Warning light on car dashboard

08-12-2024 ภานุวัฒน์ ขาวฉลาด

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What is a car dashboard warning light?

When you have a car, you should also learn things close to you for driving a car for the safety of the car and the driver. Car dashboard warning lights are symbols with different colors that show up on the car dashboard when we turn the key switch once. Or, to put it simply, car dashboard warning lights are symbols with different colors that show up on the car dashboard when we turn the key switch once, which is the display of various symbols on the car dashboard. When we start the car, we see various lights displaying.

Color-coded warning symbols you must know!

Let's start with the warning symbols on the car dashboard according to the color. Many people who use cars regularly must have seen them. Each color has its own meaning. Let's see what each color means and how severe it is!

Green: Equipment that is currently in use

Blue: Equipment that is currently in use, which we control ourselves, not the factory default

Yellow: Checking to check, but still usable, may need to check later
Red: Check immediately or stop using immediately for safety

Today we will take you to see what warning signs each signal has and how to deal with them. Let's take a look.

Let's get started.

Symbol 1 Start switch failure

Warning of a faulty starter switch: Often found in new cars that use Push Start. Key-shaped warning light with three curved lines on the dashboard: means the key battery is low and the remote battery should be replaced immediately. Car warning light in a triangle: means to keep a distance from the car in front. It will warn you when your car is at least 60 meters away.

Symbol 2 Steering wheel lock

1. Steering wheel lock symptoms can be noticed while driving, whether it is an unusually heavy steering wheel, too much free play that makes it difficult to control the car, or the steering wheel shaking while driving.

2. Steering wheel locks are caused by many reasons, including damaged steering wheel, leaking steering rack, and deterioration due to age, which can be dangerous while driving.

How to unlock the car steering wheel for cars with Push Start buttons

1. Step on the brake and change to gear N or gear P.
2. Press the Start button once until the steering wheel symbol appears on the LCD screen.
3. Press and hold the Start button, then turn the steering wheel to the right.
4. The steering wheel will be unlocked and the engine will operate normally.

How to unlock the steering wheel for cars with keys
1. Step on the brake and shift to N or P.
2. Insert the car key.
3. Move the steering wheel to the left and right, and slowly turn the key.
4. The steering wheel will be unlocked and can be turned normally.
5. Turn the key and start the engine normally.

Symbol 3 Electric power steering malfunction

Newer cars equipped with electric power steering will have a steering wheel and exclamation mark symbol instead of the electric power steering system. If this symbol is illuminated, it means that the car has a problem with the steering system. Solution: Immediately take the car to the service center. Or if it is difficult to control the steering wheel, call a tow truck to take the car to the repair center.

Symbol 4: Fasten your seat belt.

Symbol 5 Airbag failure

The airbag and driver symbols are symbols of the airbag system. If this symbol appears, it indicates that the airbag is not ready to operate.

Solution: Take the car to check the condition of the airbag to prevent accidents where the airbag does not deploy.

Symbol 6: Radiator is too hot.

Warning light that will work when the engine temperature is higher than normal, causing the car to alert us to check. Normally, there are 2 types of engine temperature gauges:

- Needle type, which will have a needle indicating the temperature rate. If the engine temperature is at normal temperature, the needle will not exceed half of the gauge. But if it jumps above half, it means that our engine is too hot.
- Warning light type, for new cars, this system is mostly used. By observing this warning light, there will be different colors to indicate the meaning, which varies for each car model. For the most part, if the car has a green or blue light, it means that the engine or cooling system is too low. But if it is a red light, it means that the engine or cooling system is too high.
The way to fix a car overheating is to observe your own car. When you see the red Heat warning signal, you must immediately stop the car and open the hood to cool down. Do not turn off the car engine. Let the engine idle for a while until it cools down and observe whether the temperature decreases. If it decreases, it is considered that there is nothing wrong. But if not, you must proceed to the next step of How to fix a car overheating.

