20 Car Dashboard Signs and Names: What Do They Mean?

Team CARS24
Team CARS24

Updated on: 27th March, 2024 IST

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20 Car Dashboard Signs and Names

Driving a car can be therapeutic for many reasons. Winding roads with smooth tarmac is how most of us picture a road trip in our minds. Making it a reality is what makes us feel dopamine. Another element that makes it more enjoyable is the connection with the car.

Driving involves all our senses. Taste? It is the good food that completes road trips. But the question is how does a car communicate with the driver? While the engine’s noise is one, feedback from the pedals and steering is another.

However, car dashboard signs are also crucial, as they picture a clear perspective of what’s wrong and right with the car. So, before you crank your engine again to get on another amazing road trip, go through our detailed guide to dashboard warning signs to protect your car.

20 common warning lights on your car’s dashboard

1. Oil pressure warning light

A light that must scare you is the oil pressure warning light. Now you know, why it is on the list of 20 most common dashboard warning signs. What triggers this light? Low engine oil pressure. There can be many reasons that would cause low oil pressure in the engine. Either you haven’t topped up/replaced engine oil in your car or there’s an oil leak.

2. Transmission temperature warning light

There is an optimum operating temperature for every component in a car. If any crucial grinding part operates at a temperature higher than its maximum operating limit, it leads to a breakdown. This light blinks to warn the driver about an overheating transmission. Your first action should be to pull over and get your car towed to a mechanic or service centre.

3. Tyre pressure warning light

The tyre pressure warning sign is not available on all cars. Only select models come with this feature that alerts the driver about the tyre pressure being lower or higher than defined limits and might cause further issues to the car’s smooth operation.

Also Read : How Do You Maintain A Second Hand Car In India 

4. Lane Departure Warning Light

If your car is equipped with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), it will probably have a lane departure warning light on the dashboard. It lights up upon detecting an unintentional drift out of the lane your car is in. The idea is to facilitate lane driving to keep road users safe. Modern cars have synced this light with a vibration on the steering wheel.

5. Engine temperature warning light

A crucial gauge on the Instrument cluster is an engine temperature gauge and projects how hot the engine is. Once the temperature rises beyond permissible levels, a light starts glowing on the dashboard as a secondary indication other than the gauge.

6. Brake warning light

The brake warning light generally comes up when the parking brake is engaged. It also alerts the driver if something is wrong with the braking system. This light should not be ignored if the car isn’t standing still, as it might result in dealing with no pressure in the brake line. In simple words, no brakes!

Also Read : Best Summer Car Maintenance Tips

7. Traction control alert light

The function of the traction control system is to cut power when a wheel spin is detected. So, every time the traction control system is activated the light blinks on the instrument cluster. Also, when the traction control system is turned off (if switchable), the light continues to glow, until it is activated again.

8. Washer fluid indicator light

Despite driving over a hundred cars in my career as an auto journalist, this is one light I haven’t seen glowing in any car. The primary reason for keeping away from the washer fluid indicator light on the dashboard is the habit of topping up the washer fluid bottle at regular intervals because it only bothers to glow when the washer fluid level drops lower than required. Also, not all cars come with this feature.

9. Anti-lock brake system warning light

A life-saving feature that has become mandatory for all cars is ABS (Anti-lock Braking system). This system comprises a wheel speed sensor, ABS module, and other braking components. Now, if any of these go kaput, the light turns on to alert you.

10. Fog lamp indicator light

Not all cars come with fog lamps, but some do. Let’s not get into the debate if they are important or not. Although, they are. The fog lamp indicator comes into action when the fog lamps are turned on. You switch them off, the light goes away.

11. Traction control malfunction light

We have already talked about why the traction control light shows up on the dashboard. Another warning light on the dashboard that is connected to the traction control system is the traction control malfunction light. It notifies the driver if the system has detected any malfunction, affecting its operation.

12. Security indicator light

Walk up to a locked car and you’ll be quick to notice that a red light keeps flashing at fixed intervals. This is the security indicator light. If it is constantly blinking when the car is locked, then relax because everything is in good shape. If the light switches on when the car is unlocked; it is a bad sign. The light is indicative of a faulty security system.

13. Engine warning light (check engine light)

The Check engine light is the first line of response for a car. If any sensor in the car’s engine records a bad reading, it sends a signal to the onboard computer called the ECU (Engine Control Unit), and the amber/orange light glows up. Seeing this, one should not panic, but start a visual/aural inspection of the car to figure out if it can be driven to a nearby garage to get the ECU scanned to find out the error code. Based on the error code, the car can be fixed rather easily. At times, the light comes up even for small issues like soot particles in the throttle body or a failed fuse/sensor.

14. Airbag warning light

In April 2021 the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways made dual-front airbags mandatory in all cars. Subsequently, this light became mandatory as well, and it lights up if there’s any malfunction with the airbag sensor or control unit.

15. Battery alert light

A severe voltage or current drop in a car’s battery is when this light bothers to come into play. It alerts the driver about getting the battery inspected by a trained mechanic. If ignored for long, this light itself will stop glowing, and that means the end of your car’s battery.

16. Seat belt reminder light

As per the Motor Vehicle Act, using a seat belt is mandatory. Keeping the mandate aside, it should be put to use all the time for your safety. If any of the occupants seated in seats that have a sensor to detect a lack of seatbelts being worn, the driver is alerted about the same through this light. Not all cars have a seat belt sensor for the rear passengers.

17. Low fuel indicator light

A car cannot run without fuel. More importantly, modern-day cars use fuel pumps and fuel injection systems to transfer fuel from the tank to the engine. If the fuel level falls below the minimum required level, the fuel pump and injector might suck in air, which could result in expensive damage. To avoid it, a low fuel indicator is another dashboard sign that alerts the driver to keep potential damages away.

18. Automatic shift lock or engine start indicator light

The automatic shift lock light indicates that the driver needs to press the brake pedal to change gears. This is used on modern-day automatic cars, which come with fuel-saving features like an automatic start-stop system.

19. Diesel particulate filter (DPF) warning light

The DPF warning light is limited to just diesel cars. It is a yellow light symbolising an exhaust muffler. The light comes up when the diesel particulate filter is at the end of its lifecycle. It alerts the driver that if the issue is left unattended, the car might go into limp mode.

20. Open door indicators

No one should need an explainer for this light. A symbol that represents a car with its doors open is the open door indicator light. With time, it has taken a more modern approach, but the idea is to let the driver know that a door is open.

Conclusion

After understanding the importance of the 20 common warning lights on a car’s dashboard, it can be concluded that tell-tale lights are crucial to keeping a car healthy. It is impossible to manually keep a check on all components of the car. Thereby, easing the complete process are these warning lights, alerting the driver of what’s going on with their machine.

FAQs

Q. What does the warning light mean in a car?

A warning light signals the driver about any malfunction in a car.

Q. What is the most serious warning light in a car?

All warning lights are equally important to be attended. However, we believe the low engine oil level and brake warning lights are the most serious of all.

Q. Do warning lights differ for different cars?

No, warning lights follow a standardised pattern with identical symbols across the globe.

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