Question: 
I am purchasing a set of winter tires and rims for my truck. It comes standard with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). I have read that according to the US DOT it is mandatory in new vehicles since 2007. However Transport Canada's answer seems to be less specific and refers to the individual provinces licensing for "regulations" regarding TPMS.
The article points out that is not mandatory equipment in Canada. My local Ford dealership strongly recommends it, but as a very mechanically inclined person it is hard to justify $400 on sensors that monitor my tire pressure.
My primary concern of course is whether or not a tire pressure monitoring system is considered a critical safety device. It is surely illegal to disable an airbag system or cut out a seatbelt, but will knowingly disabling my TPMS system affect my insurance/violate the MVA?
The Ford dealership said they are strongly against installing tires without TPMS equipment but have stated that they do not believe it is law and simply is a policy for them. They are willing to forgo the sensors if I sign a waiver saying I do not want them installed.
As a college student, $400 is quite a lot of money when already investing $1000 to make my vehicle safer in winter.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System Rules in Canada
Along with the fact that TPMS is not mandated by the federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch of the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit has confirmed that there is nothing in the BC Motor Vehicle Act or its regulations that requires TPMS to be installed.
If a tire pressure monitoring system is installed, the Vehicle inspection Manual asks that an Authorized Inspector advise the owner if the indicator fails to operate or remains illuminated, but this is not a pass/fail criterion for an inspection.
Therefore, while TPMS may provide an additional safety benefit (this is currently being evaluated by Transport Canada), it is not required.
ICBC Insurance
However, ICBC does follow Transport Canada’s recommendation that “tires be inspected and serviced regularly and be inflated to the correct pressure at all times to increase safety”.
Transport Canada also suggests that “For optimal vehicle handling and to prevent tire failure, tire pressure and tire wear should be checked on a monthly basis, even on TPMS-equipped vehicles.”
If you were to disable the TPMS, your Autoplan insurance would still be valid.
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Comments
Nothing appears to have changed about Transport Canada and TPMS today.
We purchased a 2025 Subaru Forester and it was not equipped with TPMS. It is in the US, which made me think that it was not unreasonable to be able to add it to our Canadian vehicle.
Our Subaru dealer said that it could not be done and an e-mail to Subaru Canada came back with a reply long on words and short on information other than "Transport Canada doesn't require it so we don't give it to you."
It appears that the module responsible for receiving TPMS signals is in the left rear quarter panel of the car and shares function with another service. This leads me to believe what is missing are the sensors on the wheels and a change to the car's software programming.
After having a chat with the parts department at the dealership, they said that they would inquire and get back to me. This hasn't happened and likely should have by now.
I wonder what the truth is?
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I purchased a new car in 2021, it didn't come with TPMS, although the US version did. I only found out when I asked a 3rd party shop to source TPMS sensors for my new winter set, and they told me that they can't get them for my car in Canada.
So I bought a 3rd party TPMS system off Amazon for a total of $40.31CAD (tax incl.), specifically this one (no longer for sale, but lots of related active listings): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BL2Z7MJR
I did not trust the system at first, so I also bought a "high accuracy" analogue gauge (this one: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KHGPXBM) and was shadowing the results provided by the digital system for a while. The results were with-in 0.5 PSI of each other every time. Also verified by the gas-station's meters.
The third party TPMS system comes with a read-out monitor (main box) that you mount inside and hook up to USB power (or adapter) and 4 twist on valve-stem caps, each marked for the intended wheel: FR, FL, RR, RL. Each cap had a removable button cell battery in it which lasted me over 2 years. I was concerned that the caps would be leaking air, but thankfully they weren't. The system operated OK, it was good to see the pressure rising as the tires would warm up and the system also provided 4 temperature readings. The set up was not hard, but it took a few minutes of driving above 50km/h for the main box to start displaying pressure. The only downside I found was the system randomly triggering an annoying beeping alarm from time to time, maybe once a week, meant as the "low pressure" alarm, but the meter readings were showing normal pressure and not going down. Maybe I was picking up alarm signals from other cars as I was passing them, but I don't know for sure. I've since sold that car together with that system, as my new car has actual TPMS built-in.
I would highly recommend these "new-age" cheap Amazon systems for cars with no TPMS, provided that you test them with a separate gauge. It is an incredible package of technology for the $40. You get 4 mems barometers, 4 mems thermometers, 4 radios; my radio-electronics major grandpa would've been blown away by the size and function. The future is here!
Benefits of having a live TPMS system and maintaining proper air pressure:
- Saves fuel
- Saves tire wear
- Provides information about state of your tires for managing grip
- Emergency notification of loss of pressure
P.S. Some built-in TPMS systems on some cars don't even give you a pressure reading in numbers (PSI or kPa), they are meant for only informing you when the pressure is below minimum recommended (TPMS light on dash), so a 3rd party system would be a worthy upgrade for anybody wanting to keep track of their tire pressure changes in near-real-time.
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2025 Subaru Forester