Q: What should I know about changing a tire with the TPMS system?

Flat tires happen. That’s why your Accord has a spare tire. You also have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that monitors the air pressure in each tire. If it sees a drop in pressure, it turns on the Low Tire Pressure light in your dash. That’s your signal to pull over and inspect the tire. If it’s punctured, you need to take it off and install the spare.

When changing a tire on a car with a TPMS system, understand that several things will happen.

1. The Low Tire Pressure light will stay on for several miles. This is because the TPMS system cannot monitor the pressure in the spare (it doesn’t have a sensor).

2. After several miles, the Low Tire Pressure light will go out, and the TPMS light will come on. This is also normal.

3. Once you have the spare removed and a new tire (or the old tire repaired) replaced on your vehicle, the TPMS light and/or the Low Tire Pressure light will go out.

Tip

Never use pressurized flat repair products (Fix-a-Flat, for instance) if you have a leaking tire. The liquid will get into the pressure sensor and damage it, meaning you’ll be paying out of pocket for a new one.