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How to disable TPMS (How to turn off TPMS light)

326K views 197 replies 98 participants last post by  Dr. Dyno 
#1 ·
This is how I disabled the TPMS on my 2009 Rav4. Special thanks to CTScott from YarisWorld:
DIY - Bypassing Tire Pressure Warning System (TPWS / TPMS) - Page 3 - Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site

Its about a 15 minute job without a switch, 20 minute job with a switch.

Tools required:
- Wire cutter
- Electrical tape (or tap wire connectors)
- 16+ gauge wire (optional)
- Bipolar switch (optional)

The TPMS is located behind the passenger glove compartment. You dont have to remove the glove compartment. There is a black panel that easily comes off below the glove compartment. (Directly above the floor mat). Two clips hold it in place. Just press and pull, no tools necessary. Remove the panel and you will see the TPMS device directly above it:


This is what it looked like on my vehicle:


Here is what the connector looked like:








Cut the pink wire from pin #5 and connect the end coming from the vehicle to the red wire in pin #6. Note that the pink wire coming out of the TPMS device is left unconnected.

If using a switch, install switch as diagramed below:


If you want to test the voltage readings here is what I was getting:
Red Wire 6+ volts
Pink Wire 4-8 volts - when TPMS sensors is active on the vehicle
Pink Wire 0 volts - when TPMS sensors are removed from the vehicle

ECU will illuminate the TPMS dashboard light when the Pink Wire reads 0 Volts.


TPMS light illuminated on my dashboard:


TPMS light off 15 minutes later after running this procedure:






Section below is OPTIONAL

Some of the Yaris members took this step a bit further and made the connection within the TPMS device itself (no wire cutting but soldering required).


Another Yaris member made a fancy switch like this:




Just remember to connect the Pink wire to the Red wire!
 
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#2 ·
Nice write-up, solidfish! I especially like that switch mounted in the ecu. Very stealthy!
 
#6 ·
Very nice job. I agree it should be a sticky so whenever I need it, it will be handy. (it's all about me right?) :p
Great idea, I will move it to the Interior forum, and make it a sticky.
 
#34 ·
The only ill effect is that your sensor warning light will never come on. So even if you put your original tires back on and the pressure is low (or too high), the indicator light will not come on.

You will have to check tire pressures manually. Like how we use to do not too long ago... ;)
 
#15 ·
Really dumb question.... What would be the reason for disabling the system? Sorry, this is the first car I have ever had with a tire monitoring system. :oops:

How did I ever drive the last 30 years without it??? Oh, that's right, I checked my tire pressures at regular intervals.:wall
 
#16 ·
It's not a dumb question at all, Dean. For folks like us who live in the South, it doesn't seem to make sense to disable the TPMS. But up in the frozen Nawth, where you may have to switch to snow tires every Winter, the TPMS can be a real PITA! :wall With 2 sets of tires and rims, only one set at a time can be programmed into the system. So while you're riding around on your Summer wheels, everything works fine. But when you change to your Winter wheels, you end up with an annoying TPMS light all the time.
 
#21 ·
Yea, it was just another stupid, knee jerk response to a non existent problem. Since Ford blamed Firestone for the rollover problems the explorer had, then the feds decided to come up with this law. I have no need for it either, and wouldn't care if it stopped working tomorrow. On my Mustang is would bother me unfortunately because it has a light and an information center. If the TPMS doesn't work, then the info center tells you this and will not display any other data until you fix it. Ugh, what a pain.
 
#197 ·
Again, from Wikipedia:

The Firestone and Ford tire controversy of the 1990s saw hundreds of people die in automobile crashes caused by the failure of Firestone tires installed on light trucks made by Ford Motor Company.
Unusually high failure rates of P235/75R15 ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness AT tires installed on the first–generation Ford Explorer and similar vehicles caused crashes that killed 238 people and injured around 500 others in the United States alone; more died in other countries.

Must be one of those world-wide, fatal non-existent problems.

Even if there were no safety implications, TPMS systems increase fuel economy and reduce tire wear which is why the OTR trucking industry has voluntarily adopted the technology.
 
#23 ·
Another method that I came across on another forum is less tecnical and quite interesting. If you are getting new tires mounted, you can take the TPMS sensors off the rims (yes I said off the rims). Then put them into a pressurized capsule and carry that around inside the vehicle. Making the capsule is easy as pie. Just glue up some PVC pipe with the sensors inside and pressurize to between 30-40 PSI. That way you can change tires all you want and the sensors stay in the trunk safe and sound. Some less technical people might like this method better. If you ever need to reinstall them, you just crack open the PVC capsule and reapply the sensors where they belong and sell the vehicle as needed.
 
