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TPMS Error - 2011 Touring Elite

41K views 45 replies 31 participants last post by  NCEX-L1986 
#1 ·
I purchased a brand new 2011 Elite in early February 2011. As I drove home from the lot my TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) light came on and stayed on. I immediately drove back to the dealer service center. Initially they thought it was just tire pressure but quickly realized it was an actual error of the TPMS system. One of the techs said he has seen this on one other 2011 Odyssey and that it is triggered by smart cellular phone interference. He told me it would probably happen again if I used my cell phone in the van. So they reset the TPMS error and I turned off my cell and drove for 30 minutes with no issues. So then I turned my cell phone on, and still no issues for another 5 minutes. Then my wife called and at the exact moment my cell phone rang the TPMS went into error again.

So the service center tells me this is something they can't fix. They are waiting for a fix from Honda. When I submitted the case to Honda Corp Customer Care they say that this is not a "known issue" and that they are not actively working on a resolution for it.

My dealer insists that they have sold several Touring Elite's with reports of the same TPMS problem. 6 cases in Evansville, Indiana area. Honda Corp still does not acknowledge the issue. They tell me the dealer service center should be able to repair the issue (likely by replacing the TPMS receiver which connects to the ECU). But my dealer says they refuse to start throwing money at the problem because they believe Honda Corp will eventually acknowledge the problem and provide the best fix.

What shocks me is the lack of reports on the internet about this issue. It makes me wonder if this is really the epidemic that my dealer says it is or if it is a random defect like Honda Corp says it is.

We need for everyone who has the issue to report it at Safercar.gov so the US DOT can put pressure on Honda Corp to acknowledge the issue. I am starting to believe that Honda's answer to the problem will be "do not carry a smart phone into this vehicle - driver or passengers".

Here is the link to the complaint that I have filed:
Complaints - Search Results | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

:nothappy::nothappy::nothappy:
 
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#2 ·
Like I said in the thread on the Low Battery Voltage light coming on frequently for the 2011s, this and the TPMS are "bell and whistles" that we could do without - especially as headaches versus benefits goes.

Expect to see an article on this subject in a future issue of Honda Service News.
 
#3 ·
Do you use a bluetooth device? If you do, then that's probably what's causing the interference since the TPMS uses bluetooth technology to communicate wirelessly.
If you don't use a bluetooth headset, then I suggest you turn OFF the bluetooth connectivity option on your phone. This will prevent the bluetooth signals from being transmitted from your phone and interfering with the TPMS.
 
#4 ·
TPMS Indicator

Okay.. so I literally JUST drove home my new Odyssey from the lot. Brand new, the odometer had 1 mile on it.

About 22 miles into my new car I'm enjoying so much, the TPMS light comes on. I figured it was no big deal. I get home and check my manual, and read that it signals a failure in the Tire pressure monitoring sensor? Seriously? Already? Has anyone experienced this?

The manual suggests to take it to the dealer 'as soon as possible'. It's a shame since that means a 150 mile roundtrip for me...

-Sami
 
#5 ·
Okay.. so I literally JUST drove home my new Odyssey from the lot. Brand new, the odometer had 1 mile on it.

About 22 miles into my new car I'm enjoying so much, the TPMS light comes on. I figured it was no big deal. I get home and check my manual, and read that it signals a failure in the Tire pressure monitoring sensor? Seriously? Already? Has anyone experienced this?

The manual suggests to take it to the dealer 'as soon as possible'. It's a shame since that means a 150 mile roundtrip for me...

-Sami
I had the EXACT same thing... a was litterly a mile or 2 from the dealer on my way home from taking delivery... oh well. I told the salesman and I'm scheduled to take the car back next week. While I don't like it by any means, I'm taking it in stride. ALL things have their issues.
 
#7 ·
The exact same thing happened to me. I drove the Ody off the lot and the TPMS came on. I drove it back to the bay the next day, they checked the tire pressure and told me to come back if the light did not go off. The light is still on. Will have to go back to the dealership on Monday.
 
#11 ·
No harm in Driving with TPMS light on as long as you manually check you tire pressure (like you should be doing anyway) and make sure tires are set properly until you can make it back to dealer for service. Any light that comes on the dash that is amber/orange in color is advisory in nature and won't cause damage to the vehicle if heeded with common sense (ie TPMS light).
 
#12 ·
Same thing here. I've heard unconfirmed stuff (check other forums) that the issue is due to interference between smartphones (maybe the Bluetooth module) and the TPMS receiver. According to these reports, the problem remains unresolved.

I won't know until we switch back to the stock wheels/tires from winters, but I am virtually certain the problem will still exist.
 
#13 ·
Very interesting.

I was coming here to post about the EXACT same thing.

We took delivery of a Touring Elite on Saturday and driving away from the dealer with about 20 something miles on it, the TPMS light went on.

I had an iPhone 4 paired up with the bluetooth while driving.

Did the other people with this problem here have a device paired with their bluetooth?

I haven't taken it into the dealer yet. The dealer was closing when we left on Saturday, closed on Sunday and today is a snow day. Not particularly wanting to drag 5 kids into the dealer...:rollingeyes:
 
#16 ·
Hey all,

I went to the dealership today. Although they told me to reschedule tomorrow, I heard an unconfirmed report that the dealer is supposed to manually trigger the TPMS system in your car before you drive it off the lot. If it isn't configured by the dealer properly, the light will go off. Again, this is all hearsay. I will post again tomorrow to confirm.

I do NOT think this has anything to do with smartphones. Although I did have a bluetooth phone paired at the time, the phone was a crap phone, not a smart phone at all. Even said, (like another member mentioned) a bluetooth signal is a bluetooth signal.. so phone to phone, it should not make a difference.

