Tesla’s TPMS and phone key issues solved – step-by-step solutions (English version)

Introduction

“Tire Pressure Monitoring System Fault –  Pressure sensor fault may clear next drive”. Sound familiar? Have you experienced errors with the tire pressure monitoring system on your Tesla after switching to winter tires? Even more annoyingly, many are also facing issues with the phone key, which no longer allows unlocking the car when nearby. This is extremely frustrating and can mean being unable to access your car, while also receiving error code a222 on the Tesla screen (Pressure sensor fault – VCSEC_a222). Personally, I encountered the tire pressure sensor error after switching to winter tires, and suddenly, I was unable to use my phone as a key, even though it had worked without problems over the past year. We own both a TM3 and a TMY, and this issue was exclusive to our TMY. Both my phone and my wife’s experienced this, yet both still worked with our TM3.

It has been reported that Tesla has altered the update frequency for non-original TPMS sensors, rendering them non-functional, and that Tesla is working on a software update that might resolve the issue. However, there’s a good chance you can fix it right away with this little “hack”. So, if you’ve experienced a TPMS error and that your phone key does not work, then read on….

Pictures of TPMS error (English and Danish)

Can’t get into my Tesla or drive without a key card?

If you’re suddenly unable to enter your car using your phone as key, remember that you can always access the Tesla app and unlock the car from there. Under controls, you can choose start and thus drive the car without a key. This at least enables you to drive the car home if your phone isn’t recognized as a key.

Solutions for TPMS errors and phone key issues

There are several approaches you can try to resolve the problem with the TPMS error and the phone key issue. I’ve listed them in order of simplicity. If you want to try the solution most likely to succeed, especially if you’re also experiencing phone key issues, proceed to number 4.

1. Restart the car

The first thing you should try is to restart the car. On most Tesla models, you need to hold both scroll wheels until the computer restarts. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, move on to step 2.

2. Reset the tire sensors after tire change

Each time you change tires, go into the “Service” menu and, as you can see in the picture below, press reset in the upper right corner. When you press “Reset (called Nulstil in the picture below), you should select the type of tires you switched to, either winter or summer tires. This will reset the TPMS sensors.

3. Remove your phone as a key

If the issue persists after trying the previous solutions, locate your physical key card, as you will need it to remove and then re-add your phone as a key. It may seem odd, but sometimes, these tire changes (or in conjunction with a software update) cause a disruption in Bluetooth communication between the phone and the car.

Navigate to the “Locks” menu. Press the trash can icon next to your phone, and confirm with the key card that you want to remove the phone as a key. Once done, re-add your phone using your Tesla app. Confirm again with the key card. Then, perform step 2 again (to reset TPMS sensors).

4. Delete the Tesla app from your phone and reinstall

If none of the first three solutions have resolved the issue, you will need to completely delete the Tesla app from your phone. When you reinstall the app, you must again allow location access (always), access to Bluetooth etc., and re-add your phone as a key through the Tesla app. After this, reset as you did in conjunction with the tire change (as in step 2). This should resolve both the phone key error and the TPMS sensor issue.

It appears that previous Bluetooth permissions (handshake) have somehow failed, causing your Tesla not to recognize your phone correctly—for unclear reasons, this also affects communication with your tire pressure sensors (TPMS),  which then do not update correctly. In my case, the front two sensors had not signaled for 4-5 days. Following the above steps, the problem was resolved.

5. An extra option – Update your Bluetooth TPMS sensors

One of my readers noted that there indeed is an app that also can address the VCSEC_a222 error (TPMS fault) – tire pressure monitoring system. The app is called “Update TPMS” and can be downloaded from the app store (at least for iPhone). It connects with your sensors, but it requires releasing some air from the tires as the sensors then activates and connects with the app. This way, the firmware in the TPMS Bluetooth sensors can be updated (although not all models are compatible) – but it’s worth a try.

Tom’s experience was that the tire pressure had to be below 2.0 bar before the phone could update the tpms sensors (the app indicates to reduce by 0.4 bar).

Comments and questions?

I would love to hear if you managed to get it to work! You are of course also welcome to ask a question in the comments section if something isn’t working (jump down here). Have a great day 🍀 If things go completely wrong, you can of course always contact Tesla via the phone app.

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