Principles of Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2011 Ford Pickup, 2011 Ford F550 Super Duty, 2011 Ford F450 Super Duty, and 2011 Ford Cab & Chassis. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) module monitors the air pressure of all 4 road tires. The wheel-mounted tire pressure sensors transmit signals via radio frequency to the TPM module. The TPM module is a radio receiver that collects the tire air pressure data from the tire pressure sensors. The TPMS sensor radio transmissions are sent once approximately every 60 seconds when the vehicle speed exceeds 32 km/h (20 mph). The data is then sent to the Body Control Module (BCM) where a predetermined pass/fail criteria is applied. The BCM compares each TPMS sensor transmission against a low-pressure limit. If it has been determined that the tire pressure has fallen below this limit, the BCM communicates this on the vehicle communication bus to the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC). The IPC then illuminates the TPMS indicator and displays the appropriate message(s) in the message center.