# TPMS sensor matching



## oldman2 (May 16, 2011)

When using the TPMS sensor matching process can letting air out of the tire at the proper time instead of using the relearn tool work. This method is used by my Malibu but the Cruze manual only says to use the relearn tool.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...from page 10-52 *Vehicle Care* of the "Cruze Owners Manual":

*TPMS Sensor Matching*
*Process*
Each TPMS sensor has a unique
identification code. The identification
code needs to be matched to a new
tire/wheel position after rotating the
tires or replacing one or more of the
TPMS sensors. The TPMS sensor
matching process should also be
performed after replacing a spare
tire with a road tire containing the
TPMS sensor. The malfunction light
and the DIC message should go
off at the next ignition cycle. The
sensors are matched to the tire/
wheel positions, using a TPMS
relearn tool, in the following order:
driver side front tire, passenger side
front tire, passenger side rear tire,
and driver side rear. See your
dealer for service or to purchase a
relearn tool.
There are two minutes to match
the first tire/wheel position, and
five minutes overall to match all
four tire/wheel positions. If it takes
longer, the matching process stops
and must be restarted.
The TPMS sensor matching
process is:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN with
the engine off.
3. Use the MENU button to select
the Vehicle Information menu
in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
4. Use the thumbwheel to scroll to
the Tire Pressure menu item
screen.
5. Press the SET/CLR button to
begin the sensor matching
process.
A message requesting
acceptance of the process
should display.
6. Press the SET/CLR button again
to confirm the selection.
The horn sounds twice to signal
the receiver is in relearn mode
and the TIRE LEARNING
ACTIVE message displays on
the DIC screen.
7. Start with the driver side
front tire.
8. Place the relearn tool against
the tire sidewall, near the valve
stem. Then press the button
to activate the TPMS sensor.
A horn chirp confirms that the
sensor identification code has
been matched to this tire and
wheel position.
9. Proceed to the passenger
side front tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 8.
10. Proceed to the passenger
side rear tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 8.
11. Proceed to the driver side rear
tire, and repeat the procedure
in Step 8. The horn sounds two
times to indicate the sensor
identification code has been
matched to the driver side rear
tire, and the TPMS sensor
matching process is no longer
active. The TIRE LEARNING
ACTIVE message on the DIC
display screen goes off.
12. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
13. Set all four tires to the
recommended air pressure
level as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information label.​


...or, simply take your car to a "nice" tireshop and ask them to use one of their "magic" tools to do the samething in a fraction of the time.


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## oldman2 (May 16, 2011)

My question on the subject is can you let air out of the tire instead of using the relearn tool. On the Malibu they state in the owners manual letting air out of the tire or using the relearn tool works. The Malibu manual states you can activate the tire sensor by increasing or decreasing the tire pressure for about eight seconds.


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## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

oldman2 said:


> My question on the subject is can you let air out of the tire instead of using the relearn tool. On the Malibu they state in the owners manual letting air out of the tire or using the relearn tool works. The Malibu manual states you can activate the tire sensor by increasing or decreasing the tire pressure for about eight seconds.


You absolutely can use the pressure change method to re-learn the TPMS sensors.


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## 72buickgs (Mar 20, 2011)

fortunately, or unfortunately, our LS has only regular valve stems.


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

I tried the relearn process by inflating and letting air out but it refused to learn all four so I had to take it to the dealer


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## crystal red cruze (Apr 11, 2011)

*Tire Rotation*



TSURacing said:


> You absolutely can use the pressure change method to re-learn the TPMS sensors.


 I will try this method of deflating the tire when I rotate.
I hope it works. This sucks to have to take back to the dealer for rotation.

Is there an aftermarket tool out there for purchase? 

Do you rotate tire & then deflate? I assume for each tire.


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## brulaz (Aug 6, 2011)

The aftermarket tools I've seen have been around $250.
Not sure why Chevy went with this new system. 
I like tpms but this is a rip-off.