-Sami
 
#17 ·
the pre-delivery inspection does include checking the tpms sensors and making sure the tire pressure is right.

in the TSB to dealerships about the PDI procedures for the new vans, there's a note that says if the TPMS check procedure isn't performed, the TPMS indicator will come on after driving about 20 minutes.

It'll spit out one of a half dozen dtc's (diagnostic test codes), none of which are elligible for a warranty work ticket (from your dealer to honda) at PDI or shortly after. (essentially, if the PDI isn't done correctly, the dealer can't charge Honda for the time to repair their fault)

If you've got an air pump at home, you can actually calibrate the sensors yourself.

  1. Turn ignition switch to lock (0)
  2. quickly lower the pressure in one tire to 18psi or less (note, unless you release 3psi within 15 seconds the sensors will not initialize)
  3. adjust tire pressure to the cold inflation pressure
  4. repeat steps 2 & 3 for the other three tires.

you'll then need to drive over 20mph to ensure the sensors are operational for the light to turn off.
 
#18 ·
I went to the dealership today. Although they told me to reschedule tomorrow, I heard an unconfirmed report that the dealer is supposed to manually trigger the TPMS system in your car before you drive it off the lot. If it isn't configured by the dealer properly, the light will go off. Again, this is all hearsay. I will post again tomorrow to confirm.
I ended up taking my car into the dealer, 5 kids and all. I didn't buy my car from this dealer and I'm sure they LOVED my temp plates and the big old license plate things from the other dealer. :)
They were more than happy to point out that the other dealer did not complete their PDI properly and that was more than likely the problem. They did whatever it was to reconfigure it and drove it around the block--light is now off. I drove it about 15 minutes home and the light stayed off.

I hope it's as easy of a fix for everybody else too.
 
#20 ·
Just wanted to update, I've driven my car around about 40 miles after having the dealer reset the system or whatever they did and the light has stayed off. So it appears the place I bought it from forgot to do this during the PDI.
 
#21 ·
Dealer Issue

This appears to be a clear example of poor dealer prep. We experienced this problem after delivery and it seems the other posters had this problem after initial delivery.

My dealer indicated the TPMS sensors are "hibernated" during transport and must be activated for delivery. The activation portion is confirmed in the PDI document posted elsewhere on this site. Unfortunately, seems many dealers are cutting corners here and not confirming the sensors have, in fact, been activated. Appears part of the problem is it takes about 20 mins of driving for the sensors to report a lack of communication.

This same issue occured with my mother's new CRV, so it's a widespread Honda issue (different model, different dealer) but easily resolved, assuming they take the time to do it.

Required two trips to the dealer and a total of 175 miles of driving to resolve (two round trips plus 30 miles of dealer driving) to resolve, but it's successfully resolved.
 
#22 ·
Update: I had my car back to the dealer to reset the TPMS. AGAIN, the warning light came back on (2nd time) just miles from the dealer. This time I reset it myself per the instruction on the 1st page of this thread. So far the issue has not returned. I suspect that the dealer was either were not resetting properly OR were over filling the tires. Upon return from the dealer I noticed they put about 40 psi into the tires. When I performed the reset I used 36 psi (per the label on the door jam).
 
#23 ·
No issues with mine, but a lot of good info so far.
 
#24 ·
TPMS Light

Just bought a brand new 2011 Odyssey EX. Light came on after about a 1hr drive. Took it right back. They said they tested all the "electronics." And it went off. Told "it just happens sometimes.", but it's OK to drive. Came on again the next day, went back and they again reset the computer. Were going to call their Tech support. Also told me that the VSA system does not work when this is on (great). Will see if they did the proper PDI testing. That was helpful. Puts a damper on the excitment of getting a new vehicle, especially when they cost so much.
 
#25 ·
Just want to confirm what others have said that this is fact a pre-delivery item. Mine had the same problem. My vehicle came in from a different dealership than will be handling all the service. My service delearship (Jay Honda in Northeast Ohio) did a nice job selling me accessories at 20% off as well.
 
#26 ·
On a related note for Canadian customers; I just picked my van up after having a Honda trailer hitch installed. While at the dealership I asked the service manager about buying a winter set for my 2011 Odyssey and how much it will cost to switch the computer for a second set of TPMS sensors. He said that the Odyssey is the only vehicle to date in Honda's line up that has an "A" and "B" set memory function. It started with the last generation and continues in this one. He says the first time you put on a winter set, they have to register the winter (B) set in the computer and after that when you put them on, the car will recognize them and work automatically.

The only problem is that when a customer takes off his summer set and puts them in the trunk for the ride home, the system gets confused ( 2 different sets in the same car) until you get home and take the summer set out of the back.

I told the manager that I have read on these forums that you need to reprogramme each season. He says that things may be different on the US models, but, in Canada we don`t have to take this extra step. When asked if he was sure, he said = 110% sure!
 
#29 ·
it should be strictly the TPMS light.

the low tire warning light will come on only if the sensors have been activated properly.

You'd think after 4 years of new vehicles having TPMS, that the PDI techs would get this right by now on every vehicle.
:rollingeyes:
 
#31 ·
I just got my 2011 Ody as well, and within a couple of hours my TPMS light came on too.
I do have BT turned on my phone so I can answer/make calls. Kind of a pisser if BT causes this issue. I hope this gets fixed by honda. I'll be bringing it in to get "reset" but that's not even a solution, it'll be a temporary 2 hrs fix.
 
#32 ·
I have the same problem, but i hardly believe the bluetooth causes this, after all my touring is equipped with bluetooth hands free link and bt audio... There is something wrong with the tpms system.
 
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