Posted on 10/25/2025 7:24:28 AM PDT by Twotone
That annoying low-tire-pressure light could also be an intruder alert.
Hackers have found another way into your car's computer system: where the rubber meets the road.
Thanks to the TREAD Act, every new car since 2008 comes with a tire pressure monitoring system. It's what turns on that annoying low-pressure light we're all familiar with. By monitoring the the air pressure of each tire and alerting the driver when the pressure falls below a certain threshold, you car's TPMS makes you safer. It also makes you a bigger target for hackers.
The problem is that TPMS uses unencrypted radio frequencies for the communication between the tire and the receiver. Hackers can "spoof" these signals, allowing them to send false data to the vehicle’s computer, such as indicating that the tire pressure is higher or lower than it actually is. Takeover
Big deal. You can hack my car and turn on my little pressure light? Annoying, sure. I didn’t think I cared until I learned that your TPMS radio frequency receiver is hooked directly into the car's ECU — the computer that controls everything from fuel injection to exhaust, fuel mix, electricity, engine stats, timing, electric car driveability, and more
What's more, this RF receiver is usually the same receiver that talks to your remote key fob to open the doors and disarm your security system. Compromised safety
So what exactly could a hacker do via your TPMS? More than you might expect.
TPMS hacking can:
Compromise the safety of the vehicle by causing incorrect tire pressure readings, which can lead to accidents or tire blowouts.
Capture data about the vehicle, such as its location and driving habits.
Gain access to other systems within the vehicle, such as the engine or brakes, leading to complete control of the vehicle.
Gauging the risk
So what can you do to keep hackers out? You should be as cautious of your car’s security as you are of public Wi-Fi and keep your vehicle's software up to date. Additionally, be wary of any attempts to physically tamper with your TPMS sensors.
And it can't hurt to have your own dial or digital pressure gauge. If that tire pressure light kicks on and your tires seem fine, check the pressure against the number inside the driver's door. If it it's fine, it could be a sign that your TPMS has been compromised.
Someone hacking into your car this way is unlikely, but if it does happen, it could be a disaster. As vehicles become more connected and rely more on electronic systems, this and other cybersecurity issues are something to keep an eye on.
Buy a couple of old beaters that are in decent shape, teach your kids to work on them.
They are going to be worth their weight in silver, I bet.
I am still looking an old Bronco.
“Thanks to the TREAD Act, every new car since 2008”
I thought I was voting for Republicans.
It's a million times more likely that one of your sensors went bad. That happened to us. Those things aren't cheap, either!
Someone hacking into your car this way is unlikely, but if it does happen, it could be a disaster.
Oh, brother. Today's fear porn. They're going to take your car to top speed and slam you into a bridge abutment?
A lot more likely is Automotive Ransomware: "You want your car back? Send us $2,000 by 6 pm or we brick your car."
“Buy a couple of old beaters that are in decent shape, teach your kids to work on them.”
Cuba del Norte
I regret selling my ‘69 Karmon Ghia. It was a fun car to drive.
I would be amazed if hackers could do that to my 1998 bare bones S10.
Oh, brother. Today’s fear porn.
Then there was the Soccer Mom law that went into effect a year later (2009).
I turned TPMS off on my vehicle.....that “feature” is right up there with auto start stop for being stupid.
I told my mechanic to disconnect it-that and the ‘maintenance required’. Scared me the first time it turned on. Toyota. So I knew there was nothing wrong. I change oil regularly and wait for something bad to happen-seldom does.
A new key to a BMW is $500 + the money to program it. What’s wrong with old style keys? Then there’s the catalytic converters.
Fear porn. Show evidence of TPMS vulnerability in anything besides certain Tesla models and the extent of the atta.
You mean like some government Bricking you car do to speeding, failure to pay a toll, driving to church? Those type of "hacking" issues?
Easy fix.
Check your own tire pressure yourself like we used to do in the old days.
Then you’ll know if you’re getting false readings.
Yes. I admit, I rather like having the system, but if it were an option I would have to choose to voluntarily pay for...I wouldn’t.
My 2019 Subaru has it, and I had a tire with a slow leak they couldn’t seem to fix without replacing the sensor in the tire. So they did that, but the slow leak persisted.
Worse, I kept getting the “Master Caution Light” and the TPMS indicator. They reset the system and upgraded the software, it worked for two days, then stopped working at all.
Bah.
There is only one newfangled option on these new cars I would pay for-the Adaptive Cruise Control, which is great.
All the other stuff is annoying and worthless, and I hate being obliged to pay for it because some politicians thought I should, and car manufacturers think it is even more awesome to make us pay more for useless crap.
“Thanks to the TREAD Act, every new car since 2008 comes with a tire pressure monitoring system“
Added to the list of mandated add ons that drive the price of a car up. Cars could cost 15-20,000 dollars less than they do if it wasn’t for all this BS.
Active TPMS stinks.
You have a transmitter with a battery that’s typically part of the valve stem. Every so often you have to have the tire shop replace the batteries, if not the whole TMPS transmitters, at considerable expense, as it involves removing and remounting the tires.
You can do effective tire pressure monitoring with just the sensing used for anti-lock brakes. The car’s computer(s) monitor tire rotation, and if one gets low, its rotations can be determined to be out of whack and BAM!, you get a warning. No stupid active transmitter and battery involved. Don’t care that it doesn’t tell you the pressure, that’s what a good tire gauge is for.
“Capture data about the vehicle, such as its location and driving habits.”
So “they” could use it to track who is in town for a demonstration?
So “they” could use it to track who accelerates to above the speed limit on the entry ramp so they can zipper into the right lane (instead of entering the right lane at 10-15 mph under the limit and then accelerating once they are on the highway)?
See my post 10.
Anybody that can’t keep up with the pressure in their tires might not ought to be driving in the first place.
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