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## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

crystal red cruze said:


> I will try this method of deflating the tire when I rotate.
> I hope it works. This sucks to have to take back to the dealer for rotation.
> 
> Is there an aftermarket tool out there for purchase?
> ...


Yes, get them into their final position, then do the re-learn process. You have to inflate/deflate the tires in the proper order for it to work correctly. Some times you have to sit there lettign the air out a little longer than youd expect, but it does work.


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## indigo (Feb 25, 2011)

TSURacing said:


> Yes, get them into their final position, then do the re-learn process. You have to inflate/deflate the tires in the proper order for it to work correctly. Some times you have to sit there lettign the air out a little longer than youd expect, but it does work.


This, just had to redo mine using the deflating method -- was pissing off the neighbors with all the honking, but worked just fine -- I find you end up letting out quite a bit of air ~5-10psi, but it's also kind of dependent on how quickly the system refreshes so some tires it was really quick, others it took awhile. I think the manual says up to 30 seconds.


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## crystal red cruze (Apr 11, 2011)

Ok , so during the TPMS re-learn procedure it says place the re-learn tool next to the valve stem, I should instead deflate about 10 lbs then refill with air? 
If this works thanks for the info.


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## crystal red cruze (Apr 11, 2011)

Thanks for the info. I will try this method. Hate to buy a $250.00 tool just to rotate.


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## indigo (Feb 25, 2011)

crystal red cruze said:


> Thanks for the info. I will try this method. Hate to buy a $250.00 tool just to rotate.


Follow what is in the manual, it specifically states this is an alternative to the tool and works just fine.


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

There is an ongoing thread in the General forum about this, so I am cross-posting this here as an FYI. The current manual online only mentions using a relearn tool, but the earlier manual offered the alternative method.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Bumping this for those installing winter tires with TPMS sensors.

The procedure worked as advertised on my 2012. The winter wheels with their new TPMS sensors were learned correctly by following the procedure outlined in the first post.


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## jpeloke (May 26, 2011)

Just finished rotating my wheels/tires and completed the rematch with the instructions in the owners manual and deflating the tires. Worked like a charm on my 11 Eco. I pumped the tires up to about 45 then deflated slowly. after hearing the 2 horn heaps I adjusted to the factory recommended 35. What did we do before forum's?

thanks
John


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## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

+1 Just did mine too. Outside of the horn startling the crap out of me when I was doing the first wheel, it went perfectly.


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## rlw_1224 (Nov 1, 2011)

So I just rotated the tires for the first time on my '12 LT. Once I was done i put the car in relearn mode and slowly let air out of the driver side front tire. Never heard the horn beep. The pressure got down to 20 psi! I over inflated the tire back to 41 and started the process again.... still no horn beep! I literally tried 5 times then said piss on it. Anyone else absolutely not been able to get this to work by slowly letting air out?


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...here's prior posting about a lower cost ($62) alternative TPMS tool:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/12-w...pms-new-tool-only-62-manual-relearn-gone.html


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## mountainmax159 (Apr 18, 2011)

just put new wheels on car yesterday with new sensors, Put the system in relearn mode horn honked 2 times,Had the tires at 40 psi.Started on the driver front started letting air out, took to about 30 psi then horn would honk worked fine on my car


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## rlw_1224 (Nov 1, 2011)

mountainmax159 said:


> just put new wheels on car yesterday with new sensors, Put the system in relearn mode horn honked 2 times,Had the tires at 40 psi.Started on the driver front started letting air out, took to about 30 psi then horn would honk worked fine on my car


Is yours a '11 or '12?


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

rlw_1224 said:


> So I just rotated the tires for the first time on my '12 LT. Once I was done i put the car in relearn mode and slowly let air out of the driver side front tire. Never heard the horn beep. The pressure got down to 20 psi! I over inflated the tire back to 41 and started the process again.... still no horn beep! I literally tried 5 times then said piss on it. Anyone else absolutely not been able to get this to work by slowly letting air out?


rlw_1224,
Here is the process step by step that you should follow. You are also able to find this information in your owner’s manual starting on page 10-54. If this still does not work, I would suggest that you contact your local dealership and have them look into this for you. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.

