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What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

The lights are there to indicate the status of your car.

They are also called:signals or warning lights.

In any case, these small logos can be very useful.

The problem is that few people know exactly what all these pictograms mean!

To help you recognize all the symbols on your car, use our dashboard warning light guide .

To print and keep in your glove box! Watch:

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Click here to easily print this guide and always have it with you in your glove box!

What do the indicator lights on the dashboard mean?

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Dashboard lights help you drive safely. Use this guide to recognize alarm, alert, and signal symbols. Be aware that they may differ slightly from car to car.

ALARM LIGHTS

Attention danger ! Indicators in red indicate a major malfunction that must be checked immediately.

If in doubt: check your car owner's manual. You will find a visual of the dashboard with the position and explanation of all the warning lights.

Battery low

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Abnormal coolant temperature

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Abnormal engine oil pressure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Brake failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

WARNINGS

These symbols vary in color depending on the manufacturers. They indicate that something needs to be considered and revised. Better check what's wrong right away!

Seat belt not fastened

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Airbag deactivated

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Airbag failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Automatic transmission failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Towing hitch failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Press the clutch pedal

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

For manual transmissions, serves as a reminder that the clutch must be depressed before the engine can be started.

Anomaly detected

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Service as soon as possible.

Handbrake on

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Motor failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

This warning light indicates a malfunction of the ignition, injection or pollution control system.

Catalytic converter anomaly

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Tyre pressure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Indicates that a tire pressure check is required.

Brake pad wear

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Power steering failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Anti-lock braking system (ABS) fault

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Faulty bulb

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Safety distance alert

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Air suspension anomaly

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Change the fuel filter

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Risk of ice

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Failure of shock absorbers

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Esp electronic trajectory corrector failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

In yellow, this symbol indicates that the car's electronic trajectory corrector is active. As a rule, it activates on wet and slippery roads. Drive carefully, avoid any form of emergency braking and take your foot off the accelerator to reduce your speed.

Steering lock anomaly

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

THE MOST COMMON COOKIES

Green, blue, orange and more rarely red, these warning lights indicate the operation of an on-board system.

Cover open

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Chest open

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Door open

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Key not detected

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Minimum fuel level

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Minimum level of windshield washer fluid

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Service

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Service as soon as possible.

Rear screen defroster

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

New information

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Consult the messages from the on-board computer.

LIGHTING LIGHTS

Front fog lamps

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Rear fog lamps

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Manual adjustment of the height of the light beams

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

High beam

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Dipped beam

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Outdoor lighting failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Side lighting failure

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Adaptive lights

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Direct the light beams according to the direction of the steering wheel

Automatic lights

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

The lights come on or go off automatically depending on the brightness outside, without action on the stalk.

Left and right turn signals

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

ADVANCED COMMAND WITNESSES

Speed ​​limiter

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Cruise control

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Assisted parking

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Winter mode

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Anti-skid system for automatic gearboxes.

Brake control system

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Problem with ignition system or car key

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Lane departure warning

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

ECO mode activated

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

ECO mode is a function that optimizes fuel consumption by controlling your acceleration.

Rain sensor activated

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Low key battery

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Automatic wiping activated

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Retractable fin

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

In green, this symbol signals the retractable aileron is activated. In red, it signals a system failure.

WITNESSES FOR DIESEL ENGINES

Glow plugs

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

This light indicates that the spark plugs have warmed up the engine enough to start the car. Wait a few seconds for the warning light to go out before starting your car. If the light does not go out, your glow plugs may be burnt out or faulty.

Particle filter saturation

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

Remember to clean the particle filter to avoid having to go to the garage! We explain how to do it here.

Presence of water in the diesel filter

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

How to decode indicator light colors

What Do The Dashboard Lights Mean? The Essential Guide!

The witnesses are represented by colored pictograms and are classified into 3 categories. The little mnemonic trick to remember is to think of lights as a traffic light:

- Red or flashing: Danger! Play it safe, stop your car and turn off the engine. These warning lights signal an engine fault that must be checked immediately.

- Yellow or orange: these warning lights mean that something needs to be considered and reviewed without delay, but without immediate danger.

- Green: these warning lights indicate the activation of on-board systems during use.

The meaning of these signs is now clear to you!

And it works for all car brands:Xsara Picasso, Dacia Sandero, Kangoo, Berlingo, Fiat Panda, Peugeot 208 or 206, Dacia Logan, Toyota Corolla, Golf, Volkswagen Passa, Toyota, Seat Ibiza, Ford Ka, Ford Focus, Suzuki Vitara Opel, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Qashqai, Clio Renault, Audi, BMW, Huyndai...

Your turn…

Have you used this guide to all dashboard lights and signs? Let us know in the comments if it worked for you. We can't wait to read you!