2013 Passat Tire Light Question

5

Asked by volkswagenGrl83 Feb 24, 2015 at 12:21 PM about the Volkswagen Passat

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My tire light came on in late January before a road trip.  We took my car in to the
dealership and they told my husband that my tires were balanced and that they were
noticing that tire lights may or may not turn off on new Volkswagens.  We went on our
marry way- thinking this is ridiculous.  Well, it's now February and my tire is visually
low and my tire light is still on.  We take the car in again, and they tell us that I need a
new tire, they put the spare on for us (not buying a tire at the dealership) and we head
out.  We get new tires and a day after the light turns on again!  Does anyone know
what is going on with the tire light?  Is this an ACTUAL indicator that something is
wrong?  I drive a lot of highway miles with two babies and I have this car for safety,
this light thing is not safe.  Even more mad that they told me it may or may not turn
off.  I called the dealership today to let them know I was in on Saturday and that  my
light turned back on yesterday, Monday, and they told me "well, sometimes the light
needs to be reset TWICE."  I feel like because I am a woman they think I'm dumb.  I'm
not.  This light is not working, and them telling me "it may or may not turn off" is soooo
wrong, and it's a lawsuit waiting to happen (which I told them Saturday).  Do I need to
worry about this light? Because as of now, I'm pretty ticked that a warning light "may
or may not work."  This is my 5th Volkswagen and I've never had trouble with them or
the dealership.  Help please!

1 Answer

45,825

Well to put you at ease the tire light is only a pressure sensor attached to the valve stem in the tire. It is linked to your dash unit to tell you if you need air pressure in the tire. These units are not perfect and can start to malfunction from normal ware or even hitting a pot hole hard enough can jar the sensor and cause it to start giving miss readings. If your car is still covered under warranty go back to the dealer and tell them you would like all the tire pressure sensors replaced under your warranty because you believe them to be faulty and to be causing this problem. that should fix your issue of the warning light. i would recommend looking for the tire pressure rating of your car tires and blowing them up your self tho since my new jetta went in they deflated my tires from the proper winter air pressure i had them set at and i ended up re inflating my tires again after a servicing.. any ways you should find the PSI rating on your tires but there should also be a tire pressure rating chart either inside one of your doors or your gas flap. And i am guessing if your tire wore out it would be there fault since you brought the car in and they told you other wise that it was fine. unproper air pressures can ruin a tire which is why it is important to have them properly inflated usually to the proper psi of the tire chart that comes on the car especially for highway driving. So if i were you i would tell them because of there negligence it cost you a tire and alot of wasted time and you can and legaly have the work done else where and hand them the bill to get your money back its covered in your warranty manual. Try talking directly to the service manager for this since all the service desk people are there for is to smile and make you feel like you know nothing about your vehicle at least thats the impression i get half the time.

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