The TPMS sensor matching process is:
1. Set the parking brake.

2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN with the engine off.

3. Use the MENU button to select the Vehicle Information menu in the Driver Information Center (DIC).

4. Use the thumbwheel to scroll to the Tire Pressure menu item screen.

5. Press the SET/CLR button to begin the sensor matching process. A message requesting acceptance of he process should display.

6. Press the SET/CLR button again to confirm the selection. The horn sounds twice to signal the receiver is in relearn mode and the TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE message displays on the DIC screen.

7. Start with the driver side front tire.

8. Place the relearn tool against the tire sidewall, near the valve stem. Then press the button to activate the TPMS sensor. A horn chirp confirms that the sensor identification code has been matched to this tire and wheel position.

9. Proceed to the passenger side front tire, and repeat the procedure in Step 8.

10. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat the procedure in Step 8. 

11. Proceed to the driver side rear tire, and repeat the procedure in Step 8. The horn sounds two times to indicate the sensor identification code has been matched to the driver side rear tire, and the TPMS sensor matching process is no longer active. The TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE message on the DIC display screen
goes off. 

12. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF. 

13. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure level as indicated on the Tire and Loading Information label

~Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service 


rlw_1224,


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Stacy, thank you for that post! Now that's customer service!


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

sciphi said:


> Stacy, thank you for that post! Now that's customer service!


sciphi,
You're welcome! I happy that I can be here to assist!
~Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## rlw_1224 (Nov 1, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> rlw_1224,
> Here is the process step by step that you should follow. You are also able to find this information in your owner’s manual starting on page 10-54. If this still does not work, I would suggest that you contact your local dealership and have them look into this for you. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.


Stacy, Thanks for the reply, however that is what it says in the owner's manual (which I read). My problem is I'm trying to perform the procedure by adding/removing air from the tires (as many folks have stated that works) because I do not have a re-learn tool. Has this feature been disabled on the newer model Cruze's?


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

rlw_1224 said:


> Stacy, Thanks for the reply, however that is what it says in the owner's manual (which I read). My problem is I'm trying to perform the procedure by adding/removing air from the tires (as many folks have stated that works) because I do not have a re-learn tool. Has this feature been disabled on the newer model Cruze's?


rlw_1224,
According to my resources this function is not available. I do see that other posters have posted that this procedure does works. I would suggest that if this procedure does not work for you that you take it into the dealership and see if they are able to show you how to properly do this by letting the air out of the tires. I am sorry for this inconvenience to you. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Snuze (Nov 6, 2011)

I want to add a bit of information to this discussion. I have a 2012 LT and got the relearn to work with air pressure. I had seen the thread here and it sounded like mixed results for the 2012 cars, but I decided to try it anyways. My dad was helping me and we sort of stumbled on a method by accident. 

First we tried letting air out, and it got all the way to 23 psi and no dice. In my 09 Cobalt I only ever had to change pressure by 5 psi per wheel. Anyways, we decided to try filling them up, so I put it back in relearn and started adding air, still nothing. Well, I got it up to like 41 psi, so I started letting air out, and suddenly I heard a honk. 

I experimented with the other wheels. The best method seemed to be to let air out from the recommended 35 psi till you were under 30 psi, add air till you were over 40, then let air back out again. 

I hope this works for others.


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## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

You are trying too hard. It is not really a matter of how much pressure or up/down. Its a matter of time and change. You only need to bleed off about 5-10 lbs or so, but it takes time for the system to take all the readings and sort things out. Here is what I do:

Initiate the sequence on the DIC. You will hear two honks letting you know to begin at the driver front wheel.

