US Authority Proposes TPMS System

The US government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially proposed that all new vehicles carry a TPMS. The announcement comes after the NHTSA sent its rule to the Office of Management and Budget on 1 July.

The proposal would require that vehicles show warning lights when any one of the tyres is under inflated by 25 per cent or more. The new rule also stipulates that the pressures of all four tyres must be monitored.

The Federal Regulator said the proposal could cost a total of $1.1 billion (£618 million), based on average sales of 15.7 million new vehicles a year. The organisation also suggested some positive effects including consumer savings of up to $1.7 billion in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs.

Some industry bodies are criticising the new rule. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) officials have said that a 25 per cent drop in tyre pressure “may be insufficient to safely carry a fully loaded vehicle.” “The tyre industry cannot support a tyre pressure monitoring system rule that would permit tires to operate outside of industry standards without warning the driver,” said RMA CEO Donald Shea.

The agency allows 60 days of comment before issuing a final rule. If the ruling is made final, TMPS will be phased between 2005 and 2007, on all new US cars.

Tyre monitoring systems are currently installed on approximately two million US vehicles.