NHTSA complaint #11748690

Owner complaint summary

My concern is with the tire pressure monitoring system. The vehicle does not show the individual PSI for each tire. Instead, when there is a tire pressure concern, it alerts the driver and instructs the driver to pull over somewhere safe and manually check the tire pressure. The issue became more concerning after one of my tires was replaced with a different tire brand than the other tires. Since then, the vehicle has continued to display a warning message on the dashboard to check the tires. This creates a serious safety issue because if the warning message is already constantly appearing, I may not be properly alerted if there is an actual tire problem, such as a flat tire, dangerously low tire pressure, or another tire failure. The warning becomes less reliable because the driver cannot easily tell whether the alert is due to the existing tire mismatch issue or a new, urgent tire safety problem. This is especially concerning to me as a mother of babies. I frequently drive with my children in the vehicle, and I rely on the vehicle’s safety systems to provide clear and accurate warnings. If the tire pressure system is already giving an ongoing warning, I may not know when there is a real and immediate tire issue that could affect the safety of my children and me while driving. I also believe it is a safety issue that the vehicle requires the driver to pull over and manually check tire pressure instead of displaying the individual tire pressures on the dashboard. Depending on where I am driving, it may not be safe to pull over, especially on a freeway, busy road, poorly lit area, or unsafe location. Having to exit the vehicle to manually check tire pressure can put me and my children at risk. I am requesting that NHTSA review this concern because the TPMS warning system may not provide clear, reliable, and specific information to the driver when a different tire brand has been installed. I believe this could prevent drivers from recognizing an actual tire emergency.