#35 ·
This will not work.

The sensors run on batteries. To save battery power, they only come on when it senses rotational motion. (There are small gyros in the sensor that picks up the motion and turns it on). Using RF (radio frequency), the car can pickup the sensor readings once it is activated.

If you put the sensors in a pressurized canister, you will have to keep it in motion for it to activate/turn-on.

There is a myth that spare tire sensors cause the TPMS light to come on. The spare tire also needs to be in motion before the sensor activates, therefore its not likely the car is reading the spare tire sensor.
 
#27 ·
Hey Dr. Dyno,

I just read your fix after having cut and attached the pink wire to the red. Is the way I did it potentially dangerous? I could easily put the wires back the way they were, and use your sol'n if it is. For me, resale will not be an issue, and I think tpms is a money-grab, so I'm happy to get rid of all my tpms sensors. My issue is only a potential safety problem.

Thanks for any expert help!
 
#29 ·
Yes your method is fine. In fact testing it is how I came up with mine. With the TPMS ECU plugged in it takes the 12V battery power and generates 5V on the red wire which can safely be applied to the pink wire.

My design goal was no mods to either the ECU or the vehicle's wiring so my brother-in-law could easily do it on his '08 in Alaska. Just gave him two of my 5-pack of 3.3K resistors to save him a stop at Radio Shack in Anchorage on his way home from CT.

I do disagree that pressure monitors are a "money grab." If the display read "see your dealer immediately" I'd agree, but IMO a warning to add air to extend the life of your tires and avoid possible breakdowns or accidents certainly isn't.
 
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#30 · (Edited)
This thread made it very easy to bypass the TPMS, thanks!!! :thumbs_up:


I can see how important TPMS could be to the average person. Some idiots drive around with a tire low on air until the tire fails, and then they freakin sue the tire manufacturer and/or Toyota when their SUV rolls on the highway! Anyone who says TPMS is a "money grab" isn't considering the main purpose of the system and how it could potentially save someone's life. Just because you think it's a pain in the ass to make it work with aftermarket wheels doesn't mean it isn't a worthwile option for others! Toyota's goal is to make the vehicles "safe" for the masses of mindless consumers who never look at their tires until they are about ready to fall off.
 
#37 ·
There is a myth that spare tire sensors cause the TPMS light to come on. The spare tire also needs to be in motion before the sensor activates, therefore its not likely the car is reading the spare tire sensor.
It's no myth on RAV4s with TPMS. A low spare will indeed activate the light while sitting right on the back door. Many folks here including myself have already been through that.
 
#38 ·
Yep, in fact you can test the system by letting air out of the spare and watching the light come on.
 
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#40 ·
Got me laughing on that one Rick! :) And you're very welcome.

I only put the time in to illustrate how easy it was on a RAV4, what with all the project posts about switches :eek: & plastic pipes! :eek: :eek: :eek:

But I'm thinking with some jumping jacks, situps and wind sprints to warm up these 69 year young parts, and starting with an empty glove box, I could maybe knock a few seconds off pretty easy. :thumbs_up:

Ahh but then, I'll just cool it :cool: & wait for someone to break it. No use of raising the bar too high is there? :shrug:
 
#41 ·
Perhaps we could make it the first event in the RAV4 Olympics? To keep it fair, we could divide the event into age divisions so that the youngsters wouldn't be as embarrassed at being bested by some old men...........And, it could make history by being the first event open to both men and women. :thumbs_up:
 
#42 ·
No voltage on Red wire

I'm not getting any voltage on the Red lead (of the wiring harness plug). I am measuring 12.75 volts at the battery.

I have tried with the ignition switch on "ACC", as well as the engine running.

Any ideas on why I can't seem to get any voltage on the red lead?

My vehicle:2009 RAV4 base model
 
#45 · (Edited)
Plugging in the connector did indeed put voltage on the red wire. Thanks, I soldered a wire between the red and pink posts on the ECU and the light stays off!:)
Correct, the ECU drops the 12V input to 5V on the red wire for the TPMS receiver mounted in the rear pillar. Altho your jumper does work by putting the 5V on the pink wire to the gauge cluster, I don't recommend it w/o disconnecting the pin wire from the ECU because you are backfeeding 5v into an ECU output.
 
#52 ·
Mine used to work OK...but something changed and even if 4 tires plus spare are at proper inflation, the light stays on. It probably is a malfunction in a sensor....or the puter needs resetting. I just took the bezel off and put black tape over the light. Oh...and I check pressure now and then.
 
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