There are various instances in which you may want to make changes to the sensors and warnings in your Ford F-150. The tire pressure sensor may be one of them. Learning how to disable or remove them can be a challenge in some situations.
How do I disable the Ford F-150 tire pressure senor?
There are some restrictions on how you can disable the tire pressure sensor. In some situations, you may be able to get this light to turn off by simply turning the ignition off and on three times in a row. Do this while having your foot on the brake pedal. This may not work in all situations.
When it comes to the TPMS sensors and functions, there is ample frustration and confusion to work through. Here, we’ll talk about several potential options for disabling the tire pressure sensor, including getting rid of them altogether. Make sure you take the time to check out the Ford F-150’s Vehicle History to learn more about your truck.
What is the TPMS System?
Most modern vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system or TPMS. It is a type of electronic sensor that helps to monitor the amount of air pressure inside the tires. One of the key benefits of these systems is that they provide real-time tire pressure information to you as you are driving the car.
If you’ve ever had a flat tire suddenly or a blowout, you may recognize the benefits of this system — it may help you get off the road safely before a blowout actually happens.
These sensors are located inside each of your tires. They are located in the drop center area of the wheel. They should be positioned at about 180 degrees opposite of the valve stem. Each of the sensors is held in place with a band made of steel. The sensors work by generating a radio frequency that emits any time the vehicle is traveling at least 20 miles per hour.
Let’s say your tire pressure starts to fall. This could be from a very small air leak or something much larger. When these sensors detect a problem, they instantly alert you. The Vehicle Security Module receives the radio frequency signals from each of the sensors and then interprets them.
If the tire pressure is outside of the normal range, the system illuminates the low tire pressure warning. This displays on the dashboard so the driver can see it.
What Does it Mean When a Warning Light Comes on the Ford F-150 for Low Tire Pressure?
These types of warnings can happen for various reasons. Most of the time, it means the inflation pressure on at least one of the tires is not accurate. The system recommends that you inflate the tire to the proper pressure.
In some situations, the TPMS will send out flashing signals for about a minute. Then, it will stay on steady.
This could mean one of several problems:
- The TPMS system’s sensor is not working properly.
- The TPMS system did not undergo the right learn procedure.
- There is a problem with communication between the sensors and the Vehicle Safety Module.
- The Vehicle Safety Module is not working properly.
To find out what’s wrong with your F-150, you can use a scan tool to read the codes for the vehicle. These diagnostic tools can read the codes for you in a matter of minutes and tell you what needs to be done.
How to Turn Off the TPMS System
Ford wants you to have the TPMS sensors in place. And, in reality, they should be there for safety reasons. More so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made it illegal for dealerships or other car service providers to disable or remove these sensors from your tires. Most of the time, there’s no real problem with using them.
However, some people develop a problem with the Ford F-150’s tire pressure sensors. The sensors seem to constantly alert, even if the tire pressure reads normally. Using an external tool to measure the pressure shows good quality tire pressure, but the system alerts to it.
When this happens, there may be a few things you can do about it. Remember, your dealership isn’t likely to remove them for you, but there are a few ways around this.
Use a Tool to Turn Them Off
One of the options to consider is to use a program like Forscan to turn them off. It works to delete the TPMS components. Again, this is not something most people should do. Here’s a video that shows you how some people have done this.
This video shows you how to remove the menu related to the TPMS system in your vehicle’s computer.
Some report this has helped them to turn the sensor warning signals off for good. It may not be recommended to do this as it leaves no way for your vehicle to alert you about a tire pressure failure that could lead to an accident.
Remove the TPMS Sensor
Technically, when you remove the TPMS sensor, you are doing so to replace it with a new sensor. You may not have to do that, and you can still get your tires back up and on the vehicle. Here’s a video to help you see how to remove the TPMS sensor from the tires.
In this video, you will learn how to access the tire sensor and then how to remove it. This process requires the use of professional tire removal tools. The sensor is easy to remove once the tire itself is removed.
Keep Up on Your Vehicle’s Maintenance and Needs
No matter what complications you have with your tire pressure monitoring system, you know the value of keeping your truck in good working order. You also may want to check out some of the other features it offers. You can do that by checking your Ford F-150’s model year on Vehicle History.
