What Causes the Failure of Volkswagen's Indirect Tire Pressure Monitoring System?
2 Answers
The failure of Volkswagen's indirect tire pressure monitoring system is usually caused by issues with the wheel speed sensors or internal poor contact. The indirect tire pressure monitoring system works by comparing the rotational speed differences between tires using the wheel speed sensors of the car's ABS system to monitor tire pressure. The ABS uses the wheel speed sensors to determine if the wheels are locking up, thereby deciding whether to activate the anti-lock braking system. Taking the Santana 2021 1.5L Manual Fashion Edition as an example: its length, width, and height are 4475mm, 1706mm, and 1469mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2603mm. It is equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission and has a top speed of 185 kilometers per hour.
When driving a Volkswagen, I often encountered false alarms from the tire pressure monitoring system. Once on the highway, the dashboard warning light suddenly flashed, startling me into slowing down immediately. After stopping to check, I found all tires were normal with consistent pressure. Later, a mechanic explained that the indirect system relies on ABS sensors to compare tire rotation speeds—if one tire spins faster, the system assumes lower pressure. There are many causes for such faults: the most common is forgetting to reset the system after replacing or repairing a tire, leading to misread speed differences; or mixing old and new tires with uneven wear or size discrepancies triggering false alarms; or sensors getting dirty or damp, causing signal interference and malfunctions. In cold weather, natural pressure drops can confuse the system, increasing false alerts. Try manually resetting the system first—find the tire pressure calibration option in the steering wheel settings and hold it for a few seconds. If the alarm persists, don’t ignore it; get it checked promptly to avoid risks.
