Warning lights lets you know somethings wrong with your car, but how urgent are they?
What do they mean? Let's find out. We will take them one at a time.
You will notice that warning lights are two colors, red And amber.
Red means it is dangerous to operate the vehicle in some cases you should shut the vehicle off immediately and call a tow truck. Amber means it is safe to operate, but you need to have that system repaired.
This is a maintenance required light it means you need to have a regular maintenance performed like an oil change for example. It is an amber colored light so it is still safe to operate the vehicle.
Next is a traction control light there are two reasons this light will come on. The first is if the vehicle looses traction this light will come on, but will go off shortly after. This is a normal operation there is nothing wrong with the system. The second is there is a malfunction in the traction system and sometimes will be combined with an ABS light. This is an amber colored light which means it is still safe to operate vehicle, but the traction system will be disabled.
Next we will look at the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) Light. This light works just like the traction control light. It may come on when the brakes lock up, but go off shortly after. This is a normal operation and nothing is wrong with the system. However if the ABS light comes on and stays on there is a malfunction in the system. This is an amber light so the vehicle is still safe to operate, but the ABS will be disabled so stopping times could be longer in wet, snowy, or panic stops.
Now lets look at the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) There are two reasons this light will come on, the first is there is low air pressure in one or more tires. If this is the case the light will be Illuminated in a steady mode (not flashing). If this light comes on you should stop a visually check you tires to make sure there is enough air in them to safely continue to operate the vehicle. If this light is flashing that means that a sensor has failed and will need to be replaced. this is an amber light so it is safe to operate vehicle as long as the tires have enough air in them, do NOT drive on a flat tire.
Next we will look at a check engine light, there are a number of things that will turn this light on any malfunction in the engine or transmission will illuminate this light. If this light is flashing that indicates an engine misfire or engine isn't running on all cylinders.
you will notice a loss of power, and a rough running engine. Driving with a check engine light on can cause further damage depending on what the malfunction is. You need to have the problem diagnosed by a automotive technician, going to a parts store is not the same, all they do is code retrieval and give a list of what could cause the problem a technician will tell you exactly what the problem is. This is an amber light so it is safe to operate the vehicle for a short period of time so as not to cause any further damage. Above are two examples of check engine lights.
Now lets look at the air bag light or SRS light. If this light comes on it is because of a malfunction in the air bag system. If this light is on your air bags are disabled. This is a red light which means you should not operate the vehicle, reason being if you are in a crash you will NOT have airbags. Most air bag lights look like the image below bust some just say SRS.
Next is the battery light. If this light is on it indicates a malfunction in your charging system. This could be a problem with a battery or alternator. If this light is on your vehicle may not be drivable for long, if the computer looses voltage the vehicle will be disabled. This is a red light which means you should not operate the vehicle.
Next is the brake light, this light will be illuminated for two reasons. The first is simply because the parking brake is applied and needs to be released. The second is because the brake fluid reservoir is low on fluid. When you have low fluid you may have a leak in the system in which case the vehicle is not safe to operate. This is a red light so the vehicle is not safe to operate.
Now lets look at the temperature light. Some vehicles have a blue temperature light which indicates the engine is not up to operating temperature, this is a normal light there is not a problem if it is on. When this light is red you need to shut vehicle off immediately because the engine is overheating, driving with this light on can cause terminal damage to engine.
Lastly lets look at the oil pressure light. If this light comes on it means your engine doesn't have enough oil pressure. It doesn't mean you are low on oil, although that can cause low oil pressure. If this light comes on shut vehicle off immediately, driving with this light on can cause terminal engine damage.
We hope this clarifies the common warring lights. Sometimes they can indicate a serious issue other times it may be something simple. just remember if it's amber or yellow your still safe to drive, but if it's red you need to stop and shut vehicle off and call for a tow truck.