What do warning lights mean on dashboard

What should I do if a dashboard warning light comes in my car? What are the most common car dashboard warning lights? How do I reset my dashboard warning lights? Want more handy tips like these? While it might indicate that you have a loose or damaged battery cable, it can also signal that your alternator belt is broken.

If you wait too long, your vehicle can completely conk out. Not sure what the problem is? Most drivers are very familiar with this symbol. The automatic shift lock will lock your vehicle in park or neutral until you engage the brake. This symbol is simply reminding you or your passenger to buckle up! The airbag indicator signals that something is wrong with one of your airbags or the system as a whole. If your vehicle has an anti-theft system, this image means that something could be malfunctioning.

This symbol is telling you that your fog lights are on. Fog lights should only be used if your visibility is less than yards. These are serious issues and could lead to much bigger engine problems if ignored. Like a blinking check engine light, driving an overheated car is not only unsafe, it also risks permanently ruining your four-wheeled mode of transportation.

This indicates the internal pieces of your gearbox are reaching a critical point. This might be caused by excessively heavy towing, low transmission fluid levels, or, more seriously, excessive wear on the inner workings of the transmission. Winning the award for best throwback dashboard warning light, an oil can complete with a drop of oil coming from it.

An illuminated oil pressure light could indicate something as simple as your car telling you it needs its oil topped off. More seriously, it could mean a leak in the engine, or worn parts like a blown piston ring or broken oil pump. If the engine's dipstick shows oil levels are low and adding oil turns the light off, then you're in luck. If that doesn't do the trick, or the light comes on shortly after you've added oil, it's smart to get the issue checked as soon as possible.

Driving for extended periods with an oil pressure warning light illuminated is another sure-fire way of causing big repair bills down the road. This light looks like two-thirds of a circle with an exclamation point in the middle.

Those little lines across the bottom are meant to symbolize the tread of a car tire. Cute, right? Unfortunately, things can get ugly if you're driving on severely under- or overinflated tires. In many modern cars, the tire pressure monitors include a display in the driver's gauges, or in a menu located within the infotainment system, to tell the driver the exact tire pressure at each wheel.

As an example, if one tire shows significantly less air pressure than the others, stop the car and refill the tire to the correct pressure rating.

Start the car and see if the warning light goes off after a few minutes. If it doesn't, there could be damage to the tire that's causing a rapid leak. We all love to talk about how quickly a car accelerates from zero to 60 mph. A common mistake occurs when the driver pulls away with the parking brake engaged, causing this warning light or one saying "Parking Brake" to glow. A more troubling culprit could be worn brake pads, low brake fluid levels, or a problem with the anti-lock braking system ABS.

On many cars, these lights will appear for a few moments when you switch on the ignition but should soon go out again. If one or more of these warning lights stays on when the engine is running , there could be a problem with your car. Dashboard warning lights are displayed by colour in red, amber, green and blue on a spectrum of how serious the problem is.

Smoke from exhaust: what does exhaust smoke mean? Some problems will be easy to fix and not particularly urgent; a low windscreen washer fluid warning, for example. Other more serious faults denoted by red and amber warning lights will need to be promptly checked by a professional, especially if they relate to the brakes, engine, oil or gearbox. The majority of warning lights are common to all makes and models of cars, although their precise locations, on or around the dashboard, may vary.

Meanwhile, below, we guide you through the most important of them. If this warning illuminates, it's very important to get your car checked, even if it feels completely normal to drive.

Engine management light: top 5 causes of amber engine warning light. Aside from a brake warning light, an oil warning light is one of the most serious warning lights of all, hence it being red. Oil pressure is generated by the oil pump keeping the engine oil circulating and by the quantity of oil in the engine. A leak, a faulty pump or too little or even too much oil can cause damage to the engine, very likely resulting in huge repair bills or even a write-off.

While you should never ignore any warning light, this one is especially important to heed; stop the engine immediately and consult the handbook.

You may simply have to top up the oil to make the light go out - if it remains on, there could be a much more serious issue that requires a garage to investigate. Another red warning, this brake system warning light also requires urgent attention. It may be that the brake fluid level is too low and simply needs topping up, or that a brake pad wear sensor is faulty.

However, it could also be a more serious issue with the braking system. This is a particular problem at night, because a faulty battery can lead to headlights failing, but without the battery or charging system providing electricity, you may find power steering, brake servos or the engine itself stop working.

Find out how to change your car's battery. This one is pretty self-explanatory. This may be due to a number of issues, all of which could leave you stranded in a cloud of steam.