft. and we live at 230 ft.). Combination of cold weather and altitude would set it off even though the tire pressure was 36psi. Recently happened on trip to AZ (Grand Canyon area) where it was cold and 7000 ft. Recently replaced OE tires with Good Year Assurance tires and was told by local (Williams AZ) tire guy that he inflates them to 45 psi rather than the 36 per the sticker in the door since they are rated to 51psi max. This got rid of the message right away. Also, ...it seems that any references to re-programming your TPMS system for new or different tires is limited to Canadian models. So,... I would try increasing your psi (check on the max on the tiny printing on the side of the tire) and seeing if the message goes away. Or, have a tire guy disable the sensors on each of the tires.

 

I had sensors put on in November and the Plattsburgh, NY dealer (not a registered Volvo dealer) said "drive it for awhile and the warning light will go off."
It never went off. I spent a LOT of $$ on these devices and think why did I bother? I live 2 hours West of the dealer and plan to return next Saturday......... I think his mechanics don't know what they're doing maybe.

HastingsZ
Potsdam, NY

 

The problem with tire pressure is that if you are in a cold place the air well shrink. And then you ll get the tire presure warning. In the mean time if you are somewhere hot the air will expend then again you ll have the warning error again plus air leaks from tires too. The best thing for this is to put nitrogen in the tire instead which keep the tires in good condition.

 

Tandy - How worn are the back tires compared to the front tires? These 'sensors' (actually the ABS sensors) don't actually measure the tire pressure - they measure wheel speed. If one or two wheels are rotating faster than the others, the system assumes that they have a smaller diameter, hence lower tire pressure. This will set it off. If your rear tires are worn significantly more than the fronts the tread depth will affect the tire diameter causing the problem. It could also be that the ABS sensors need cleaned or replaced, although I have never had that issue on any of my Volvos.

 

These are new snow tires, not worn. They have never been driven in hot weather.I have taken the Volvo back twice so far and the warning light stays on after 24 hours. We tried putting the air pressure up to 38 lbs as the dealer suggested. The sticker on the inside of the door frame suggests 35 lbs.

The dealer in Burlington, VT says it's the law that all cars after 2005 have to have these sensors to pass inspection. My mechanic here in Potsdam says "bunk."

 

From my experiences:
Tire press. Sensor req. On for various reasons:

1.tire sensor doesn't work or broken (u need to replace)

2. Tire distortion (maybe the rear tires need replacement)

3. Short of PPI (this isn't your case)

4. Rims distortion (need replacement)

 

There are two different tire pressure monitor systems. if you have metal valve stems it means you have a sensor inside the wheel. If you have rubber, it means the ABS system is calculating tire rotation at a given speed and notifies when the tire falls out of range.

The most common problem with the TPMS is that the metal stems can pick up corrosion leading to issues and or the batteries fail. The fix is to buy a replacement sensor - just make sure you buy a replacement with the correct transmit frequency. Once in a while there may be a problem with the receiver but the dealer should be able to sort that out. Oh and to replace the in wheel sensor means you need to dismount/remount the tire so some people just wait until they get new tires... Also, check your spare. On some Volvos the TPMS also measures the spare.

 

Not true. Volvo didn't start using ABS to determine a pressure difference until recently (2013 I believe). There are sensors with rubber stems. And they don't monitor the spare (not in the US anyway)

 

the most likely cause is the battery in one of the sensors is dying or dead. the batteries in mine lasted 7-8 years. when I would replace the tires around that time I would get new sensors (they are sealed so you can't replace battery only, and you have to unmounts the tire to replace so best to do it when you are replacing tires anyway). You can get them relatively cheap at rockauto.com.

 

when adjusting tire pressure on later models 2005 up. wait 15 minutes before moving vehicle, then drive for at least 15 miles to allow for computer to reset. recently purchased 2007 XC90. one week later tire system light came on. I adjusted pressure according to volvo specs, did nothing. took to volvo mechanic, he fixed problem and gave me this advice. as of today, no problem.

 

Been there done that.I listen to all types of jabber on this! I went to Costco and had all sensors replaced(about 45 each)problem solved!The batteries last 5-7 years.Dont over think this

 

Just bought a 2007 XC90 with the same problem. New Michelin tires on it still under warranty but indicator always goes on. Pressure is 35-37, battery disconnected and reconnected to reset, and the light just keeps coming back. Given that the tires are relatively new and this is likely a battery or other corrosion problem in the monitor is there are way to bypass it completely? Can I just pull a fuse on the system until it is time to get new tires?

 

Started getting this notification after buying a second set of wheels with new(er) tires. This was after a couple of weeks of having them on the vehicle, so I checked the pressures manually and they were all fine.

I presume this means one or more of the TPMS sensors is bad, and I don't feel like spending the $$ on new sensors plus the cost of dismounting the tires and installing them, so I'd like to just turn off the system. Is this possible?

 

You can't "turn the system off".

Tire pressure system service required - is not the same thing as "low tire pressure". And does not mean that 1 or more sensors are bad.

You don't list (and I have not reviewed your previous posts to figure out) what exact car you have. Post that and perhaps more info will emerge.

For instance - Some cars have an antenna for the sensors that goes bad and that message will pop up (due to a bad antenna) In that case antenna replacement is the solution.

 

Thanks for the quick reply… Just realized I need to edit my signature to include the vehicle details; It’s a 2011 XC90 3.2 AWD.

Figured I would ask about ‘turning it off,’ because some vehicles allow you to enter the software via laptop and “code out” certain functions. Thought this might be possible through VIDA.

Anyway - if it’s not possible I guess I’ll just have to live with the message until I break down and spend the money to investigate a repair.