These instructions apply to the Lexus IS Mk2 (XE20) 2005-2012.
For other models, please choose your vehicle here.
If the tyre-pressure warning has come on in your Lexus IS (2005–2012) — the XE20 — after you’ve adjusted the pressures or changed a wheel, you reset the monitor with the TPMS SET button. Here’s how.
On the XE20 IS, the low-pressure warning is a small horseshoe-shaped symbol (a cross-section of a tyre) with an exclamation mark, usually shown in amber. When it appears it isn’t a fault with the car — the monitor has simply noticed that at least one tyre is reading below the stored baseline. It is completely normal for it to trigger on the first cold morning of autumn, after a long motorway run, or once you’ve had the wheels off. The light won’t clear itself the moment you correct the air; you have to tell the car the new pressures are the ones to remember, and that is what the SET button does.
How TPMS works on this car
The IS uses a direct system: each wheel has its own battery-powered sensor built into the valve that measures the actual pressure and radios it to the car. Because the readings come from inside the wheels rather than being inferred from wheel speed, the system knows which corner is soft — but it also means every sensor has to be seen and stored when you reset. The SET procedure captures whatever pressures are in the tyres at that moment and treats them as the new “correct” reference, so it is important they really are correct before you start.
Getting Ready
- Check the tyres cold — parked at least a couple of hours, or driven less than about a mile. Warm tyres read high and give a false baseline.
- Set all four to the figure on the driver’s door-pillar placard (open the driver’s door to read it); use the higher “laden” figure if you carry a full load.
- Don’t forget the spare if it carries a sensor.
- Park on level ground with the engine off for the reset.
- Have a reliable gauge to hand — forecourt air lines are often out by a few psi.
Resetting the System
- Park level and set all four tyres to the correct cold pressures (placard in the driver’s door shut).
- Turn the ignition on (engine off).
- Press and hold the TPMS ‘SET’ button (low on the dash, near the steering column) until the TPMS warning light flashes 3 times, then release.
- Turn the ignition off, then on again, and wait about 3 minutes — the system stores the new pressures and is reset.
If the Warning Stays On
- Recheck every tyre — one corner a few psi low keeps the warning on and blocks the reset. It is easy to miss a single soft tyre.
- Hold the SET button until the light flashes 3 times — releasing early cancels the store and nothing changes.
- Allow the full 3-minute settle with the ignition on so every sensor reports in.
- After a wheel swap (winter set, or a rotation), you must re-store — the baseline moved with the tyres.
- Cold snap? Pressure drops roughly 1 psi for every 10 °C fall, so top up and reset once it’s properly cold.
- A slow puncture will trip the light again within hours — check for a nail or a leaking valve if it keeps coming back.
- Still showing with correct pressures? A sensor may have a flat battery — look up the code on autodtcs.com.
What Happens Next
Once the store takes, the amber symbol goes out and stays out for the rest of the trip and beyond, as long as the pressures hold. A sensor’s battery lasts several years but not forever; when one finally dies the light returns and a normal reset won’t clear it, which is the point at which a replacement sensor is due.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I reset the tyre pressure light on a Lexus IS (2005–2012)?
Set the pressures, switch on, hold the TPMS SET button until the light flashes 3 times, then switch off/on and wait 3 minutes.
Where is the TPMS SET button?
Low on the dashboard near the steering column, often below the light switches or to the side of the column — a small button marked with the tyre symbol or “SET”. Your handbook shows the exact spot, as trim level and market can move it slightly.
Why won’t the warning clear?
Almost always because one tyre is still below spec, or the SET button wasn’t held long enough for the light to flash three times. Recheck all four with a good gauge when cold, correct any that are low, then repeat the hold-and-store steps and allow the three-minute settle.
Do I need a tool?
No for a normal reset; a tool is only needed if a sensor is replaced.
Do I need to reset after rotating the tyres?
Yes. The system stored the pressures corner by corner, so any time the wheels move — a rotation, a puncture repair, or fitting a winter set — set the pressures cold and run the SET store again so the baseline matches where each wheel now sits.
Can cold weather set the light off on its own?
Yes. Air contracts as it cools, so a tyre set correctly in mild weather can read low on a frosty morning and trip the warning even with no leak. Top the tyres back up to the placard figure when cold and re-store; if it keeps returning warm, suspect a slow puncture rather than the weather.
The light flashes then stays on — what does that mean?
A warning that blinks for around a minute at start-up and then glows steadily usually points to a system fault or a sensor the car can no longer hear, rather than simple low pressure. A standard reset won’t clear that; it typically needs a sensor or the fault reading before it will settle.
If the warning came on with other lights, decode the code on autodtcs.com.
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