Warning lights

It is important to check the dashboard regularly while driving, so that you detect any warning lights as soon as possible. When you start the car, several of these lights turn on for a short while. This is completely normal.

Dashboard lights provide information about the engine and the car's performance, and warn of any errors

Some warning lights turning on while driving is not a problem at all – or at least not an urgent one. But if other lights come on, you may need to drive to a workshop, stop the car as soon as it’s safe to do so, or have it towed. Several warning lights can also turn on for different reasons or in different colors, depending on what the issue is.

The warning lights shown below are amongst the most common. However, their appearance can vary between different car makes and models.

	ABS If the ABS warning light is on something is wrong with the anti-lock braking system.
	ESC If the ESC light flashes the electronic stability control system is actively working. If the warning light is on without flashing the system is either broken or disconnected.
	Engine/Exhaust If the engine warning light is on something is wrong with the engine or exhaust system. The warning light can indicate many different issues - some minor, some serious. If you cannot remedy the fault yourself you must take the car to a workshop.
	Airbag If the airbag warning light is on something is wrong with the airbag system.
	Battery If the battery light is on the alternator is not charging the battery as it should. Eventually, the battery will have no power.
	Fuel If the fuel warning light is on, there is not much fuel left in the tank, usually not more than 5-10 litres.
	Brake If the brake warning light is on you have either forgotten to release the parking brake or the brake fluid level is too low. If the brake fluid level is too low, the brakes will not work properly. You must never drive without fully functional brakes.
	Rear fog lights If the rear fog light lamp is on, so are the car's rear fog lights.
	Full beam headlights If the full beam headlight lamp is on, so are the car's full beam headlights.
	Engine temperature If the engine temperature warning light is on the engine temperature is too high. Stop the car, turn off the engine and allow the engine to cool. If you cannot remedy the fault yourself you must take the car to a workshop. If the engine temperature rises so high that the needle enters the red warning area, and you cannot remedy the fault yourself, the car must be towed to a workshop.
	Oil pressure If the oil pressure warning light is on you must stop the car as soon as safely possible and turn off the engine to avoid damaging it. If this light is on it may simply mean that the oil level is low (on some cars the warning light is yellow in this case) but if that is not the problem the car must be towed to a workshop.
	Power steering If the power steering warning light is on something is wrong with the power steering system.
	Coolant If the coolant light is on the coolant level is too low.
	Frost warning If the frost warning light is on the outside temperature is +4 °C or colder and the road might be slippery. This light turns on at +4 °C due to the fact that the road surface temperature is usually considerably colder than the outside temperature. This means the road can be very slippery even if the sun is out and it is a few degrees above zero.