Your tire pressure warning light: What you need to know

 When was the last time you gave your car tires a little TLC? They're a pretty crucial part of your day-to-day performance - if they're not in good condition, you're going nowhere fast. That's why it's important to not only stay on a routine car tire maintenance schedule (checking the PSI, getting tire rotations and balances, getting wheel alignments) but also to know how to troubleshoot. Today we're talking about one of the most apparent signs of trouble with your tires - the tire pressure warning light. 

What does it mean when your tire pressure warning light turns on?

When this light turns on in your dashboard (where all of the other warning lights illuminate), it means that one or more of your tires has low pressure. This may not seem like a big deal; after all, if they don't look flat, you can still drive on them, right? Think again. There are actually some pretty adverse effects that can come out of driving on tires that aren't properly inflated - here are the big ones: 

• Your tires will start to wear unevenly. When your tire(s) is underinflated, it has more surface area because it's a little flatter than it should be. This means more of it is touching the road, so you're going to have wear and tear that's out of the ordinary. An underinflated car tire also throws things out of balance so your other tires may also wear unevenly. Overall, this means you're going to have to replace your tires sooner, running up a pretty big auto service bill. 
• Your fuel efficiency will suffer. Another aspect of your performance that suffers when your car tires are too low is fuel efficiency. If your PSI is too low, it drags down your fuel economy without fail. This means you're going to be stopping for gas more often and shelling out more money because your MPGs aren't what they should be. 
• You're more prone to flats and blowouts. When your car tires aren't at the proper PSI, you run a much higher risk of a flat tire or a blowout. It may not seem like a big deal, but flat tires are super inconvenient. And blowouts can be dangerous, especially if you're traveling at a high speed, like on the highway. A tire blowout could result in an accident or collision. 

So is it really worth it to ignore that tire pressure warning light? We don't think so - after all, correcting your PSI is quick and easy. You can stop at a gas station and use their air hose to fill your tire to the right level (which you can easily find in your owner's manual OR on the panel inside the driver's side door). And if you're not comfortable taking a DIY approach, you can bring your car to Toyota of Orlando's service center to have our techs take a look at it. They can get all of your tires back into the best condition possible and get you back on the road. 

Schedule car tire service at Toyota of Orlando 

Schedule car tire service with us today! Toyota of Orlando is conveniently located just off I-4 across from the Millenia Mall at 3575 Vineland Road. We're open seven days a week and you can schedule your appointment ahead of time online or by calling us at (407) 298-4500.