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Why does my DPF warning light keep coming on?

I have a 2012 Honda CR-V and the Diesel Particulate Filter Warning Light keeps coming on. I get it recharged and it has had the ERG valve replaced recently. Can you tell me why it keeps coming on? I admit it does not do many long journeys and have tried to increase this. I am also puzzled why, when I do go on a long journey and do my tyres before I travel, the tyre pressure warning light comes on virtually every time after about an hour travelling. I stop and check the tyres but they are fine. Any reasons for this?

Asked on 10 February 2025 by sharron Goode

Answered by David Ross
If you regularly make longer journeys then your DPF should regenerate in the natural course of driving, but if this is not the case then we would recommend taking a drive in order to give your DPF an opportunity to perform a regeneration. The exact requirements can vary depending on your specific vehicle, but generally speaking the car needs to be up to temperature with at least a quarter tank of fuel and be driven at a steady speed and throttle for 20 minutes or more, ideally at 2000rpm or more, which is likely to be easiest on a motorway. DPFs require these conditions to regenerate, and if you make lots of short journeys without this taking place the filter will become blocked and cause the warning light to come on.

If your DPF is sufficiently blocked it may prevent the vehicle from performing a regeneration. We would suggest having the vehicle inspected by an independent Honda specialist or DPF specialist, as a diagnostic check can show to what extent the filter is blocked and a forced regeneration can be performed.

As for the tyre pressure warning faults, if the tyres are at the same pressure but the warning is occurring it is likely that there is a fault with the TPMS sensors, so we would suggest having them checked by an independent Honda specialist or tyre fitter.
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