The development history and legal provisions of TPMS

Tire pressure monitoring (TPM) was first introduced to the European market in the 1980s as an optional feature for luxury cars. The first car to feature a TPM was the Porsche 959 in 1986, which featured a hollow-spoke wheel system developed by PSK. In 1996 Renault used the Michelin PAX system for the Scenic, and in 1999 PSA Peugeot Citroën decided to use TPM as standard on the Peugeot 607. Next year on 2000, Renault introduced the Laguna II, the first high-capacity mid-size car. The world's largest car will be equipped with TPM as a standard feature. In the United States, General Motors introduced the TPM for the Corvette in 1991 and used it with Goodyear's runflats. Using sensors in the wheels and a driver display, the system can display tire pressure for any wheel, as well as high and low pressure warnings. It's been standard on Corvettes ever since.

Monitoring tire pressure is becoming increasingly important with the improvement of safety awareness. Installation of tire pressure monitoring systems is already an essential part of driver safety, and this move is also included in national legislation. When it comes to the process of tire pressure monitoring being included in the legislation, we have to mention the birth of the "Tread Act" in the United States.

In the 1990s, Firestone came out with a batch of defective SUV tires that happened to be standard on the Ford Explorer. SUV tires from this batch, which could have been light off-road, have punctured many times on ordinary roads, resulting in 200 deaths (cars overturning due to tire blowouts at high speeds). To this end, Firestone and Ford recalled and replaced nearly 23 million tires. Firestone slashed its market value in half and swiftly shut down its Decatur, Illinois, tire-making plant. This resulted in the resignation and firing of several executives at Firestone and Ford. The incident led directly to the passage of the Tread Act by the U.S. Congress and also ended the nearly 100-year partnership between Ford and Firestone.

The Tread Act, enacted in the late 1990s, required the use of suitable TPMS technology in all light motor vehicles (under 10,000 pounds) to help alert drivers to conditions such as under-inflated tires. Since October 2005, TPMS technology has covered 20% of light-duty vehicles in the United States. All passenger cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. after September 2007 must install a tire pressure monitoring system.

The European Union has also announced a law that from November 1st, 2012, all newly released passenger car models must be equipped with TPMS. From 1st November 2014, all passenger cars in the EU must be equipped with TPMS.

South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Announces Partial Revisions to Korea Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (KMVSS), it states that "TPMS shall be installed on passenger cars and vehicles with a GVW of 3.5 tons and below. From January 1, 2013 for new models and from June 30, 2014 for existing models"
Japan followed the EU's lead in passing EU legislation on TPMS. Other countries that enforce TPMS include Russia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Israel, Malaysia, and Turkey etc.