Nissan Debuts “Easy-Fill” Tire Pressure System

Nissan Motor Co. is phasing in a tire pressure monitoring system that doubles as an in-car tire gauge when motorists top up their tires at a service station.

Like other tire monitors, the Nissan system alerts the driver when a tire's pressure drops too low and indicates the current pressure. The new "easy-fill tire alert" system comes into play when the driver stops to add air to the tire.

As soon as air begins flowing into the tire from an air hose, the car's four-way emergency flashers activate to show the easy-fill system is working. The car's horn honks once when the correct air pressure is reached.

If the driver continues to add air, the flashers blink faster and the horn rapidly honks three times. When the motorist then bleeds air out of the tire, the horn honks once to indicate when the correct pressure has been achieved.

Nissan debuted the easy-fill system in the 2012 Leaf electric sedan and Quest crossover. The system will be standard in all future models, beginning with the 2013 Altima small sedan. Nissan has said it expects to launch five all-new vehicles over the next 15 months.

Click HERE to view Nissan's video demonstration.