How Long Does the Battery of a Built-in Tire Pressure Monitor Last?
2 Answers
Built-in tire pressure monitoring batteries typically last 2-3 years. Different brands of tire pressure monitors use different batteries, resulting in varying battery lifespans. Tire pressure monitoring automatically and continuously checks tire pressure while driving, alerting the driver to leaks or low pressure to ensure driving safety. There are three common types of tire pressure monitoring systems: Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring: This system uses pressure sensors installed in each tire to directly measure air pressure. Wireless transmitters send pressure data from inside the tire to a central receiver module, which then displays the pressure for each tire. The system automatically alerts when pressure is too low or there's a leak. Indirect Tire Pressure Monitoring: When a tire's pressure decreases, the vehicle's weight causes that wheel's rolling radius to shrink, making it rotate faster than other wheels. By comparing rotational speed differences between tires, the system monitors pressure. Indirect systems essentially calculate pressure by measuring changes in rolling radius. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS): This combines advantages of both systems, installing direct sensors in two diagonally opposite tires while using a 4-wheel indirect system. Compared to full direct systems, this hybrid approach reduces costs and overcomes the indirect system's inability to detect simultaneous low pressure in multiple tires. However, it still can't provide real-time actual pressure data for all four tires like direct systems can.
My driving experience is that the built-in tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) battery lasts 5 to 10 years, depending on driving frequency and environment. If you're a daily commuter like me who often drives on highways, it might last only 5 to 7 years; occasional drivers might get up to 10 years. Temperature plays a big role—in hot summer cities, high temperatures accelerate battery aging. My car started showing errors after 6 years, and then the sensor failed. Remember to regularly check tire pressure yourself with a pump or have a repair shop inspect it. Otherwise, you won't know about tire issues when the battery dies, which is quite dangerous. When replacing, it's usually the entire sensor that needs to be changed, costing a few hundred bucks—not too expensive. I recommend using it from the start with a new car to avoid future hassles, as safety comes first.
