Why is my tyre pressure light flashing rather than steady?

Because the two mean different things, and the distinction is deliberate. A steady lamp from the moment you start means the system is working and is telling you a tyre is low — check the pressures and inflate them. A lamp that flashes for around sixty to ninety seconds and then stays on means the system itself has a fault and cannot monitor your tyres at all. The second is the one that fails an MOT, and no amount of inflating will clear it.

Will a TPMS module fault fail an MOT?

Yes, on cars first used on or after 1 January 2012. A tyre pressure monitoring system that is malfunctioning or obviously inoperative is a major defect, recorded 97,515 times in the DVSA data behind this site, ahead of both the braking and airbag lamps. A module fault is the clearest form of it, because the flashing-then-steady lamp is precisely the system malfunction indication the inspection manual describes. Cars first used before that date are not assessed on it.

Can I just remove the TPMS to pass the MOT?

No, and it would make things worse. On a car first used from 1 January 2012 the system is required to be present and working, so removing or disabling it produces exactly the obviously inoperative condition that fails the test. Disconnecting the module or removing the bulb behind the warning lamp does not help either, because a warning lamp that fails to illuminate when the ignition is switched on is itself treated as a malfunction — testers look for the bulb check specifically.

How often should I check my tyre pressures without a working TPMS?

Every couple of weeks, and always before a long journey, using a gauge rather than judging by eye. A modern radial tyre can lose a substantial amount of pressure and still look perfectly normal, which is the whole reason these systems were made compulsory. Check them cold, before driving, against the figures on the door pillar, inside the filler flap or in the handbook, and remember that those figures are often different for a heavily loaded car.

Chassis code · standard

C0960Tyre pressure monitoring module has failed

Standard definition: Tyre Pressure Monitoring Module Internal Fault

Last updated 27 July 2026

Quick answer

The control module that receives and interprets the tyre pressure signals has reported an internal fault. Unlike a single dead sensor, this takes the whole system down at once, and it produces the distinctive flashing warning lamp that a tester is trained to look for.

How the car works this out

The tyre pressure module receives radio transmissions from each wheel, matches them to stored identities, compares the pressures against the car's specified values and decides what to display. It also runs self-tests on its own memory, its radio receiver and its supply. C0960 is set when one of those internal checks fails. The dashboard behaviour is the giveaway and it is deliberately different from a low pressure warning: a system fault typically makes the lamp flash for around sixty to ninety seconds after start-up and then stay on steadily, whereas a genuinely soft tyre simply lights it steadily from the outset.

What you might notice

Tyre pressure lamp flashing for a minute or so at every start, then remaining on
No pressures displayed for any wheel, or all four showing dashes
The system unresponsive to a reset however carefully the tyres are inflated
New sensors failing to register even when they are known to be working
Sometimes other body electronics affected too, where the function is built into a shared module

What causes it

Most likely first. A code names the check that failed, not the part that failed it, so more than one of these can produce the same number.

1An internal electronic failure in the tyre pressure moduleCommon
2Water ingress, since the module is often mounted low, behind a wheel arch liner or under trim where leaks collectCommon
How to check: Look for damp in the area the module is fitted, and for a blocked drain or a failed door vapour barrier above it.
3A corroded connector or a broken aerial leadPossible
4A supply fuse or a wiring fault to the modulePossible
5Software corruption or a configuration lost after a battery disconnection or a partial software updatePossible
How to check: Ask whether the module can be reprogrammed or reconfigured before it is replaced. It is occasionally the whole fix.
6A loss of communication with the module rather than a fault inside it, which stores a different code and should be ruled out firstLess common

What to do about it

1Note whether the lamp flashes before it stays on. That single observation distinguishes a system fault from a soft tyre and is worth mentioning when you book the car in.
2Check all four pressures manually anyway. You cannot rely on the system to warn you, so the habit needs to start now.
3Have the module's power, earth and connector checked before it is condemned. Water and corrosion cause a fair share of these.
4Ask whether the module can be reprogrammed or reconfigured rather than replaced, and expect a new one to need coding and the sensor identities relearning.
5Get it repaired before the MOT rather than after. This is a straightforward major defect and there is no discretion in it.

Can you keep driving?

Yes

The car drives, brakes and steers exactly as before. The only thing you have lost is the automatic warning about your tyres, which means checking the pressures yourself with a gauge every week or two. That is worth doing properly rather than by eye, because a radial tyre can be substantially under-inflated and still look normal.

Will it fail an MOT?

This is the clearest possible version of the tyre pressure defect, and the one testers are most confident about. A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative is a major defect on cars first used on or after 1 January 2012, with 97,515 recorded failures in the DVSA data behind this site. The flashing-then-steady lamp that a module fault produces is exactly the indication the manual describes as a system malfunction, as distinct from a steady lamp warning of a low tyre. Inflating the tyres will not clear it and will not save the test. Cars first used before 1 January 2012 are outside the requirement entirely.

The light this turns on

Tyre pressure monitoring system fault lightThe monitoring system itself has failed, rather than a tyre being soft. On most cars it uses the same symbol as the ordinary tyre pressure warning but announces itself differently: it flashes for around a minute after you switch on and then stays on steadily. That behaviour is the single most useful thing to know here, because it is also exactly what the MOT tester looks for.

Common questions

Why is my tyre pressure light flashing rather than steady?: Because the two mean different things, and the distinction is deliberate. A steady lamp from the moment you start means the system is working and is telling you a tyre is low — check the pressures and inflate them. A lamp that flashes for around sixty to ninety seconds and then stays on means the system itself has a fault and cannot monitor your tyres at all. The second is the one that fails an MOT, and no amount of inflating will clear it.
Will a TPMS module fault fail an MOT?: Yes, on cars first used on or after 1 January 2012. A tyre pressure monitoring system that is malfunctioning or obviously inoperative is a major defect, recorded 97,515 times in the DVSA data behind this site, ahead of both the braking and airbag lamps. A module fault is the clearest form of it, because the flashing-then-steady lamp is precisely the system malfunction indication the inspection manual describes. Cars first used before that date are not assessed on it.
Can I just remove the TPMS to pass the MOT?: No, and it would make things worse. On a car first used from 1 January 2012 the system is required to be present and working, so removing or disabling it produces exactly the obviously inoperative condition that fails the test. Disconnecting the module or removing the bulb behind the warning lamp does not help either, because a warning lamp that fails to illuminate when the ignition is switched on is itself treated as a malfunction — testers look for the bulb check specifically.
How often should I check my tyre pressures without a working TPMS?: Every couple of weeks, and always before a long journey, using a gauge rather than judging by eye. A modern radial tyre can lose a substantial amount of pressure and still look perfectly normal, which is the whole reason these systems were made compulsory. Check them cold, before driving, against the figures on the door pillar, inside the filler flap or in the handbook, and remember that those figures are often different for a heavily loaded car.

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