Hey Rui, What Are My Vehicle Warning Lights Telling Me?
Dashboard warning lights are symbols that pop up on a vehicle’s screen located behind the wheel. Such symbols tell the driver something is wrong with the car. All vehicles are made with sensors, they are constantly monitored by computers to detect any faults. The symbols can vary from brand to brand and even between models. But for the most part, they will be similar enough that if you can identify one variant, you can identify them all.
You could even think of these car lights as emojis! The car is just sending you a message telling you what’s wrong with it. When that happens, it is best to take care of the problem before it escalates. So, keep reading to learn more about the most common car warning lights and what each one means.
What Does the Colour Mean on Your Dashboard Warning Lights?
Depending on the issue, your vehicle will display green, yellow, or red warning symbols that signify an issue with that specific part of the car. Generally, warnings will be in red or yellow. These colours denote a problem with the vehicle and warn you that it should be serviced or repaired soon. If the red light is on or flashing, something is urgently wrong and must be looked at immediately. A yellow light indicates that there is fault with that system and will need some attention, if the yellow light is flashing that could mean a more immediate fault and should get looked at as soon as possible. Green and blue lights signify that one of the car’s systems is on and engaged.
17 Common Car Warning Lights to Know
Below is a list of warning lights that drivers should know and recognize should they come flashing. If they pop up on the dashboard, they’re giving you a heads-up that there could be trouble down the road. It’s important to know what the lights mean so you can get ahead of the problem before things get too heated.
1) Low Fuel Light
The image of the yellow light gas pump on your dashboard means that your car is running out of fuel. It’s time to fuel up soon! This light comes on when the gas tank is low. Depending on the brand and model of the car, it could be between 50 km and 90 km left in your tank. It is usually the most common light you will see on your dashboard.
2) Low Tire Pressure Light
The tire pressure warning light pops up in yellow with an exclamation mark inside of what looks like a big U with indents in the bottom. It is one of the more common lights you might see, and it lets you know that one of your four tires has low pressure. This can pop up, especially during winter months when cold weather causes the oxygen in the air to be denser and will affect the tire pressure while the tire is cold. If you see this symbol the best thing is to pull over safely and ensure that all tire pressures are full to the proper specifications. Those specifications are found on a sticker that’s located on the driver’s side door pillar.
This system is known as the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). If the light flashes for over a minute and then stays on after you have turned your car on, then there could be a greater problem with the TPMS sensors. This does not necessarily affect your tires' performance, but it can cause the system to misread pressure levels and therefore be unable to alert you of changing tire pressure.
3) Oil Pressure Warning Light
The oil pressure level symbol is a red oil can with a drop coming out of its spout (it looks like the genie’s lamp from Aladin). If it pops up it means that the engine is sensing very low oil pressure. This could indicate that the oil level is very low, leaking or something is affecting the oil pressure.
You can check the engine’s dipstick or use the middle console computer to check the oil levels on some makes which do not have a dip stick. If the oil is low, add oil half a liter at a time until the level reads proper on the dip stick. If the light turns off, you’re good to proceed, but if it doesn’t go away or comes back shortly after, you should pull over safely, turn your engine off and tow the vehicle to MNM. Continuing to drive with this light on could cause extensive and expensive damage to your engine.
4) Check Engine Light
The check engine light or engine warning light pops up in yellow and depicts an engine icon to indicate that there is an issue with the engine. If the light comes on and stays on, then the engine’s computer detects a slight problem, and you should get it looked at as soon as you can. However, if the engine light is flashing, the problem is a major one, and it should be looked at immediately. If it’s not investigated, it can result in severe damage to your engine.
5) Washer Fluid Indicator
The washer fluid indicator light pops up when the vehicle senses you are running low on washer fluid. It is usually a yellow light depicting a windshield with a spout of water coming out of it. It's best to fill up before you run out! Washer fluid can be topped up by opening the car’s hood and pouring more into the reservoir. Most vehicles will have a white, translucent container for the washer fluid identified by the same indicator symbol on the top of a blue cap. During your oil change service at MNM we top up your engine fluid at no charge.
6) Door Ajar Indicator
Each of a car’s four doors has a sensor that informs the car when they are correctly closed. If a car door is not closed properly, this red light shows the outline of a car from above with one or two doors open. Some models display the words ‘door ajar’ instead. Older vehicles’ door-ajar indicators show the same light for all four doors, so it is up to you to determine which door needs closing, while newer models can highlight and identify for you which door is not latched correctly.
