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Modern vehicles are high-tech marvels. There’s the connectivity, hundreds of computer chips, and the infotainment screens. The dashboard is your central focus to determine what’s going on with your vehicle, from the speed and RPMs to whether the high beams are on and the battery power.
The modern car has a ton of emergency lights to catch your attention scattered across your display. You’ll see plenty of other dashboard lights to be aware of beyond the typical check engine, battery charge, and oil pressure warning lights.
Hopefully, you don’t see them all too often.
But it’s understandable that, once you do, panic might immediately set in. For most people, they go right to thinking the worst. The good news is, that understanding your car’s emergency lights will help you figure out which ones are fine, which ones need immediate attention, and which ones are not a worry in the very near future. Our service team will walk you through the dashboard lights and meanings with our guide.
A lot of life is color-coded. We’re trained to see yellow and think “caution,” or red and think “danger.” Your car’s lights work much the same way.
A green light on a car dashboard, and a blue one, mean the feature engaged is working. For instance, turn signal indicators are green and high-beam headlights are blue on your dashboard. These green lights on a car dashboard indicate everything is okay.
Yellow dashboard lights and meanings, however, are more cautionary. They’re things you need to pay attention to and are sometimes indicators of dangerous situations. If you see yellow lights on the dashboard, there’s no reason to panic, but you’ll need to be extra attentive.
Seeing a red light on a car dashboard is not good. Red lights generally indicate system failures, or high danger situations. These lights need your attention as soon as possible.
There are also some other colors that pop up, particularly tan, light yellow, or white. These are generally system indicators that don’t need attention at the moment. So what are many of the individual causes of these lights?
See a summary of these less common, but equally important, dashboard lights and their meanings. Then, we’ll give you more detailed explanations.
Coolant Temp Warning – When your coolant levels are off, your fan isn’t working properly, or if the coolant is leaking, this light will come on. This is a red light on a car dashboard
Service Vehicle – Usually this light comes on when an electrical issue occurs.
Reduced Power Warning – You’ll need engine service as soon as possible.
Cruise Control – When you use cruise control, this light will stay illuminated as long as the system is on as a green light on a car dashboard.
Brake System – This light means there’s an issue with your brakes, such as the brake fluid is too low or there’s an ABS problem.
Traction Control or ESP – This light means your vehicle’s electronic stability system is being utilized. This is a red light on a car dashboard indicating there are hazardous road conditions ahead.
Security Alert – If your ignition switch is locked, or a door is left ajar, this light will indicate either the tech malfunction or alert you of the open door.
Fog Lamp – This reminds you when you have your brights on.
Airbag Fault – Normally, this light appears once the car has been started to indicate there’s a fault in the airbag system, and you’ll need to bring your vehicle in for repair.
Washer Fluid Reminder – This simply means your washer fluid is low and needs to be replaced.
Tire Pressure Warning Light– The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) has detected that one or more of your tires have a tire pressure rating that’s too low or too high. You should have your tires’ PSI adjusted to the recommended levels as soon as possible to avoid complications.
Now, we’ll have a complete list of the dashboard lights and their meanings by color:
Since these are not necessarily concerns, we don’t need to go too in-depth. These are the turn signal indicators, the cruise control indicator, the headlights indicator, and the high-beam indicator. They are pretty much telling you “This is working, it’s fine, just know that it’s on.”
You may sometimes see it in the form of a green shoe in a circle – that’s the automatic shift lock or engine start indicator. This means you need to engage the brake in your vehicle to start your car or get it out of neutral. Not a concern, just a head’s up.
Yellow or amber lights are the most common ones you’ll see. These indicate the need for caution and are particularly relevant to control issues with the vehicle such as traction concerns. These include:
Tire Pressure Warning Light Tire pressure is outside of the normal safe operating range. Inflate or deflate when able.
Anti-Lock Brake Warning Light – An error in the ABS system may prevent your anti-lock brakes from working properly. That being said, this comes on at every vehicle start as an indicator the system is checking itself.
Traction Control Malfunction – Traction control system may have a broken or damaged sensor, or may otherwise be malfunctioning. It may not behave as you hope if loss of traction happens.
Check Engine Light – Probably the most familiar, and can mean a lot of things. It can indicate an open or cracked gas cap – or it could mean your engine has low oil pressure. If flashing, that indicates a serious problem that needs to be addressed soon and could cause serious damage if ignored. If you see this light, you should immediately schedule service for your vehicle.
Low Fuel Indicator – Go fill up your gas tank! Unless you feel like walking to the next gas station.
Air Bag Indicator – There may be an issue with your airbags, or the system itself. Get them checked out, as they may not protect you as they should in the case of an accident.
Fog Lamp Indicator – Your fog lamps are on. Great if you’re in low visibility, not great if you aren’t – these lights can be harsh on other drivers’ eyes in clear conditions.
Yellow security light indicator
Security Light – There may be an issue with your vehicle’s anti-theft systems.
Red lights indicate the need for immediate concern. These are often indicators of a severe system issue or a danger to the vehicle or occupants.
Oil Pressure Light – You’re low on oil, or it isn’t being circulated properly. Low oil can cause increased engine wear and more.
Engine Temperature Warning Light – Your engine is overheating. Add coolant as soon as possible to prevent a seize-up.
Traction Control Light – Your vehicle’s traction control system is working, which means the road conditions are hazardous. Proceed with caution.
Battery Alert – There is an issue with the vehicle’s charging system – which, weirdly enough, is more likely to mean it’s NOT the battery that is the problem. Can also mean issues with cables, the alternator, and more.
Brake Warning Light – Handbrake or parking brake is still on. If it is always on, it can mean a loss of hydraulic pressure in the brake system or low fluid levels in the master cylinder. Investigate immediately – the worst kind of car is the one that can’t stop.
Seat Belt Reminder – Buckle up!
These lights are usually unique to the make or type of vehicle. For instance, diesel vehicleswill have their own unique lights including glow plug indicator lights, fuel filter warnings, exhaust fluid light, and more. Likewise, some vehicles may have unique systems – they could be anything from a white light indicating that there is an obstruction in a blind spot, to pointing out that the speed limiter function has been activated on your vehicle. Check your vehicle’s manual for a comprehensive guide to lights on your car.
Do you have more questions about the dashboard lights and their meanings? Contact us or call (304) 263-3341. Our team is happy to help in any way we can. If your vehicle needs service, schedule a service appointment with us.