This light may show up on your dash, it is vital that you know what it means!
On April 8, 2005, after five years of continued debate over language of the ruling, a final rule was unanimously approved. It states that as of September 1, 2007, all 2008 model passenger vehicles, trucks and light buses are obligated to have a sensor-based tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
"The rule recognizes TPMS as an essential, underlying tire monitoring technology that helps alert drivers when one or more tires are underinflated 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer's recommended inflation pressure," said OTC Product Manager Robert Kochie. "As an added safety feature, drivers are alerted by the TPMS when a low tire pressure symbol illuminates on the front console of their vehicle. Because operating a vehicle on an underinflated tire causes overheating and can lead to tire failure, the final rule sets a new motor vehicle safety standard intended to help drivers get smart about proper tire maintenance."
Proper tire maintenance will also help improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the government of Canada, proper tire maintenance can improve car efficiency to the tune of two "free" weeks of gas a year, and because the tires will last longer, this points to a cost saving of one or two new sets of tires over the life of the vehicle. The Website, fueleconomy.gov, estimates that the average person who drives 12,000 miles yearly on under-inflated tires uses about 144 extra gallons of gas, at a cost of $300 to $500 annually. And each time one of those gallons of gas is burned, an estimated 20 pounds of carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere as the carbons in the gas are released and combined with the oxygen in the air. In other words, any vehicle running on soft tires is contributing as much as 1.5 extra tons of greenhouse gases to the environment annually.
taken from http://www.fleetmag.com/online/article.jsp?id=183
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