Car warning lights: what each light means
Find the light that has come on in your dashboard: we explain what it means, whether you can keep driving, what to check first and which documented faults trigger it in each engine and car.
Red warning lights
- Battery warning light onSymbol: outline of a car batteryUrgency: As soon as possible12 documented faults
- Brake or handbrake warning light onSymbol: circle with an exclamation mark, sometimes in brackets, or the word BRAKE; on cars with an electric parking brake a P may appearUrgency: As soon as possible3 documented faults
- Coolant warning light on (low level or temperature)Symbol: thermometer over wavy lines (fluid)Urgency: As soon as possible2 documented faults
- Oil pressure warning light onSymbol: oil can (an oil can with a drop)Urgency: As soon as possible22 documented faults
- Overheating or temperature warning lightSymbol: thermometer over wavy lines (coolant)Urgency: As soon as possible52 documented faults
- Airbag warning light onSymbol: a seated person wearing a seat belt with a circle (the inflated airbag) in front; in some cars, the letters SRS or AIRBAGUrgency: Garage soon122 documented faults
- Immobiliser warning light (key or padlock) onSymbol: a car with a key, or a key or a padlock, sometimes with the message "key not detected"Urgency: Garage soon2 documented faults
- Electric parking brake warningSymbol: letter P inside a circle in brackets, sometimes with an exclamation markUrgency: Garage soon53 documented faults
Yellow or amber warning lights
- ABS or ESP warning light onSymbol: the letters ABS, usually inside a circle, in amber or orangeUrgency: Garage soon90 documented faults
- AdBlue system warningSymbol: AdBlue system warning in the instrument cluster, yellow or orange at first, usually accompanied by a text message and, later on, a countdown in kilometresUrgency: Garage soon16 documented faults
- Brake pad warning light onSymbol: circle surrounded by broken lines or brackets on both sides (RACE describes it as an amber circle with curved lines outside it)Urgency: Garage soon1 documented fault
- Particulate filter warning light (DPF)Symbol: particulate filter symbol on the dashboard, normally amber; its design varies by manufacturerUrgency: Garage soon35 documented faults
- Engine fault warning light (check engine)Symbol: outline of an engine seen from the side, in yellow or orangeUrgency: Garage soon196 documented faults
- EPC warning light onSymbol: the letters EPC, in yellow or orangeUrgency: Garage soon1 documented fault
- ESP warning light on or flashingSymbol: the silhouette of a car with curved skid marks (swerving lines) beneath it, or the letters ESP, in amber or orangeUrgency: Garage soon52 documented faults
- Glow plug warning light flashingSymbol: coil or spiral (the heating element of the glow plugs), in yellow or orangeUrgency: Garage soon2 documented faults
- Oil level warning light on (yellow)Symbol: oil can with a wavy line (oil level warning)Urgency: Garage soon1 documented fault
- "Pollution control system faulty" messageSymbol: a text message on the dashboard ("anticontaminación defectuosa" or similar wording, in English "emissions system fault"), sometimes alongside an amber warning lightUrgency: Garage soon14 documented faults
- Power steering warning light onSymbol: steering wheel with an exclamation mark, yellow or orange if the fault is minor and red if it is more seriousUrgency: Garage soon6 documented faults
- Yellow triangle warning light with exclamation markSymbol: a triangle with an exclamation mark inside itUrgency: Garage soon
- Spanner warning light onSymbol: a spanner, sometimes with the message SERV or a service warning on the displayUrgency: Monitor
- Tyre pressure warning lightSymbol: cross-section of a tyre with an exclamation mark inside; on some cars, the letters TPMS in orangeUrgency: Monitor8 documented faults
Other warning lights and messages
Not a warning light? Search by symptom (noises, smoke, jerking…) or by OBD fault code.