8 Car Dashboard Warning Lights You Should Take Seriously

It's common to have a warning light pop up on your dashboard while driving. While there are quite a number of warning lights on today’s modern cars, each of them has its own meaning and sources. Here are 8 common warning lights to take seriously:

1. Engine Temperature Warning Light

This warning light is intended to warn the driver that the engine temperature has exceeded recommended levels. It can also indicate that the vehicle is overheating or that the engine temperature sensor is damaged or not sending accurate data to the ECU. Anything else means the coolant temperature is too high or the engine is overheating. 

2. Oil Pressure Warning Light

To keep moving and regularly used metal parts properly lubricated, the recommended oil pressure must be maintained to fulfill this important task. Oil pressure problems can occur if engine sludge is present, oil is dirty or contaminated, or the oil pump or filter is damaged. 

 3. Battery Charging Warning Light

A low battery warning light indicates that your car's battery is running low when cranking amps or volts. An amplifier is required to start the car, but it provides voltage to the headlights, radio, and other accessories when the car does not start. This warning light may also indicate a fault in the charging system or a faulty alternator or a damaged charging cable.

4. Brake Warning Light

 An illuminated warning light means the parking brake has been left on. First, check to see if the parking brake is working properly. If not, you may be low on brake fluid or have a mechanical problem with your brakes. Recommending the replacement of brake pads, rotors, and calipers can greatly alleviate this problem, but if your dashboard is illuminated, you should take it seriously.

5. Check Engine Light

A Check Engine Light has the most likely source. It illuminates amber/orange when the vehicle's ECU detects a mechanical or electrical fault detected by one of the sensors that monitor the engine, transmission, and safety systems. It can be as simple as a faulty sensor or a serious problem with an internal engine component. It's advised to avoid driving the vehicle until this issue is resolved.

6. Airbag warning light

The airbag light indicates a problem with the vehicle's supplemental restraint system. This system includes various crash sensors and the airbags themselves. Illuminating this light indicates that a problem has been detected with the system and one or more of the airbags may not deploy in a crash. It is possible that all airbags will function as intended, even with the SRS warning light, but airbag failure is a serious safety hazard.

7. Fog Lamp Indicator

If your car's fog light indicator light is visible on your dashboard, it means your fog lights are on and ready to help you in low visibility driving conditions.

8. Traction control warning light

If the traction control warning light stays on, the system is not helping to control traction and should be checked. Unless you're driving on slippery surfaces, traction control won't work, so repairs aren't as important as disabling ABS and stability, which are more important than safety features. The driver can almost eliminate wheel slippage during acceleration by lightening the accelerator pedal. Diagnosing the problem usually requires a scan tool to read the trouble code that triggered the warning light.

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