Observe the abnormality.
If the temperature does not decrease, turn off the engine, open the hood to cool down, and leave it for half an hour. Let the water in the radiator cool down and find the cause immediately. Start by checking from

- Is the water in the radiator abnormally low? If there is less water and you add more, does it still decrease? If so, there may be a radiator leak.
- Observe the cooling fan to see if it is still working normally. If the fan is not working, the wire is loose or broken, you must send it for repair immediately because there is a problem with the cooling system.
- Check for dirt in the radiator. Make sure that your radiator is clean and free of dirt or contamination. It is best to flush the radiator frequently and add coolant regularly.
- If the warning still appears after repair, observe other points, such as the water valve may not be working. There may not be enough water in the cooling system, which may also be the cause.

A caution is to not open the radiator while the car is overheated because boiling water may overflow and damage your car. Or worse, it may rush into your face and cause damage to your body. Be very careful.

Add plain water.
Once everything has cooled down, the next step in fixing your car overheating is to open the radiator cap and slowly add plain water. Then try starting the engine. If the symptoms improve, you should drive to a nearby garage to find the exact cause again. Once the symptoms have been repaired, you should add coolant. To take care of the radiator so that it does not overheat quickly and also helps to preserve the radiator so that it can be used longer than filling it with plain water.

Symbol 7: Battery is running low.

Warning signs that your car battery is running low. Know before changing it so you can be at ease with every start. One, the dump truck is difficult to start and makes an unusual sound. Two, observe the lights on the dashboard and other lights in the car. Are they starting to get less bright or are starting and stopping?

Symbol 8 Low oil pressure

Low oil pressure warning light
If this warning light is red while driving, it means that the engine oil level is low or low. Immediately park the car in a safe place and turn off the engine immediately. This may cause the engine to overheat or be damaged.
Then, open the hood to check the engine oil level on the dipstick immediately.
If the engine oil level is low or deficient, add engine oil to the normal level. If possible, use the same grade or grade of engine oil.

Symbol 9 Handbrake stuck and released

If the car has a handbrake light on, check if the handbrake is down or not. But if the warning light still does not go away, it may mean that there is an abnormality in the brake system in other parts. In this case, you should take your car to the service center for inspection immediately.

What is the cause?
1. The handbrake is not fully down.
If you drive and the handbrake light is still on the dashboard, at the same time, if you drive and feel sluggish, it is possible that you may not have fully down the handbrake or forgot to unlock the handbrake. You should check and pull the handbrake up all the way. Do not force the car because it may cause the brake to burn.

2. Worn out brake pads

If you have fully pulled the handbrake up but the brake light is still on, it is possible that the brake pads are worn out. However, this can only happen with new cars because there is a sensor to detect the thickness of the brake pads. When the brake pads are thin, the brake light will remain on the dashboard.

3. The brake fluid level is below the standard.
The brake fluid level is below the standard because the brake fluid should be in the MAX position or between MAX and MIN (should not be lower than MIN). Always check if the fluid level is in that position.

4. Brake booster leak
The brake booster is a device that helps reduce the force of stepping on the brake pedal. It works with a vacuum system that helps you step on the brakes smoothly. If the brake booster leaks, you will experience a symptom of stepping on the brake pedal and sinking. This abnormality is the cause of the brake light symbol showing up.

How to check and fix

1. Check if the handbrake is released. If it is released but the handbrake light is still on, check the brake system.
2. Check the brake fluid level. If the brake fluid level is lower than the standard, add brake fluid to the normal level.
3. Check the handbrake cable. If the handbrake cable is broken, replace the handbrake cable.
4. Check the handbrake light. If the handbrake light is broken, replace the handbrake light.

Symbol 10: The door doesn't close properly.

Symbol 11: Leave the trunk open.

Symbol 12 Check the fuel filler cap.

And this is a symbol of the car warning light to make our driving go smoothly and be ready to deal with the problems that we will encounter while driving. The car warning light will notify us when there are various problems in driving safely. If you are interested in seeing more, click on the YouTube link.