Reset the Tyre Pressure Monitor (TPMS)

If the tyre-pressure warning is on in your Toyota RAV4 Mk5 (XA50, 2019–present) after adjusting pressures or changing wheels, you need to register the current pressures as the new reference. The RAV4 uses a direct TPMS — a sensor in each wheel — and the reset is done from the multi-information display. Seeing the light after you’ve topped up a soft tyre, rotated the wheels, or fitted winter rims is completely normal: the car is still comparing against the old reference and simply needs to be told the pressures are now correct. It is a housekeeping step, not a sign that anything has failed.

How the RAV4’s TPMS Works

Each wheel has a pressure sensor that reports to the car, so a low corner shows on the display. Because it reads actual pressure rather than wheel speed, the RAV4 can usually tell you which tyre is soft and by how much. After you change the pressures you set a new reference so the system warns only when a tyre drops below it — typically once a corner falls roughly a quarter below the stored figure.

Before You Start

• Set the pressures cold — before driving, or after the car has stood for a couple of hours. Warm tyres read high and give a false reference.
• Use the figures on the label in the driver’s door opening, not the number moulded into the tyre sidewall (that is a maximum, not a recommendation).
• Check all four corners, including the spare if yours is a monitored full-size wheel.
• Have the ignition on but the engine can be off — you only need the display awake.
• If you have just fitted a different set of wheels, confirm those wheels actually carry sensors before expecting a menu reset to work.

How to Reset the RAV4 Mk5 TPMS

1. Set all four tyres to the correct pressure cold — the figures are on the label in the driver’s door opening.
2. Turn the ignition on.
3. Using the steering-wheel controls, open the display menu and select ‘Chassis’.
4. Select ‘Tyre pressure monitor’, then ‘Set pressure’.
5. Press and hold the ‘OK’ button until it confirms the new pressures are registered.

If the Warning Stays On

• Re-check every tyre with an accurate gauge, including the spare if it’s a monitored full-size wheel — one corner a few psi low is enough to hold the light on.
• A cold morning can drop pressures below the threshold overnight; top up to the door-label figure and register again.
• One tyre keeps dropping — look for a slow puncture, a leaking valve, or a nail; the system is doing its job.
• After a wheel swap you must re-store the pressures; a space-saver or a set without sensors will not clear by menu alone.
• A steady-flashing TPMS light (rather than a solid one) points to a sensor fault — a dead sensor battery or a sensor not matched after a wheel change — and needs a tyre shop’s tool.
• Give it a short drive after registering; the display can take a minute or two of rolling to settle.

What to Expect After

Once the new pressures are stored and all four corners are correct, the warning goes out and stays off for the trip. From then on the RAV4 only alerts you if a tyre genuinely drops below the reference you set, so a light that returns later is worth taking seriously rather than simply resetting again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the tyre-pressure reset on the RAV4 Mk5?

In the multi-information display menu, reached with the steering-wheel controls: Chassis → Tyre pressure monitor → Set pressure → hold OK. Hold the OK button until the car confirms the current pressures have been registered as the new reference. Set the tyres correctly first, or you will simply store the wrong figures.

Do I need a tool?

Not for a normal reset — set the pressures and register them in the menu. The RAV4 reads its own in-wheel sensors, so no garage equipment is involved. A tool is only needed if the sensors themselves were replaced, swapped between wheels, or a fresh set of rims needs its sensor IDs learned to the car.

Why did the light come on in the cold?

Air contracts as it cools, so pressure falls a little for every few degrees the temperature drops. A tyre that was fine in mild weather can read below the threshold on a frosty morning. Top the tyres up to the door-label figure while cold and re-register; the light should clear and stay off.

The light keeps flashing — low pressure?

A brief flash at start-up is normal, but a light that flashes for around a minute and then stays solid is signalling a system fault rather than a soft tyre. That usually means a sensor with a flat battery or one that has not been matched to the car. Have the sensors checked at a tyre shop.

Does the RAV4 tell me which tyre is low?

Because it uses a sensor in each wheel, the RAV4 can display individual pressures on the same screen you use to reset the system. Scroll to the tyre-pressure page to see each corner and identify the soft one, rather than checking all four by hand — handy for spotting a slow leak early.

Do I have to reset it after rotating the tyres?

Yes. Moving the wheels around changes which sensor sits at which corner and can shift the reference, so it is good practice to set the pressures and store them again after any rotation. If the sensors are the type tied to a fixed position, a tyre shop may also need to re-learn their IDs.

If a fault code is stored, look it up on autodtcs.com. To clear a maintenance reminder, see our RAV4 Mk5 maintenance reset guide.