Go to the driver front wheel and bleed it off for about 15 seconds, then be patient. From the time you start bleeding it takes about 40 seconds before you hear the honk to say move on. You can bleed it down the whole time, but you do not have to.
Then you move clockwise around the car. Again, be patient, as it takes some time for the car to acknowledge the step you are at.
When you complete the process for the driver rear wheel it will honk once to acknowledge that wheel, then twice to tell you the process is complete. At that point you are good to go.

However, mine is an'11. And for soem reason the 11s seem to be more agreeable.


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## ChevyCruzeLTZ (Apr 7, 2011)

Interesting, the service manual for 2011 lists the pressure change method but the manual for 2012 does not.


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## turbocruiser (Sep 10, 2011)

I was unaware of the add/subtract pressure method, until I found a demonstration on Youtube.
I rotated my tires this weekend, tried the method, and it worked fine. I don't know what all the fuss is about. The whole deal from start tro finish, including the rotation, took about an hour.
With the price of gas, and the hastle of going to the dealer or a tire shop, the hour spent was well worth it. I hate anyone working on my car, as they usually screw something up, and cause more problems than they solve. I have had lug nuts cross threaded or over tightened, valve caps left off, and tires inflated wrong. Doing this myself, lets me know it's right.


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## SlvrECObullet (Feb 21, 2012)

I rotated my tires yesterday and hate to say this, the Deflating method did not work on my 2012 ECO. I tried multiple times. So now I have 2 options: 1) Take my car to the dealer and pay $20 dollars to rematch the TPMS or 2) invest in the tool myself and in the long run save money.... I think option 2 is the best.


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

why is everyone so worried about resetting it in the first place. is everyone checking their tire pressure using the dic before they drive?? if you dont relearn the tires and there is a problem with a tire, wouldnt it just show the wrong tire. wounldnt you get out of your car and look at all the tires and see whats up?? wouldnt you notice the car driving different with a low or flat tire. i put "summer" after market rimms on my 07 tahoe and i saved the 400 bucks they wanted to charge me to add tpms. i can live with the little tire light on for 7 months.


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## cruzers (Dec 13, 2010)

https://gmspecialservicetools.spx.com/ToolDetails.aspx?id=5677

This tool works like a charm! 3 tire rotation and it's paid off. Super easy to use.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Are tpms compatible with other wheels/tires? If I get after market wheels, will I need to get different ones?


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...you'll need the GM "in-the-wheel" sensors to be compatible, but you can get used ones at Junk Yards...just verify the P/N's and compatibility.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Thanks cuda but how about transferring the ones I currently have on my stockies over to after market?


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I tried the deflation method to retrain my sensors yesterday and it was a big failure. The horn beeped on the first tire but nothing on the second and when I looked at the dash it said "Service Tire Pressure Monitoring System". I tried it a second time and I couldn't even get it to beep for the first tire. All the readings were solid dashes. I had to take it to the dealer and get them to reset it with the tool.


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## jfischer (Sep 17, 2011)

I did mine this weekend (2012 1LT) using the deflation method, worked fine. Initiated the relearn process, then did all 4 tires until the horn honked. When I finished the final tire, it honked twice and said it was done. Couldn't be easier and took less than 5 minutes. Took longer to air up the tires again


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## SlvrECObullet (Feb 21, 2012)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...here's prior posting about a lower cost ($62) alternative TPMS tool:
> 
> http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/12-w...pms-new-tool-only-62-manual-relearn-gone.html


Just my tool on order so I can get my **** tpms rematched. The dealer wants to charge $20 dollors so guess this will be a great investment.


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## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

Hmm my 2011 does this fine, cant seem to get my 2012 to corporate.


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## devzorg (Jul 29, 2012)

Helo
Anybody can tell me what i need to set up but sensors that TPMS will works with sensors on my Cruze Russian manufactured?
Is any adapters are needs or firmware upgrade?


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## MyShibbyEco (Jan 21, 2012)

I just rotated my tires on my 2012 Eco and the tire deflation method worked just fine. I pumped the tires up to 50psi and let them out until it honked, which brought them down to about 25psi each. If you try this at 40psi it might not work.


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