Do You Know What Your Car Warning Lights Mean?

Some of the little lights on your dashboard give you information that can help you drive but aren’t worrisome. Others mean your car needs your attention right away. This guide can help you understand those car dashboard symbols and meanings.

First, when you start your car, you’ll briefly see all the dashboard lights illuminated. That’s nothing to worry about — that’s normal. But if one of the car warning lights doesn’t turn off after a second or two, or if they come on when you’re driving, you’ll want to understand what they’re telling you.

Common Dashboard Warning Lights and What They Mean 

Here are some of the most common symbols you might see, along with the car light meanings.

Check Engine

This check engine warning light usually looks like an orange engine, and it tells you that something is wrong with the car’s motor or emissions system. Unfortunately, this could mean a wide range of problems that could mean anything from a loose gas cap to serious engine trouble.

What you should do: If this light comes on while you’re driving and everything seems fine, you should see a mechanic and have the issue diagnosed. You may need to pull over and get your car towed if the light is blinking or your car doesn’t feel like it’s driving correctly. You could be at risk for a dangerous or expensive problem.

Coolant Temperature

The coolant temperature warning light may look like a blue thermometer in water. It means your engine is running too hot, and the problems that can cause a hot engine can get expensive if you don’t take care of them.

What you should do: Pull over. If you can’t pull over safely, turn off the air conditioner, turn on the heat and pull over as soon as possible. You might be tempted to wait for the engine to cool and then continue driving, but you could cause serious damage. It’s a better idea to call for a tow.

Transmission Temperature

The transmission temperature warning light often looks like a yellow thermometer inside a gear. It means your transmission is getting too hot.

What you should do: Stop driving and call for a tow. (If you’re towing something yourself, make sure you’re not over the weight limit for your vehicle.)

Oil Pressure

The oil pressure warning light looks like a red oil can and tells you that your oil level is low.

What you should do: Add oil. If the light goes off and stays off afterward, your car was probably just getting low on oil. If the light comes back on soon after, get it checked. Something else is probably wrong and ignoring it could cause further damage to your car.

Tire Pressure

With the tire pressure warning light, you’ll see a yellow exclamation point inside a flat tire, indicating that the pressure in one or multiple of your tires is off.

What you should do: Inflate all your tires to the proper level. The recommended pressure level is often indicated on the tire itself. If the light doesn’t come back on afterward, you should be fine. If it does, get the tire checked for a leak. 

Sometimes, the first cold days in a season trigger the tire pressure monitor for all four tires. If that’s the case and your car is driving fine, the system should adjust to the weather in a few days.

Brake System

The brake system warning light also includes an exclamation point, usually inside a red circle and what looks like parenthesis. It means something is wrong with your brakes.

What you should do: Make sure your parking brake isn’t engaged. If it’s not, there’s another problem. You may be able to drive, but make sure you go slowly and give yourself plenty of room to stop. Get to a mechanic as soon as you can to diagnose and correct the problem.

Other Dashboard Light Notifications

Your car may have dashboard lights that alert you to other issues that are generally easy to understand and address:

• Low Fuel: This symbol looks like a fuel pump and indicates it’s time to gas up.
• Door Open: A door or your truck is not closed properly.
• Maintenance Due: This might appear as “MAINT REQD” on your dashboard. This warning light indicates you need an oil change or other routine services.
• Lamp Out: This is a yellow light-shaped symbol with an exclamation point. You need to replace a headlight or taillight bulb on your vehicle.
• Washer Fluid: This symbol is a windshield with a dotted line representing the washer fluid jet. This means you need to add more windshield wiper fluid.

Make Sure Your Car Is Protected

Along with addressing any issues that pop up with your dashboard lights, you’ll want to make sure you have auto insurance that gives you the coverage you need. A Farm Bureau agent can review your policies and suggest changes that protect you and your vehicle. Reach out for more information today.