“Why are my car dash warning lights on?” Because of problems with:
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- Low oil pressure
- Tire pressure
- Engine temperature
- Traction control
- Antilock brake system
- Engine problems
- Battery issues
- Low fuel
- Automatic shift lock
- Seat belt
Your vehicle relies on the warning lights on the dashboard to bring your attention to internal problems. Sometimes it's a matter of a quick reminder for a safety thing like buckling your seats, but it could indicate a major internal problem like the check engine light.
There are several warning lights on your vehicle's dashboard, and sometimes it can be confusing for inexperienced drivers to understand what exactly is going on. That's why one of the very common questions we receive from our readers is, why is my car dash warning light arm?
This article walks you through the 10 most common warning lights you might come across during the lifetime of your vehicle, and you should act four immediately. Keep in mind that some other warning lights are also important, but this article focuses only on the top ten.
Why is my car dash warning light on?
If you got into a car or were driving and suddenly noticed that one of the warning lights was a woman eating, it is a way for your car to communicate with you and ask you to act immediately.
Sometimes this warning light will not indicate major problems and doesn't mean that your vehicle will fail in no time, but sometimes it does.
Therefore, it is critical for you as a driver to familiarize yourself with all the dashboard warning lights at some point, so you don't ignore an extremely important problem.
The following list highlights the 10 most common warning lights that might illuminate as you're driving your car or getting in your car. You must act immediately depending on the severity of the problem and never ignore a warning light on your dash.
1. Low oil pressure
The first and most common warning you will encounter is a low oil pressure light. It looks more like add oil can symbol, and it's very important because it indicates that your system does not have the proper oil pressure level.
When there isn't enough pressure on your oil that lubricates the engine, there are some leaks, and the oil is not lubricating the entire components within your engine. The scum like in deal with engine overheating in no time, and you should never ignore this problem because it means thousands of dollars on repair is ignored.
2. Tire pressure
The other common warning light you might see is when there is a problem with the tire pressure. But, again, that's a very important warning light because it keeps you communicating with the tire condition in terms of pressure.
Whenever this warning light illuminates, you should never ignore it because your tire pressure might be in very difficult situations where it might impact the other components in your vehicle. It will impact your safety as you drive your car.
Tires are the first components interacting with our old ones. If they're not in good condition, they can easily evolve, cause problems with other components, and get too involved in situations that impact your safety.
3. Engine temperature
One of the important warning lights you must keep up with and monitor is the engine temperature warning light. It is one way for the vehicle to communicate with you and send you information about the current temperature of your vehicle engine.
When the engine overheats and the temperature reads very high, it's a very difficult situation, and it's one way to force you to stop your vehicle and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Engine overheating is one of the worst enemies that could impact your engine, and it starts minor but evolves in no time. Therefore, if you ignored the engine overheating for quite some time, you could easily deal with engine self-destruction that will cost you close to $5000, if not $10,000, in some luxury vehicles.
4. Traction control
Another word in light has to do with the vehicle traction control system. It means that this system is activated, and it's a system that relies on the anti-lock brake system. So this warning light is very important because when it's turned on, it's activated. You should not activate the system if you're driving on slippery roads because it forces the car to act on its own to stop the vehicle in certain situations that might not be proper if you're driving on slippery roads.
Long story short, the traction control should not be activated every time, and when this is turned on, you want to make sure that you intentionally turn it on. Otherwise, you must check with your mechanic about what's happening and why it's turned on its own.
5. Antilock brake system
There is another related warning light that has to do with the brakes as well, which is the antilock brake system. It typically says ABS. When this warning light is illuminating, it indicates that you've been braking very hard, and you should monitor how you brake and operate your car.
Sometimes the warning light might illuminate because of a problem with you're braking system. Because this is a very sensitive and critical system, you should consult your mechanic immediately to resolve any issues you do not notice.
6. Engine problems
The check engine light is a very common warning light that is extremely important because it has to do with problems inside your car. Although the check engine light looks like an engine, sometimes it refers to problems that are not necessarily in the engine itself, and they are very critical, and you should not ignore them.
For example, if the check engine light aluminates, it will typically be associated with an error code that you can scan to understand what's happening. Once you have this error code, you can easily Google it, or depending on the scanning tool; you should get some details about the problem and potential repair costs.
Check engine light problems are very important, and those are situations where you must talk to your mechanic immediately because even if you haven't a scanning tool, you won't have to fix it. But, on the other hand, that thing might not be something you can fix, and it requires a professional to resolve.
Automotive experts always assure that you must not ignore a check engine light illuminating because the problem might be containable and can be resolved easily if you act immediately. However, if you ignore it for a couple of days or even months, things get complicated, and it might cost you a lot of money if you do not get your top where you lose the entire vehicle.
7. Battery issues
There is another warning light that looks more like a battery. The light does not necessarily mean that your battery is not functioning properly. More indicates that there is a problem with the charging system. For example, it could be an issue with the battery itself, but it can also be linked to the battery terminals, the cables, alternator, or any other component that has to do with the electric system
Whatever is causing this to be taken seriously, you must get it replaced or fixed as soon as possible. Your mechanic should be able to tell you whether you need to replace the entire component or whether you can fix it. Whatever he suggests, you should act immediately, and no matter how much it will cost, you should fix it now rather than wait for more time because things always get complicated and might impact other components you cannot afford to fix.
8. Low fuel
You've probably seen some situations where the few indicate our lives might be illuminating because you don't have enough fuel. But, of course, cannot the easiest solution to this is to go to the gas station and fill up your gas tank.
Remember that sometimes there might be a problem with the gauge itself, and it might be illuminating because of an internal problem in the gauge. That's where you add some fuel, and you don't notice it going away.
In that situation, talk to your mechanic and see if the problem has to do with the sensor or with, the fuel tank or with some miscommunication between the vehicle computer and the fuel system,
Once your mechanic detects the faulty internal components, he should be able to provide you with recommendations about what you need to do next. For instance, if the problem is a faulty sensor or a blown fuse, go ahead and fix it before you get to situations where you think you have enough gas but don't.
9. Automatic shift lock
Have you ever seen a symbol resembling a foot or a shoe pressing on a brake pedal? This very important warning light indicates you're having issues with the automatic shift lock. One way to resolve the issue is to never switch gears in your manual transmission without pressing the brake pedal or starting the ignition.
10. Seat belt
Finally, the warning lights are not always scary and do not always mean an internal problem; for example, there is the seat belt warning light, which is a quick reminder that you must buckle your seat as you get a new car. Another potential warning light indicates the passenger is not putting or buckling the seat belt.
There are many bills like the one related to closing or ensuring that all doors are closed properly, which doesn't have to do with any mechanical problem, but it's more of a safety issue that you must maintain.
Even though these warning lights do not have to do with mechanical or internal problems, they have to do with your safety and are not put there for no reason. Therefore, pay attention to these lights and never ignore them. When your vehicle asks seal to buckle your seats, do so because it's all for your safety and will protect you and your vehicle.
Final thoughts
Learning one or two things about the warning lights on the dashboard is very important, and it prevents you from getting into situations where you put your life at risk of car crashes or other safety issues.
This article highlighted the ten most common reasons for your question, why is my car dash warning light on? We highly encourage you to go through the entire list and understand what you need to do to resolve the issue before it gets more complicated.
As you noticed, some situations that cause a warning light might be severe, like those related to the check engine light. In that case, you might want to evaluate how much it'll cost you to fix these problems, and if you get to a point where your repair costs are high, you might want to think about selling your vehicle instead,
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