Think of the warning lights on your dashboard as your friend. They are there to tell you a message about what is going on with a particular system in your engine. When one comes on, there’s a definitely problem. While some dashboard warning lights are alerting you to non-critical engine problems, there are several others that need to be heeded as soon as you see them light up. In this blog post, we will refer to these a critical warning lights because if you continue to drive your vehicle, you risk serious engine damage… or worse! It could be a safety hazard to you and others.

In the past, we posted about how investing in regular maintenance can help you extend the life of your vehicle (read that post here). Regular maintenance is also crucial in keeping your vehicle running safely. It will help you avoid, or at least minimize the probability of one of the critical warning lights coming on. Every time you bring your vehicle into our shop, we complete a courtesy inspection of major engine systems. That way, we can alert you to specific service work that needs to be done or parts that need to be replaced. Otherwise, you could end up seeing one of those critical dashboard warning lights illuminating.

What does the color of the dashboard light mean?

When it comes to warning lights, the color is meant to let you know about the seriousness of the problem. Here’s some helpful information to remember. Warning lights that are “red” in color (like those below) are critical warning lights. Just like a red stop-light, they are telling you to stop driving as soon as it is safe to do so. Once you pull over, you will need to have your vehicle towed. Now, if a light is “yellow” or “orange,” you don’t need to take immediate action, but you should have your vehicle looked at and the problem fixed as soon as you can.

Here are the Critical Warning Lights on Your Dashboard

The Oil Pressure Warning Lightcomes on when there is a serious drop in the engine oil pressure. This could be the result of an oil leak or the oil pump has gone bad and it isn’t circulating enough oil through the engine. If you continue to drive, the engine will seize. Instead, pull over and call for a tow to our shop.

 

 

 

The Engine Temperature Warning Light will be triggered when the engine overheats. A lot of times this occurs because a cooling system hasn’t been maintained properly. The water pump fails, the thermostat doesn’t work, a belt/hose breaks or there’s a problem with the radiator. It’s important to change the coolant before it is no longer able to protect the engine from overheating and corrosion. Replace belts and hoses before they break. Again, because it’s a critical warning light, you will want to stop driving as soon as possible so the engine can cool down. Call for a tow to our shop in Verona, New Jersey, and most importantly Do NOT attempt to open the radiator cap to check on the amount of coolant while the engine is hot.

 

If a Brake Warning Light comes on while driving, your brakes are near total failure and it is unsafe to drive. Most commonly, this occurs when the hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid drops suddenly. Now, there is something you should know. Some vehicles utilize the same warning light for the Emergency Brake. So, if you are driving and all of a sudden you notice that the brake warning light is on, pull over and make sure the Emergency Brake is not on. If the Emergency Brake is off and the light remains on, call for a tow to our auto repair shop in Verona, NJ.

 

While we cannot guarantee you will never have an engine problem, we can assist you in maintaining your vehicle. We keep detailed records on all the services we perform and will advise you when it’s time to replace parts. Schedule your next vehicle maintenance or repair work with Luke’s Auto Service today.