Unusual Issue with TPMS Sensors

[ProjectsInMotion]

I recently upgraded the wheels and tires on my truck, and also got new OEM TPMS sensors. The new sensors have a lot of drop outs, and change virtual locations regularly. I can manually set the IDs of the sensors with AlfaOBD but that's only a temporary solution, the problems have always returned. I didn't have these issues with the previous sensors, which to me indicates the issue is with the sensors, but the changing virtual locations is puzzling to me. I attached two photos from a TPMS programmer. The first shows where 3 of the sensors have the wrong virtual locations, and the second shows after I've (temporarily) fixed the issue using AlfaOBD. Any ideas how the sensor location detection works and why these ones are misbehaving? @Jimmy07, do you have any documentation on how this system actually functions?

Cheers

 

[msnyder1112]

i battled this for 3 years. Finally sucked it up and got a set of mopar oem ones. Its been perfect since.

 

[ProjectsInMotion]

It turns out that the TPMS sensors that I purchased were counterfeit Mopar sensors. I purchased actual Mopar sensors and had them installed, and all of the issues went away.

The correct sensors are made in the UK. Counterfeit sensors are being manufactured in China and labeled as made in the USA. Very scummy. The counterfeit sensors kinda work, sometimes, which is somewhat impressive for counterfeits. Note that the bar code on the counterfeit packaging is identical to the one from the legit sensor packaging. A surprising amount of effort and detail went into this garbage.

Cheers

 

[SD Rebel]

It turns out that the TPMS sensors that I purchased were counterfeit Mopar sensors. I purchased actual Mopar sensors and had them installed, and all of the issues went away.

The correct sensors are made in the UK. Counterfeit sensors are being manufactured in China and labeled as made in the USA. Very scummy. The counterfeit sensors kinda work, sometimes, which is somewhat impressive for counterfeits. Note that the bar code on the counterfeit packaging is identical to the one from the legit sensor packaging. A surprising amount of effort and detail went into this garbage.

Cheers

Good info. That's why if I get Mopar stuff on eBay, I generally get them from Mopar dealership parts departments selling on YouTube.

Make sure to give a negative review to the seller, so people see he sold counterfeits. Either he will refund you, maybe he thought they were real, or he won't reply, which means he knew they were fakes. This could help people from having the same issues down the line.

 

[ProjectsInMotion]

Good info. That's why if I get Mopar stuff on eBay, I generally get them from Mopar dealership parts departments selling on YouTube.

Make sure to give a negative review to the seller, so people see he sold counterfeits. Either he will refund you, maybe he thought they were real, or he won't reply, which means he knew they were fakes. This could help people from having the same issues down the line.

I already got a full refund, but it's not just that seller, eBay is infected with counterfeit parts. There are literally dozens of sellers offering these exact counterfeit TPMS sensors, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I usually buy Mopar parts from online wholesale parts retailers, many of whom are dealership parts departments, but for some reason, the shipping charges for TPMS sensors was about $250 for just 4 TPMS sensors. My guess is that the automated system misunderstood the battery dangers of TPMS sensors. I eventually found an eBay seller with the correct, made in UK sensors. After I received them, I saw that Rock Auto has Mopar sensors for a reasonable cost, including shipping, though it was a little more than what I paid on eBay. I bought the last 4 from that eBay seller though so there's no point in linking to them.

Cheers