Dashboard Warning Lights Explained

Your ride is perfectly happy to tell you when something's wrong.

But you have to listen.

Understanding what warning lights do and don't mean will help you help your vehicle.

Whether it's an improperly closed door, or the dreaded check-engine alert,

dashboard warning lights are how your car communicates with you when something goes wrong.

They light every time you start your vehicle,

illuminated briefly as your car or truck warms up and makes sure all systems are safe and ready to go.

Occasionally one light might stay on, indicating there’s a problem.

Be equally alert if one or more warning lights don’t briefly illuminate.

If they aren't functioning, you might not be able to detect a problem they'd warn you about.

But if you don't understand what a warning light means—or choose to ignore it,

a small problem could turn into a bigger, more expensive, and potentially dangerous issue.

And even the savviest car owner can have trouble deciphering the message a warning light is trying to convey.

"They're all so different and cryptic, it makes it easy for most people to ignore them,"