Understanding vehicle emergency lights

Have you ever seen a flashing signal on your dashboard and wondered what it meant? Emergency lights can be confusing, and many people struggle to identify what different variations mean. Understanding these cues can be the difference between narrowly avoiding a bad situation or falling headfirst into one. To help clear up common misunderstandings, we’ve created a clear list of vehicle emergency lights and their meanings. 

Battery Warning 

Let’s start with one of the more self-explanatory signals. When a car’s battery is dangerously low or otherwise in need of repair, a glowing battery symbol will appear. This might mean the battery is fading, damaged, or hasn’t charged properly. Taking your car in for a professional inspection will provide the best insight into whether a battery is completely dead or just damaged.

Brake Light

While we’re speeding along highways or busy roads, it’s easy to forget the importance of brakes. Driving comes naturally to most, so these standard functions often go unconsidered. The reality, though, is that working brakes are crucial to maintaining driving safety. The light indicating bad brakes comes in the form of an exclamation point surrounded by a circle and a pair of parentheses, and the point is sometimes illuminated even more with flashing letters reading “brakes”. Please pay attention to this light, because it could mean the car has worn brake pads or less brake fluid than necessary. It’s very possible you’ll need to top off your car’s brake fluid or invest in new brake pads before getting back on the road.

Airbag Light 

When a car crash occurs, passengers often endure trauma to their heads and upper bodies. To counteract this, airbags made of nylon are installed to protect those inside the vehicle. For this reason, airbags should always be kept in good condition. An airbag light looks like a stick figure in a seatbelt with a sphere, representing the airbag, above them. When this comes on, the sensors that tell airbags that a crash has happened may be broken. This will keep them from deploying in case of emergency, so the issue should be addressed immediately. The airbag clock spring may also be faulty, meaning the airbags could fail to deploy when you need them. If your airbag light does come on, we suggest taking your car to a shop or dealership as quickly as possible.

Coolant temperature light 

The following warning looks like a blue thermometer being dipped in water. When you see this signal flaring, it’s trying to let you know that the car’s engine is too hot. An overheated engine can cause damage to your vehicle, hurting the engine’s interior or even starting fires in extreme circumstances. To combat this problem, pull over to a safe location and allow your engine to cool down. Topping off your coolant can help speed this process up and decrease the risk of engine damage. 

Lamp Out light 

If you see a light that looks like a sun with an exclamation point in the middle, this means that a bulb on your car has burned out and needs to be replaced. This situation isn’t dire or potentially life-threatening, like when brakes aren’t working or the engine is too hot, but taking note of the “lamp out” light is still a good idea. It’s best to get a new bulb as soon as you can, because a burnt-out head or tail light could result in receiving a pricey ticket. 

Oil pressure warning light 

If you catch wind of a burning smell or notice that your engine is overheating, it may be because your oil pressure is too low. Cars also have a warning light to alert drivers of this problem, which can lead to a destroyed engine if left unchecked. This symbol is very literal, as it appears on your dashboard as a dripping, old-fashioned can of oil. When you see this light, pull over as soon as you can and check your oil. Driving with low oil levels is what can cause severe damage to your engine. Add more oil to your car, then check if the light still comes on. Continue adding oil until the light is no longer coming on.  

Shop Transwest 

At Transwest, we have a team of experienced professionals ready to answer any questions you have about emergency lights, engines, or other car-related issues you’re confused by. Stop by one of our locations today, and we’ll be happy to help out with every step of the car buying process.