This paper presents a sensor fault estimation scheme for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells using Takagi Sugeno (TS) fuzzy model. First, PEM fuel cell systems with sensor faults are modelled by TS fuzzy model. Next, by adding a first order filter, an augmented TS fuzzy system with actuator fault is obtained. Then, for the augmented system, an unknown input observer (UIO) and a fault estimator are developed. The UIO gains are computed by solving linear matrix equalities (LMEs) and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The UIO convergence and stability are analyzed and the performances of the proposed fault estimation scheme is demonstrated by numerical simulations for a PEM fuel cell system with return manifold pressure and hydrogen mass sensors. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.