Electronic diagnosis

Has a warning light lit up on the dashboard of your car, and you have no idea what it means? Don’t panic! Here is a handy and comprehensive guide to recognising car warning lights and icons.

New cars are keeping up to pace with technology, and today warning lights feature more and more new functions to warn us not only that the vehicle is working as intended but also that something is not working as it should. This is why it is crucial to have at least a basic knowledge of the type of warning lights installed in the vehicle’s ignition system.

A warning light should never be underestimated, but it should not be a cause for fright; they can help us to immediately detect and solve a possible problem, avoiding more serious damage.

So, here’s how to recognise car warning lights and icons.

CONTENTS

How to recognise car warning lights and icons: colours

• Red lights
• Yellow or amber lights
• Green lights
• Blue lights

Car warning lights: the colours of the individual light.

How to recognise car warning lights and icons: colours

The warning lights in our car’s dashboard are visual indicators that help us to check if certain components are working as intended (whether the lights come on correctly or how much fuel is in the vehicle), and are therefore extremely helpful. Warning lights vary in colour (red, yellow or amber, green, and blue) according to how serious the reported status is.

Red lights

Red warning lights are definitely the indicators most dreaded by all drivers: they report an imminent danger to the car and warn the driver to stop the vehicle immediately. They are usually followed by an acoustic signal to indicate a serious problem.

Yellow or amber lights

Yellow or amber warning lights indicate that there are critical issues requiring attention, but they are less serious than red ones. They normally signal an anomaly or vehicle malfunction, for example, that the car is low on fuel or that the tyre pressure is incorrect .

Green lights

When a green light comes on, there is no need to panic: this colour indicates that something is on and working as intended. Some classic information indicated by these warning lights refers to the switching on of the dipped headlights or the turn indicators. 

Blue lights

Blue warning lights are not nearly as common as other indicators and are generally found in cars to indicate that the full-beam headlights are on. More rarely, in some car models, the warning light may indicate that the engine temperature is too low. 

The most common car warning lights and their specific meaning

Stop warning light: if the word STOP appears in red while driving, it indicates that you need to stop the vehicle immediately and seek assistance.

Coolant temperature warning light: if it comes on while driving, stop the vehicle immediately and check the coolant level.

Front seat belt warning light: it turns on if the driver or passenger are not buckled in.

Battery charge warning light: if it comes on while driving, it indicates that the battery is low or, instead, that the system is overcharged.

Hand brake warning light: it indicates that the parking brake is engaged.

Open doors warning light: it comes on if one or more doors are open.

Low fuel warning light: when it turns on, it indicates that the fuel is running out.

Engine failure or anti-pollution system warning light: should it start flashing, the engine speed must be reduced, and assistance must be contacted.

ABS warning light: indicates a fault in the wheel anti-lock braking device.

Preheating warning light: found in diesel cars, it comes on to indicate that the glow plugs are warming up and then goes out within a few seconds.

Airbag warning light: if it comes on, it indicates that there is an airbag malfunction and that you need to seek assistance.

Stability control warning light: it indicates that stability control is activated due to a sudden loss of steering control.

Parking lights warning light: it indicates that the parking lights are on.

Dipped headlights warning light: it indicates that the dipped headlights are on.

Front fog lights warning light: it indicates that the fog lights are on.

Rear fog lights warning light: it indicates that the fog lights are on.

Indicator warning lights: they indicate that the 4-way flashers or the right or left indicator lights are on.

ECO mode warning light: it comes on only when the ECO mode is activated. The colour may vary depending on the car manufacturer.

Full-beam headlights warning light: it indicates that the full-beam headlights are on.

Engine temperature warning light: the engine temperature is low. High revs and stresses must be avoided.

Identifying car warning lights and icons, and thus faults and malfunctions in time is of paramount importance for driver and passenger safety.

For this to be possible, the car’s electrical system must be working as intended: otherwise, some warning lights might not indicate anomalies that need to be checked, making the car – and the driving experience – unsafe.

MOTRIO TIPS & TRICKS

ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSIS

Nowadays, electronics are involved in many aspects of a car’s operation. In fact, you may have seen yellow or red warning lights and icons appearing on your car’s dashboard.

Electronic diagnosis is a key aspect of car maintenance; indeed, computerised analysis will allow the mechanic to accurately detect malfunctions on electrical and electronic parts of your vehicle and assess their condition and safety.

With this analysis, several operations can be carried out, such as programming and mapping the control unit to optimise consumption, checking fuel consumption, and checking that warning lights and sensors are working as intended.

OUR ADVICE

We recommend doing a check-up at least once every two years.

Some indications of a malfunction might be:

· Warning lights that come on randomly

· Sensor malfunction

· Inconsistent values in the car’s self-diagnosis

If you think your car needs an electronic diagnosis, make an appointment at the nearest MOTRIO Service Centre all it takes is a few clicks!