I have a 2007 EXL and have had an ongoing issue of the TPMS indicator being lit randomly.
The TPMS indicator first lit at about 19k miles. Took it to dealer where first a service writer and then a “technician” explained to me that a lit TPMS indicator meant a tire had low pressure. I explained to them that this was the TPMS indicator not the Low Tire Pressure indicator. They told me both indicators performed effectively the same function. I noticed sitting right on the service desk that of the various Honda brochures displayed, one was on TPMS. I had to show this Honda brochure to these two Honda dealership employees and explain to them that the two indicators are indeed different and do not perform the same function. The “technician” then told the service writer to write it up and they would look at it. Their diagnosis was that the tire pressure was too high (40 psi) in all four tires; their solution was to lower the pressures to 33 on the front and 35 on the rear (even though Honda recommends 35 psi front and rear). Needless to say, their diagnosis and solution were both wrong, the TPMS indicator continued to randomly light.
A few months later (at 25k miles), my wife takes it to another dealer. They said it required a part they would have to order. A week or so later, we arranged for the necessary rides and took in the van the part replaced. Oops, they ordered the wrong part. They had to order the correct part and would call again when it came in. I told them not to bother as there was another dealer that was more convenient since they were closer to my work.
Another few months further along (at 33k miles), I take van into dealer number 3. Their diagnosis dilemma was that according to the trouble codes stored in the TPMS computer, either all four wheel sensors are randomly failing (all at the same time) or the single control unit is bad. After consulting the master techs at Honda, they determine it is more probable that the failure is the single item rather than the four independent items all failing at the same time. (These folks are true analytical geniuses.)
Three weeks later (now at 35k miles), the part is in. Drop off the van at 0700, told it would be ready at lunchtime, get ride to dealership at 1630 to discover van is still in state of disassembly and won’t be complete until next day. Approximately 90 minutes later, I am finally heading home in a little clown-car rental. They got it all back together and I picked up the van the next day. The TPMS indicator illuminated while driving home.
That last entry was about 3 years and 45k miles ago. To this day, the TPMS indicator lights occasionally. I read something in the 2011+ forums that the problem may be related to smartphones. Neither my wife nor myself have a smartphone, but I suppose it is possible we could be getting interference from someone else using one.
The moral of my story is this: If your TPMS indicator is just randomly lit, learn to ignore it. It is not worth the aggravation dealing with the village idiots employed at Honda dealerships. Plus, if you choose to not just totally ignore it, you can make a game of it, when it lights, have everyone guess how long it will stay lit this time.
