Relaced a broken TPMS now traction control is messed up

90

Asked by SandyDev Nov 25, 2012 at 09:16 AM about the 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix Base

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I had 2 snow tires installed, a broken tpms on one was found and replaced, now my car will not accelerate to
hwy speeds unless I hit the button to disable the traction control. Could this be because the shop did not
calibrate the new sensor yet (they couldn't find the original door lock remote at the time to use for resetting, they
said bring it back to be calibrated when I find the remote, which I now have) or could the new sensor (an OE
one) be faulty?  Actually, will a defective or uncalibrated tpms affect the traction control on my car?  I take the car
back to the shop in 2 days (with my door lock remote) to have it calibrated.  Keep your replys in laymans terms
as I am a non mechanical female.  Additional info: the first 2 days after the tires were changed the tpms light
was on, then it went out, all dash displays returned to normal so I thought it just reset itself...then I noticed the
traction control issue on the hwy.

15 Answers

Forgive me please, what is TPMS? And you don't have to qualify your question with "I am female.." that has nothing to do with it. I know plenty of men that don't know shit from shinola about cars. Like this! I should know what TPMS is. You will need that traction control if you live, as you obviously do, where there is lots of snow and ice

1 people found this helpful.
90

tire pressure monitor system...there is one on each rim of my car to indicate low tire pressure. I should have said "I am a non mechanical person"...but still a very intelligent one!

1 people found this helpful.
18,675

If it is not calibrated properly, the traction control could very well limit the speed of the car since the system things you have one tire that is dangerously underinflated.

2 people found this helpful.
90

Yes I definitely want to keep the traction control working properly! I am getting conflicting reports. Some say the tpsm if not working properly will not affect the traction control system while others say it will not...confusing

1 people found this helpful.
90

ok Michael...so if the shop finally reprograms it tomorrow to acknowledge the new sensor they installed, that may make things works properly?

3 people found this helpful.
90

and does it make sense that the reprogramming is done with my old door lock remote? (I had a new car starter installed when I got the car as it did not come with one)

1 people found this helpful.
4,955

yes sometimes there is a' reset instruction' in the owners manual, try that it might do the trick, tps uses the brakes and that can slow down the car and cause excessive wear and tear

1 people found this helpful.
90

Thank you for your answers...much appreciated! I'm hoping that tomorrow when they re calibrate it that the traction control will problem will be fixed. My car only came with a mickey mouse tire with no sensor.

69,015

You got two new tires, and if the other two tires that weren't replaced are a different size than the new ones the vehicles front wheel speed sensors will show a different speed than the rear. If the front tires are shorter than the rear, then the car will believe the front wheels are spinning faster making the vehicle think there is a low traction situation. In the event of a low traction situation the traction control system will tell the engine control module to reduce power to the engine to prevent a spin out. 4 cylinder cars usually have the transmission up shift but the 6+cylinder cars shut off fuel injectors before upshifting in an attempt to reduce engine power. The only reason the abs light doesn't come on all the time in a case like this is because all 4 wheel speed sensors are giving an output. Your car won't hit highway speeds because it doesn't have the "power to". Also if your cars warning system wasn't going crazy telling you that one of its tires was low before the tire shop visit, then the tire shop broke your tpms sensor. There is a certain way to remove the tires on a car with these sensors and if you don't do it that way then you will bust a sensor every time.

4 people found this helpful.
69,015

And the tpms sensors have NOTHING to do with the traction control on your vehicle.

3 people found this helpful.
90

Thank you John for the info! The 2 new tires are identical to the other 2 on the car and yes prior to having them installing my car was warning me to check left rear tire pressure. On inspection it was obvious the sensor was corroding away badly so I knew it had to be replaced. There is so much conflicting info as to whether or not the tpms will affect the traction control on my car or not. Some mechanics tell me yes, certainly and some say no way. The car will be at the shop for re calibrating today of the new sensor so then I will hit the hwy to see what happens with the traction control. If it is still messed up I guess it will be going back to the garage...so very frustrating!

2 people found this helpful.
69,015

The only way i could see it affecting the traction control is with what Michael said. The only reason I didn't take it into account was because you stated the issue started with the new tires and I don't see a difference between a broken tpms sensor and missin one. In one hand you have a sensor reading 0 and in the other you have nothing. The new tire thing still lingers in my mind though. Here is the scenario and a common one at that. Most tire shops will either have the original tire size in their computer or they will just check the door jam sticker for the tire size. They don't always have that size in stock and will sell 4 that are very close to the original size because they won't hurt a single thing since all 4 are being replaced. Next owner or even the unsuspecting original owner, due to lack of information from previous shop, goes to purchase 2 new ones and the shop follows that same procedure. This shop has them in stock and without checking throw them on. That's the first thing that popped into my head before I even finished reading your issue and was still there at the end. @Daniel the only way hydraulic brakes can be apllied is through the brake pedal. The only thing the abs does is release pressure, it can't build it. If you spin tires then lock them up with the brakes you would only make matters worse.

2 people found this helpful.
90

Okay...the tires are 100% identical, all 4 of them. The air pressure is exact in all four of them as well. I located & repaired the original door lock remote, took it to the shop & they re calibrated it to recognize the 1 new tps that was replaced. Back to the drawing board once again...sigh! Every time I go on the hwy, as soon as my car reaches 100 km give or take, it has no more power, I cannot go any faster. On the dash display it reads "traction control in use".(dry pavement). I have to hit the button between the 2 front seats to turn the traction control off and then my car will accelerate to my desired speed. I really don't won't to take my car to our dealer as they are not recognized for being very competent but I think I'm going to have to. We will be having lots of snow and bad roads very soon and I really need my traction control...gah!!

1 people found this helpful.
15

traction control and tire pressure sensors are two different systems. Traction control uses a slotted ring and magnet sensor on the wheel hub that will give a square wave signal corresponding to wheel speed. When all four wheels are compared, and allowed for inflation errors and steering differences, a larger errror means wheel spin and the traction control routine is employed (sometimes cuts power, sometimes applies brake). The TPMS only measures tire pressure and does not measure any speed. The tire rotation allows the signal to work, which is why you don't pick up the spare or the car next to you. If you put on a no-TPMS tire onto the car, you may get an inflation warning / tire not found warning but it should not affect highway speed. I would guess you have a weak pickup or a bit of metal stuck to the magnet (maybe picked up in the shop), and at highway speeds the signal becomes so small that the Traction thinks it has wheel spin and it cuts the power. It is possible that you may have a wheel bearing issue, which sometimes inlcudes the slotted ring.

1 people found this helpful.

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