Can You Still Drive with a Tire Pressure Monitoring Fault?
4 Answers
Tire pressure monitoring alarm still allows driving, but high-speed driving should be avoided, and the speed should be kept as slow as possible. Find a place to stop and check the cause as soon as possible. Below are the relevant details: 1. Tire pressure monitoring automatically checks the tire pressure in real-time during driving and alerts for tire leaks or low pressure to ensure driving safety. 2. Excessive tire pressure reduces the contact area between the tire and the ground, significantly increasing the pressure and wear per unit area, which can lead to loss of braking control and potential blowouts when encountering road protrusions or depressions. Insufficient tire pressure increases the contact area with the ground, causing abnormal temperature rise inside the tire during driving. Severe deformation of the tire sidewall accelerates aging of internal steel wires and fabric layers, increasing the risk of blowouts, while also raising fuel consumption and reducing tire lifespan.
Whether you can keep driving when the tire pressure monitoring warning light comes on depends on the situation. If the monitoring system is faulty but the tire pressure is actually normal, the car can still be driven, but you won’t notice if a tire loses pressure on the road! Every time this happens, I immediately get out and check all four tires for obvious deflation, then use a tire pressure gauge to measure the actual pressure. If everything reads normal, you can drive to a repair shop at a speed not exceeding 60 km/h. But if a tire is clearly flat, don’t push it! I once saw a neighbor force-drive with a flat tire, which deformed the wheel rim and cost over 4,000 yuan to fix. The most dangerous scenario is when low tire pressure causes excessive bending of the sidewall—this can lead to a blowout at high speeds in minutes. It’s wise to always keep a mechanical tire pressure gauge and an inflator in the trunk for emergencies.
Drive with extra caution when the tire pressure monitoring system malfunctions. While the system failure itself doesn't affect driving, it's as dangerous as driving blindfolded. I've experienced this twice: once when the sensor battery died (the tire was actually fine), and another time when a nail caused slow air leakage but the system failed to alert me promptly. My current practice is to pull over immediately and manually press each tire's sidewall to check for consistent firmness. It's acceptable to move the vehicle short distances to a repair shop, but I never risk driving more than five kilometers. Pay special attention as many modern vehicles no longer carry spare tires, making flats even more troublesome. Last week when my car's monitor gave a false alarm, I still spent thirty minutes thoroughly inspecting all tires before continuing. Remember, abnormal tire conditions cause steering to feel floaty and increase braking distance.
Focus on the actual tire condition! A monitoring fault ≠ a tire problem. I've handled dozens of such cases: 80% were just sensor or receiver malfunctions. After pulling over immediately, do three things: 1. Visually check if the tire is noticeably underinflated; 2. Note the current tire pressure value (many cars display this numerically); 3. Drive at a steady speed to the repair shop, avoiding sharp turns. Be aware that in summer heat, a malfunctioning monitoring system may mask overinflated tires, posing a blowout risk. There was one case where the driver ignored the warning light and continued highway driving, only realizing the issue when the tire wore down to the cord layer. It's recommended to manually check tire pressure monthly with a physical gauge, which is more reliable than electronic systems.