7) Traction or Stability Control Light
The stability control light depicts a yellow car silhouette with squiggly lines under it. This emoji warns drivers when the vehicle has lost traction on the road. The light comes on when the traction control system is engaged or when the computer detects a fault. This can happen if your car’s tires are not properly outfitted for the terrain you are driving over or if the current weather conditions cause a loss of traction on the road. Generally, drivers will see this light come on more during winter driving when road conditions are icy.
8) Coolant Level Warning Light
The coolant temperature light is an upside-down key (or thermometer with lines in it) bobbing up in squiggly water lines. It tells you that the vehicle is running too hot and is one of the more urgent warning lights in a vehicle. It means there could be several problems with the vehicle’s cooling system. So, if this light pops up on your dashboard, it's best to pull over safely and do not continue driving the vehicle as it will cause further damage to the engine or other components if it is driven while overheating. We advise you to turn off your engine and tow the vehicle to MNM.
9) Transmission Temperature
Similar to the coolant level symbol, the transmission temperature displays a yellow thermostat inside of an indented circle. The car is warning you that the internal temperature of the gearbox is reaching critically high temperatures. This can happen for many different reasons and is a major problem. Again, we advise to pull over safely, turn your engine off and tow the vehicle to MNM.
10) Light Indicators
The vehicle dashboard will inform you when specific car lights are on, each with a slightly different image to refer to a different light. The fog light displays the curved headlight with straight lines coming out and a squiggle through it - this lets you know your fog lights are on. The blue symbol of the curved headlight with many straight lines coming out of it shows your high beams are on. The green light with a curved headlight and straight lines angled down tells you your low beams are on. Two curved headlights pointing away from each other with lines coming out of them inform you that your parking lights are on.
11) Brake System Warning Light
The brake warning light is a red symbol that shows an exclamation mark inside a circle between two brackets. If the brake service warning light comes on and stays on, there could be a problem with the parking brake or hydraulics. Should this brake light come on, do not continue driving the vehicle, pull over safely, turn your engine off and tow the vehicle to MNM.
12) ABS Sensor Warning Light
The ABS light symbol that pops up on the dashboard shows the letters A-B-S in a circle between two brackets, displayed in yellow. The ABS is a mechanism that keeps the wheels from locking up when you need to brake hard. If the ABS warning light is on, that means there is a problem with the system. If the ABS warning light is off, it means the ABS is not working. Since it's an important safety feature of the brakes, it’s best to schedule an appointment right away.
13) Airbag Warning Light
The airbag warning is a red light that depicts a large circle in front of a silhouette of a person sitting down with their seatbelt on. Some cars will have this light turn on when the car is first started, but then it will go off. If the light remains on, then the computer senses something is wrong with the airbags.
Airbags are an essential part of the car’s safety mechanisms, and they must be always working in case of a crash. They might not affect how the car drives, but they will compromise the safety of the vehicle in case of an accident. Once the air bag light is on the air bag will not deploy if the vehicle gets into an accident. For that reason, it's best to schedule an appointment right away.
14) Battery Warning Light
The battery light is a red light that shows a rectangle with two bumps on top and a - and + sign inside. This means the computer senses a problem with the battery charging system. If this light comes on while driving the vehicle only has a limited of time left before it completely shuts down, pending on the model it may even start turning off accessories such as radio, climate control system or even electronic power steering system. If you see this symbol while driving pull over safely, turn your engine off and tow the vehicle to MNM.
15) Seatbelt Indicator
The seatbelt indicator is a red light showing a person strapped down by a seatbelt. An ongoing dinging noise generally accompanies the seatbelt light. It lets the driver know that someone in the car is not wearing their seatbelt. Remember to always wear your seatbelt when the car is in motion!
16) Hood Open Light
The red light displaying an outline of a car from the side with a lever popping out of the front windshield signifies that your front hood is open or ajar. Ensure the hood is closed and latched for this light to turn off.
17) Lane Departure Warning Light
This warning light is a more modern addition to the set, as almost all new car models possess lane detection capabilities. The yellow symbol shows a silhouetted car from the back view between two dotted lines, indicating that the vehicle is moving between lanes without first using a turn signal. Sometimes, an audio alert will be paired with this visual alert. Be sure to keep steady in a lane or indicate with the turn signal before changing lanes to keep this light from turning on.
The lane departure warning system (LDWS) in newer vehicles will use one of four systems: lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, lane centering assist, and automated lane keeping systems. It is essential to know which system your vehicle is equipped with to ensure an accurate reading of the warning lights.
So, if your car is sending you emojis straight to your dash that worry you, book an appointment with My Neighbourhood Mechanic we are here to help with the stress of these dashboard emojis. We speak fluent car emojis and are ready to help translate them! Request an appointment with the My Neighbourhood Mechanic’s team today.