Tire Pressure Monitor Recalls: TPMS Failures and Fixes

A tire pressure monitor recall means NHTSA’s records show a vehicle whose tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) may fail to warn the driver of a significantly underinflated tire, most often because of a software error, a threshold set at the wrong pressure or a faulty sensor, and the fix is free. News coverage reports them one at a time; this guide reads all of them in NHTSA’s recall file and sorts them by what failed.

What a TPMS recall is, and the rule behind it

Most TPMS recalls are not about a tire failing. They are compliance recalls: the automaker found that the warning system does not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 138, and NHTSA’s wording is that the vehicles “fail to comply with the requirements” of it. The standard applies to cars, SUVs, pickups and buses up to 10,000 pounds, and it has applied to every such vehicle built since September 1, 2007 (a year later for multistage vehicles). Its core requirement is a timing and a threshold:

“Illuminate a low tire pressure warning telltale not more than 20 minutes after the inflation pressure in one or more of the vehicle’s tires, up to a total of four tires, is equal to or less than either the pressure 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended cold inflation pressure, or the pressure specified in the 3rd column of Table 1 of this standard for the corresponding type of tire, whichever is higher.”49 CFR 571.138, S4.2(a), law.cornell.edu

A second requirement is easy to miss: the system must also warn the driver within 20 minutes of a malfunction of its own (S4.4), and that malfunction light must stay on for as long as the fault exists.

We count recalls NHTSA files under its tire pressure monitoring component that cover a car or light truck in our catalog; trucks, buses, motorhomes and makers outside the catalog (Aston Martin and Ferrari, for example) are not in these totals. Seventeen of the 45 were filed before 2013, and 17 report no repair rate, mostly older records plus the two filed in 2026. Here is who they belong to:

“Repaired” weights each campaign’s reported completion rate by its vehicle count; “not yet repaired” is the matching estimate. A vehicle in several campaigns is counted in each. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Stellantis has the most recalls and Tesla the most vehicles.

Why TPMS recalls happen: six causes

NHTSA’s subject lines say only “TPMS may not illuminate”. The summary underneath says why. We read all 45 and placed each in one group, a judgment on our part where a record mentions two causes:

Source: NHTSA recalls file, retrieved Oct 15, 2026; grouping by PlainVIN from each recall’s summary, consequence and remedy.

The mix has changed. Before 2013 the commonest fault was a threshold set wrong: nine of 17 recalls, such as Toyota’s 11V148, where accessory wheels were fitted without recalibrating the system. Since 2022 software is the main cause (seven of 11). Our software recalls guide covers over-the-air fixes. Software faults also reach the most vehicles, because one release runs on every car that has it: 1.3 million of the 1.76 million.

The biggest TPMS recalls

Tesla (24V935, December 2024). The 2024 Cybertruck, 2017–2025 Model 3 and 2020–2025 Model Y vehicles in this recall, 696,281 in NHTSA’s file, are the largest TPMS recall in this set. NHTSA’s summary says the warning light “may not remain illuminated between drive cycles.” Tesla’s own filing is more specific: it was the system’s malfunction light, not the low-pressure light, and a software release broke the standard’s requirement that the malfunction light stay on for as long as the fault exists. Tesla says it found the problem on November 6, 2024 in compliance tests for non-US markets, and knew of 76 warranty claims, one field report and no collisions or injuries.

“The analysis traced the introduction of the condition to software release 2024.38.3, which inadvertently reset the TPMS warning telltale when the vehicle turned on or awakened from sleep between drive cycles.”Tesla Part 573 report, NHTSA recall 24V-935, static.nhtsa.gov

The repair is a free over-the-air update that Tesla says began reaching cars on or shortly after November 12, 2024, five weeks before the recall was filed, which is why 99.93% show as repaired. The filing lists 694,304 vehicles; NHTSA’s file shows 696,281. See also our EV recalls guide.

Volkswagen and Audi (22V815, October 2022). This recall covers 296,044 2019–2021 vehicles, including the Tiguan, Golf family, Jetta, Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport and the Audi Q3 and A3. NHTSA says the system “may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously.” The dealer software update is 84.39% complete.

Jeep (26V559, September 2026). The newest large one: 201,975 2024–2026 Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee L and 4XE, Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models, plus the 2025 Wagoneer L and 2026 Cherokee. A software error may make the system fail to detect low pressure or fail to light the warning, and dealers update the radio frequency hub software. No repair rate exists yet. News reports round the count to 201,976; the NHTSA file says 201,975.

Nissan and Infiniti (09V393, 2009). This one is regional. NHTSA’s record covers 143,223 2008–2010 vehicles originally sold in or registered in 20 states and Washington, DC, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota, because the nut that secures each sensor “may corrode and potentially crack” where road salt is heavy. The dealer fix was a sturdier nut.

