If you haven’t already seen it on the homepage of Yahoo, this is evidently the new universal warning symbol for low tire pressure.  Personally, I have seen the warning light before on my stepdad’s minivan, however even after occurred some time ago, seeing it today, I didn’t put two and two together immediately.  Apparently, one in three drivers didn’t recognize the symbol, according to Schrader, a company that makes the tire pressure monitoring system.

The warning for the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) lights up when one or more of your vehicle’s tires is 25% below the manufacturer’s recommended pressure.  The system has been required on all vehicles starting with the 2008 model year.

The issue here seems to be that the public hasn’t been properly educated on the warning symbol, which is supposed to be “idiot proof” and understandable across a wide variety of cultures and languages.  Clearly that’s just not the case yet because 46% of drivers couldn’t figure out that the icon represents a tire and 14% thought the symbol represented another problem with the vehicle entirely, according to Schrader.  At least I’m not the only one who wasn’t completely alerted when I first glanced at the symbol!

Of course properly inflated tires are not only helpful for better gas mileage, but most importantly for your safety.  Low pressure will affect your braking, acceleration, stability, cornering and fuel economy.  The government instituted the TPMS mandate after the Bridgestone/Firestone tire failures on the Ford Explorer in 2000, a controversy that was partly attributed to inadequately inflated tires.

Tags: Auto Parts, Automobile Safety, Maintenance and Repair // Add Comment »