- common Warning Lights on Your Car’s Dashboard you should never ignore
What does this warning light on the dashboard mean? There is nothing scary when you’re enjoying driving your car with your loved one or your family and suddenly a yellow or a red warning light appears on the dashboard. Some symbols that appear on the dashboard maybe scary some not so scary but these symbols below are the most common warning lights in a car that you should never ignore.
Have a look at our top 10 car warning lights on the dashboard
1.oil pressure light
2. Tire pressure warning light
3.engine temperature warning
4.traction control light
5. Anti-lock Brake Warning Light
6. Traction Control Malfunction
7. Battery Alert
8. Engine Warning (Check Engine Light)
9. Airbag Indicator
10. Seat Belt Reminder
1.Oil Pressure Light
Just incase you never knew ignoring this is just killing your own car slowly and over time your endangering your life as well. This usually tells you there is trouble with your cars oil pressure system and most likely your running low on oil or either some parts of your vehicle are not being lubricated properly due to damage of the oil pump. Failure to address this matter in time will most likely lead to engine failure and who knows what else will be affected.
Probably you would ask how long can you go without an oil change? Well I would advise you get to the nearby service station spend a $100 or so and it could just save you some $1000 in engine repairs if left unattended.
You might also wonder why does oil change matter so much?
the primary goal of your car engine oil is to keep it lubricated always and this oil will also provide a ayer of protection to the engine parts and not exposing it to too much heat, or metal parts plus dirt. When the heat, air and dirt mix-up they make the engine oil less effective and such debris will definitely clog the oil filter and don’t forget due to oxidation the oil will be turned into sludge. Debris and sludge will make your engine parts wear away and a very huge bill will await you at the car service center.
So after every 5000 or 7000 miles just do an oil change before the oil life monitoring system tells you its about time.
- Tire Pressure Warning Light
Low tire warning light
Maybe you have ever seen this warning light maybe you haven’t but in either way always stop when you see this warning light.
When search light appears it’s called the TPMS which stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring System. This car sign tells the driver one or more of the tire pressure systems is too low or too high and it needs to be checked. In most cases the pressure system detects this low tire pressure when it drops to below 25%. Remember when you drive with an under inflated tires you may cause poor gas mileage, poor traction and handling of the vehicle and in worst cases a blowout or hydroplaning.
- Engine Temperature Warning
When you get to spot this pop up sign that tells you that the engine has overheated. Something is very wrong with your coolant which is also known as the antifreeze. Other common issues that might be the cause of this is when your engine coolant is very low, either there is a leak in the cooling system causing the engine to overheat, your motor oil might low and the other possible reason is your thermostat has malfunctioned. These are the four possible reasons and all you should do is
Pull over, turn off the air conditional and roll down your windows, open the hood. If you are stuck in traffic, just put your car gear into parking, or neutral and rev the engine.
Warning: when this happens do not brake fast or hard because it might cause the engine to heat even faster.
To avoid this always make sure you pass by the service station once in a while. Get a cooler oil that is fit for your engine since not all cooler oils are fit for your car.
4.Traction Control Light
When this light appears that tell you that your vehicle traction control system has been activated. This happens when the traction control system utilizes the anti-lock braking system to verify whether one wheel is spinning at a faster rate than the other. If this happens and the detection is positive then it applies the brakes until the wheel regains traction. Its one helpful feature when you’re driving during the raining days or in snow.
- Anti-lock Brake Warning Light
Anti-lock braking system ABS is a feature that was designed to prevent you as the driver from locking your brakes , in other words it prevents you from applying too much pressure on the brakes . when that warning appears its very important you stop your car and get the issue diagnosed as quickly as possible .
Possible issue that may have been the reason the ABS light is on is
the brake fluid is low, broken wheel speed sensors, the system is off, or there is a malfunctioning of the ABS module.
- Traction Control Malfunction
This warning tells you that one or more wheels is slipping and loosing traction. Normally loss of traction will occur in ice or snow areas or maybe muddy areas . when this happens power is shifted from the wheels that are slipping to the wheels that still have some grip.
so how do I fix the traction control warning? Well when you switch off the vehicle the light shoud disappear but if it doesn’t then there is a problem with the traction control system. Always take your car to the service station to get it inspected .
Read more on Car Maintenance and why its important
- Engine Warning (Check Engine Light)
When this light appears I know the sinking feeling that accompanies it to the stomach. It’s a deadly sign while your on the wheel. This engine light is on due to several causes such as the catalytic converter is going out, the gas gap is loose, the mass airflow sensor failed, the oxygen sensor is faulty, or the spark plugs is worn-out.
8.Battery Alert
The battery warning light is very common light and nearly everyone has experienced this at some point while driving. The issue in most cases in the failure of the battery itself since batteries can be damaged, sometimes terminals get corroded and cables become dislodged or damaged. Interestingly enough the problem might be on the alternator as it sometimes fails or the accessory belt that drives the alternator might be broken. The battery dies since its not charged .
- Airbag Indicator
Another sign that might scare you is the airbag warning light on the dashboard. This usually is an indication that your airbags are deactivated or there is a problem with their system. This usually tells you that incase of anything they cannot be able to deploy properly and you know that means “you’re on your own buddy”. The service center should look on whether it’s the faulty sensors, some damaged airbag clock spring, wet airbag module or the airbag backup battery is dead.
- Seat Belt Reminder
When this symbol appears on the car dashboard (seat belt reminder symbol) it simply tells you one of the passengers or the driver hasn’t buckled up and they need to. We can’t emphasize enough the need of buckling up since many injuries which are as a result of an accident can be prevented when one has a seat belt on.
Always remember that your car dashboard warnings are an indication something isn’t very right and all is not well with the car. These dash board lights serve as a precautionary measure which should be taken very serious and action should be taken to rectify the anomaly.