Not sure of laws in Tennessee but just a few questions.....
Is that not just for felonies ?
Can’t be upgraded to a felony if a bench warrant was never issued for failure to appear can it ??
This is certainly not a felony. It is at worst a misdemeanor, and more likely it is a civil fine. Nevertheless, most of these things have either a statute of limitations or a statute of repose. The difference between the two is that limitations bars the remedy (the right to bring the action), while repose bars the action itself. As a general proposition, limitations will be subject to tolling and repose won’t. It all depends on how the statutes are written, which is why I can only talk in generalities.