The tire pressure light comes on in your dash, but the tires look fine, so you’re not sure how worried to be.
The Mazda tire pressure light means at least one tire is low on air. If it flashes for about a minute when you start the car and then stays on, the system itself has a problem. Slow down, avoid hard braking, and fill each tire to the pressure on the label on the driver’s door frame.
What does the Mazda tire pressure light mean?
The light comes on when your Mazda’s tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) detects that one or more tires are low. The cause can be as ordinary as a cold night or a slow loss of air, or as serious as a puncture.
| What you notice | What it can suggest | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| The light comes on and stays on, sometimes with a beep. | At least one tire is low on air. | Slow down, check all four tires when they’re cold, and fill them to the pressure on the driver’s door label. |
| The light came on after a cold night or a cold front. | Cold air lowers tire pressure. | Fill the tires to the label pressure. The light can stay on until you do, even after it warms up. |
| The light came back on after you filled the tires. | A tire may have a puncture. | Have the tire inspected. |
| The light came on after a tire rotation or new tires. | The system needs to be set up again for the new tire positions or the new tires. | Bring it in so the system can be set up again. |
| The light flashes for about a minute when you start the car, then stays on. | The system has a problem, and it may not warn you about low pressure. | Bring it in, and check your tire pressures yourself in the meantime. |
Can I keep driving with the Mazda tire pressure light on?
Slow down right away and avoid sudden steering and hard braking. A low tire reduces braking and steering performance at high speeds, and a tire can burst if you keep driving on it.
Stop and check the tires as soon as you can, and fill any low tire to the pressure on the door label. If a tire is flat, or you can’t get the pressure up, don’t keep driving on it. Call us or roadside assistance.
How do I turn off the Mazda tire pressure light?
Start by filling the tires:
- Wait until the tires are cold, which means before you drive. If you fill warm tires to the cold pressure, the light can come back on after they cool. If you had to add air while they were warm, check them again once they’re cold.
- Find the tire pressure label on the driver’s door frame, with the door open.
- Fill all four tires to the pressure on that label.
On newer Mazdas, which show each tire’s pressure on the center display, drive for 3 minutes or longer at about 16 mph or faster if the light doesn’t go out. If it stays on after the tires are filled, a tire may be flat.
On older Mazdas that have a TPMS Set button on the dash, set the system after you fill the tires. Park, apply the parking brake, switch the ignition on, and press and hold the Set button until the light flashes twice and you hear one beep. Press the button only after the tires are at the label pressure. Pressing it first teaches the system the wrong pressures, so it may stay quiet when a tire is low or warn you when the pressures are normal.
If you’re not sure which system your Mazda has, we can set it up for you.
Why does the Mazda tire pressure light come on when the weather changes?
Cold air lowers tire pressure by about 1 psi for every 10 degrees the temperature drops. When a cold front drops Daytona’s temperatures by 30 or 40 degrees overnight, that adds up to 3 or 4 psi, and tires also lose about 1 psi a month on their own. That’s why the light often shows up on the first cold morning of the year.
The light can stay on after it warms back up, so fill the tires to the label pressure instead of waiting for the day to warm.
Heat can cause the opposite problem. Tires get hot quickly on summer pavement, and hot tires read higher than they really are. If you fill hot tires to the label pressure, they can drop below it once they cool, and the light can come on. Fill them before you drive, when they’re cold.
What happens when I bring my Mazda in for a tire pressure light at Daytona Mazda Service Center?
We can check the pressure in all four tires and look for the cause if a tire keeps losing air, like a puncture.
Tire service also affects the system. After a rotation or a tire change, the system needs to be set up again for the new setup, and we can take care of that. If the light is flashing, the system itself has a problem, and we can look into it. To have your tires and the system checked, schedule tire service at Daytona Mazda Service Center.
Mazda Tire Pressure Light Questions in Daytona Beach, FL