Topped up air in tires, now there is a wobble and the tire light is on..

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by adegiulio, Aug 10, 2015.

  1. adegiulio

    adegiulio Junior Member

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    I consider myself a rather handy person with a decent working knowledge of how things work, so this issue really has me pulling my hair out. So then, my 2007 Prius with 130k miles on it was doing fine one day. I pulled in to the garage and realized that I hadn't check the tires' air pressure in a while, and figured it was a good idea. I grab the pressure guage and compressor hose and get to work.They are all pretty close to where I wanted them, so I topped them up and head inside...

    Well, the next time I took it out for a spin, I immediately noticed that the tire pressure light was on. I jump out to inspect everything and don't see a problem, so I drive off. As I get to speed I feel it, a persistent wobble at all speeds.The car doesn't seem to favor one side or the other, but there's definitely a heavy vibration. When accelerating from a stop you can actually see the front wobble back and forth. It's driving me nuts.

    So, to recap, tires seem fine, top up tire air pressure, now tire light is on and there is a wobble. The front drivers side tire is oddly worn down.

    Thoughts? Thank you all
     
    #1 adegiulio, Aug 10, 2015
  2. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Sounds to me like a battery has failed in one of the pressure sensors that are mounted inside the tire on the rim. That would cause the light to come on even if pressures are good.

    As far as the wobble is concerned, I am guessing maybe a bad tire (slipped belt) or possibly a bad wheel bearing. I suspect the oddly worn tire will be the culprit area. You may also have some suspension problems. At 130K, struts are worn heavily and bushings are probably showing age too.

    A good tire shop can help you with the tpms system. FWIW, the batteries cannot be changed in the sensor. You have to replace them if you want to fix it permanently. A cheap fix is some black tape on the dash.

    Best of luck to you,
    Ron (dorunron)
     
    #2 dorunron, Aug 10, 2015
    bisco likes this.
  3. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    So after you topped them up and checked them, did you reset the TPMS? (…just curious, that's all)
     
    #3 WilDavis, Aug 10, 2015
  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    It may be coincidence that all manifested after you checked your tire pressure.
    You say you topped them off then noticed all this the next time you took a spin.

    Well especially the worn tire didn't happen that quickly. Adding pressure may of just been the sand that tipped the bucket as far as symptom manifesting.

    It can be dangerous. So at this point I think you just need to have everything checked out. Oddly worn tire and visible front end instability are things I wouldn't want to drive with.

    The TPMS light and sensor may be related or a separate failure. But yep, at this point I'd just get everything looked at. For your safety and those with you on the road.

    PS.
    I know from old experience that tires can sometimes look OK, but have a problem. I "suddenly" had a vibration with an Honda Accord I use to own, and went and had everything checked out. I was embarrassed when the tech showed me badly worn tires, with belt actually showing. The belt had worn out through the inside side, wasn't visible from the outside, and being young I thought the tires were OK. When in reality, I was lucky to of gotten as far as I did, and get the vibration warning before some major highway speed failure.

    So anyway...you need a good inspection of tires and suspension. That's where I would start.
     
    #4 The Electric Me, Aug 10, 2015
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what brand and model tyre, and how many miles on them?
     
    #5 bisco, Aug 10, 2015
  6. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Could it be an alignment issue? If one tire is worn more than the others, maybe that one's not aligned properly.
     
    #6 hyo silver, Aug 11, 2015
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