No car defect - there is a normal amount of wear on your tires after 10K miles, and
one (or more) of the tires are starting to leak air just a little bit - which after 1.5 years and
10K miles is entirely expected.
What's happening is that the TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System) sensors (one in each tire)
are sending info to the car's computer telling it that there is low air in at least one tire.
To the TPMS, "low air" means a drop in air pressure of just a few percent (set by the
manufacturer). A drop in pressure in just one tire will light the dashboard light.
The spare (temporary) tire is not monitored by the TPMS, and typically carries a pressure
of 60 PSI.
According to
http://www.safercar.gov (NHTSA), a normal tire will lose as much as 1.5 PSI
per month as air escapes the tire and rim naturally.
The 2009 Toyota Venza utilizes the "direct" TPMS system (as opposed to the indirect), which is
explained by the Wikipedia article at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TPMSIf you or dealer suspect the TPMS sensor(s) in one or more tires, they can be purchased on the aftermarket from sites like www.rockauto.com, www.carpartsdiscount.com, et.al. After the new TPMS sensor(s) are installed,
you (or your garage),must re-teach the TPMS system its new sensors using the following procedure: (1) let the car sit stationary on its wheels (not lifted) for at least 20 minutes, then
test drive the car for at least 10 minutes at a continuous speed of 15 MPH or greater. During the
test drive, the TPMS dashboard light should go out.
For 2009 Toyota Venza recalls, visit
http://www.autorecalls.us/aut-03/recalls/2009/toyota/venza/index.html
×