Vehicle descriptions are NHTSA’s own summary wording; “repaired” is the share the manufacturer reports as fixed, and new campaigns start near zero. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Sensors that fail, and a light that cries wolf

Some systems use a battery-powered sensor in each wheel. In 2022 Chrysler recalled the 2022 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 because that battery “may fail prematurely and cause the sensor to become inoperative” (22V504, 52,340 vehicles, 86.45% repaired). NHTSA then described a second danger:

“In addition, a TPMS warning light that is already illuminated from a failed battery sensor will mask an actual tire pressure failure issue.”NHTSA recall record 22V504, Chrysler, nhtsa.gov

A light that is always on tells the driver nothing. Three recalls filed within five days in October 2014 are about exactly that: Land Rover’s 14V618 (28,037 vehicles), Chrysler’s 14V632 (10,390 Town and Country, Grand Caravan and Wrangler vehicles) and 14V633 (23,053 Ram ProMasters) each say the system may fail to learn the location of its sensors while the vehicle is driven, so the light stays on although pressures are within specification, and if a tire then lost air the driver “would not be notified.” Together that is 61,480 vehicles, with repair rates of 70% to 85%.

Other part faults include wrong sensors fitted at the factory (Ram 1500, 19V887; Cadillac CT6, 19V731) and a pinched remote start antenna cable that can stop the light from coming on in 2024–2025 Jeep Wranglers (25V527, 22,906 vehicles, 81.17% repaired), a part with nothing to do with tires. NHTSA’s August 2025 acknowledgment letter for 25V527 listed 78,989 units, while its current file shows 22,906; the two NHTSA documents differ, and we use the file.

Recalls that came back

Two TPMS chains stand out:

Source: NHTSA recall records, retrieved Oct 15, 2026. “Repaired” is the automaker’s figure.

The Lightning is the smaller recall and the sharper lesson: 197 trucks needed the repair redone, and only 60% of those have been. If you buy a car that had a TPMS recall, ask the dealer for proof the repair was completed.

When the placard is wrong, the warning is wrong

The 25% threshold in FMVSS 138 is measured from the pressure printed on the vehicle’s placard. If the placard is wrong, the warning light trips at the wrong pressure, and a separate FMVSS 110 recall can quietly become a TPMS problem. GM’s 26V530 (August 2026; eight 2024–2025 Silverado 2500 and Sierra 2500 trucks with the 20-inch accessory wheel package) says the tire information label “may state the incorrect rear tire pressure, resulting in underinflated tires and preventing the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) from displaying a low tire pressure warning.” Land Rover’s 2020–2021 Range Rover Sport needed both: a TPMS recall (20V585, 11,159 vehicles with 20- to 22-inch wheels) because the “recommended pressure has been set incorrectly in the instrument cluster,” and a label recall (20V586, 1,087 vehicles with 19-inch wheels) because the placard stated incorrect pressures.

Label-only recalls are not in our 45, but they exist, such as Alfa Romeo’s 2017–2024 Giulia and 2021–2024 Stelvio (24V512, 9,037 vehicles), whose placard pressure and size information is incorrect. Our used car inspection checklist covers a tire check and an open-recall check before you buy.

When a blank display hides the TPMS light

The warning light has to be visible to work. Four larger recalls are filed under the instrument cluster and are outside our 45: Toyota’s 25V595 (591,377 vehicles; the panel may fail to display speed, brake and tire pressure warning lights, 49.54% repaired), Kia’s 23V298 (108,936, 91.87%) and 26V046 (42,677, 87.78%), citing FMVSS 101 and 138, and Honda’s 15V668 (35,406 2016 Pilots, 92.43%), where the panel may not light a TPMS warning until the ignition is cycled. See our instrument cluster recalls guide, and car electrical problems for the wider pattern.

What to do if your car has a TPMS recall

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with our VIN decoder. Recalls vary by model year and build date.
2. Do not rely on the light until it is repaired. NHTSA’s records say a TPMS light that fails may leave the driver unaware of low pressure. Check the pressure with a gauge, with the tires cold, against the number on the placard in the door jamb, and check again before long trips. This is general guidance, not a statement from a recall notice.
3. Ask what the fix is. The records here say a software update, recalibration, a new sensor or a new cable, all free under a recall.
4. If it fails again after the repair, or you had a light problem that no recall covers, file a complaint: see our guide to filing a complaint.

Recall figures are PlainVIN’s analysis of NHTSA’s recall files and update when we refresh the data. “Reported repaired” is the automaker’s figure. This guide is general information, not mechanical advice for a specific vehicle; see the official NHTSA recall lookup for your VIN.