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Oil pressure warning light
Red oil can, often with a drip
Stop now. This light means the engine has lost the oil pressure that keeps its moving parts from grinding together, and damage is already happening while it stays lit. Pull over as soon as it is safe, shut the engine off and do not drive on until the cause is fixed.
Low oil pressure is not the same as a low oil level, so the light alone does not tell you how much oil is left. Check the dipstick, but do not assume a top-up has solved it: if the level looks fine, or the light comes back after you add oil and restart, call for a tow.
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Engine coolant temperature warning light
Red thermometer standing in waves
The engine is overheating. Turn off the air conditioning and find a safe place to stop. Some makers suggest letting the engine idle in Park or Neutral for a moment so the fan can work, and turning the heater to full heat and full fan helps pull heat away. If the light does not go out quickly, switch the engine off and wait at least 20 minutes.
Never open the radiator cap on a hot engine: the coolant is under pressure and can spray out and cause severe burns. Once everything has cooled, check the coolant level, and have the car checked before any long drive. Many cars also have a separate amber low coolant light, the earlier and gentler version of this warning.
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Brake system warning light
Red BRAKE, or an exclamation point inside a circle
First make sure the parking brake is fully released, because it shares this light. If the light stays on with the parking brake off, the brake fluid may be low, which can point to a leak, or the hydraulic system may have a fault. Stopping distances can get longer, so driving with it lit is dangerous.
Pull off the road and stop carefully. If the light is still on, or the pedal feels soft, low or sinks toward the floor, have the car towed rather than driving it. When this light comes on with the ABS light, the system that balances braking between the front and rear wheels may have failed, and the car needs repair right away. Topping up the fluid does not fix the reason it was low.
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Check engine light
Check engine light, flashing (amber engine outline)
This amber light means stop soon. A flashing check engine light usually signals a severe misfire, where unburned fuel reaches the exhaust and can overheat and ruin the catalytic converter, one of the costlier parts to replace. Some faults behind it can also cut engine power without warning.
Ease off the accelerator, avoid hard acceleration and towing, and pull over when it is safe. The car needs immediate service: if the light keeps flashing after a restart, or the engine shakes or runs rough, calling for a tow is safer than limping home.
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Transmission temperature warning light
Red thermometer inside a gear, on many automatics
The transmission fluid is too hot. It mostly appears under hard work, such as towing a trailer. Stop when it is safe, put the transmission in Park or Neutral and let the engine idle, or run slightly faster than idle, until the light goes out. Then you can carry on, ideally with a lighter right foot.
Do not keep driving with it lit. Overheated fluid can eventually wreck the transmission, and in the worst case it can boil over onto hot engine or exhaust parts and start a fire. If it keeps returning, book a check before the next tow.
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Battery charging warning light
Red battery with plus and minus signs
Despite the picture, this light usually means the battery is not being charged, not that it is already flat. The cause can be the alternator, its drive belt, the battery itself or another part of the charging system. It is normal for it to glow briefly at startup and then go out.
If it stays on with the engine running, the car is living on stored battery power, and that only lasts a short time before the engine can stall. Switch off what you do not need, such as the radio, climate control and rear defroster, and head straight to a shop rather than running errands. Get help at the first opportunity instead of waiting for it to clear.
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Airbag warning light
Seated passenger with a round airbag in front, or the letters SRS
The car drives perfectly normally, which is exactly why this light gets ignored. It means the system has found a fault, and one or more airbags or seat belt pretensioners may not deploy in a crash.
Owner's manuals treat it as a get-it-inspected-as-soon-as-possible light rather than a pull-over light, while some service chains advise not driving the car at all until it is checked. Either way, do not put it off. The light should come on for a few seconds at startup and then go out; one that never lights at startup needs checking too, because the system cannot warn you.
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ABS warning light
Amber letters ABS inside a circle
Your ordinary brakes should still work, as long as the red brake warning light is off. What you have lost is the anti-lock function that keeps the wheels from locking and skidding in a hard stop, so you may not be able to steer around something while braking hard.
You can keep driving, but leave more following distance, brake early and gently on wet or icy roads, and book a repair soon. If the red brake light comes on at the same time, treat it as a brake system failure and follow the advice for that light.
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Check engine light
Check engine light, steady (amber engine outline)
The most familiar warning light, and usually not an emergency. A steady light means the engine computer has logged a fault somewhere in the engine, fuel, ignition or emissions systems. You can keep driving, but book a check soon rather than learning to live with it.
Start with the fuel cap. A loose or missing cap is a common trigger, and the light can take several normal drives to go out after you tighten it. If the light stays on after that, have the stored fault read. If the car starts running rough or losing power, or the light begins to flash, the urgency changes completely: see the flashing entry.
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Tire pressure warning light
Amber horseshoe shape with an exclamation point
A steady light means at least one tire is about 25 percent or more below its recommended pressure. Look at the tires first. If one is visibly low or flat, pull over and put on the spare or call for help, because an underinflated tire grips and handles worse and can blow out.
If they all look fine, check each one with a gauge and fill them to the pressure on the sticker inside the driver's door within a day. Cold snaps set it off often: pressure drops about 1 PSI for every 10°F fall in temperature. A light that flashes for a minute or so at startup and then stays on means the monitoring system itself has a fault, so it may not warn you about a real leak.
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Stability and traction control light
Amber car with wavy skid lines behind it
This one has two very different meanings. Flashing while you drive means the system is working right now, trimming power or braking a wheel because the tires are losing grip. Ease off and slow down for the conditions; nothing is broken.
Steady with the engine running means the system is switched off or has found a fault. Check that nobody has pressed the off button, which usually shows its own OFF version of the symbol. If not, the car still drives normally but without that safety net on slippery roads, so book a check, especially before winter.
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Power steering warning light
Steering wheel with an exclamation point, red or amber
You can still steer, but the assistance may fade or stop, and the wheel can feel much heavier than normal, especially at parking speeds. Grip it firmly, pull over somewhere safe and switch the car off.
On many cars with electric power steering, a light that goes out after the car has rested and restarted is nothing to worry about, while one that comes back needs a dealer or shop. Sawing the wheel back and forth while stopped or barely moving can also make electric steering go heavy for a few minutes as it protects itself from overheating. Some makers use red for a fault needing service and amber for reduced assistance, so check your manual.
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Electronic throttle control warning light
Amber lightning bolt between two brackets on some cars
Modern accelerator pedals are wired to the throttle rather than linked by cable, and this light means that system has a fault. The engine computer may limit throttle and power to protect the engine, so the car can feel sluggish, idle rough or high, or even stall. Many makers pair it with a "reduced power" message.
Once you are safely and completely stopped, switching the ignition off and on may clear it. If it stays on steady, the car is usually still drivable, but get it checked soon. If it keeps flashing, or the car barely accelerates, stop and arrange a tow, because you may not have the power to merge or climb safely.
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