Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) – Overview
Description of operation
The tire pressure monitoring system is able to
detect loss of air in a tire at an early stage and warn
the driver. Because it can only compare the
behavior of the tires with each other, it is not
possible to draw conclusions about the absolute
tire pressure. It is also not possible to monitor the
spare tire pressure. In order for the system to
operate correctly, the tire pressures must be
regularly checked and corrected and the system
subsequently initialized (see below).
The tire pressure monitoring system used here,
depending on the equipment level, is built into the
anti-lock braking system (ABS) as an extra function
and therefore does not have its own sensors.
The ABS module determines the loss of pressure
in the tires by calculation using the wheel speed
sensors of the ABS system. If a tire loses pressure,
its diameter decreases and the speed of the wheel
therefore increases. If the ABS module detects
such a loss in pressure, it sends a signal to the
instrument cluster via the CAN bus and a warning
message is displayed in the driver information
system. The warning threshold depends among
other things on the dimension of the tires being
used, the vehicle operating conditions and the
status at the last initialization. Since neither the
absolute tire pressure nor the position of the tire is
known, after a tire pressure warning the pressure
of all the tires must be checked and the system
re-initialized. If necessary, the cause of the loss of
pressure must be investigated.
Furthermore, regular pressure checks are
necessary. The system must be initialized after a
tire is changed, winter or summer tires fitted, the
pressures corrected or adjusted to suit the vehicle
load. This can be done by the driver using the
driver information system. For further information,
see: Owner’s Manual.
G1001290en2008.50 Kuga8/2011
204-04-5
Wheels and Tires
204-04- 5
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
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FORD KUGA 2011.0MY WORKSHOP REPAIR MANUAL
