Fault Lamps on Car Gauges and Their Meanings

Although we do not see it often, there are dozens of indicator lamps with different meanings in our cars. As the simplest of these, we can give examples such as engine fault lamp, oil lamp, handbrake lamp. If you are a driver, you need to know what the fault lights on the car dashboard mean. Otherwise, you are likely to encounter irreversible problems. For you, we have compiled the fault lamps and their meanings, which you can find out what they mean if you encounter them.

When a check engine light comes on, you realize that something went wrong in your car, and when the brake light comes on, you realize that your car’s handbrake is on. But of course, the lights on your indicator are not just these. For example, you need to know what it means when a glow plug failure light comes on so that you have the opportunity to take the necessary measures as quickly as possible. If you wish, without further ado, what are the malfunction lights on the car indicators and their meanings? Let’s examine it together in the smallest details.

Engine fault lamp

First, we start with the most familiar malfunction lamp. Even if the check engine light comes on for very simple reasons, it sometimes comes on to notify the driver of serious problems in your car. There are many reasons for the check engine light to come on. There may be a problem with the sensors in your car, there may be a blockage in the filters, you may be faced with a DPF or EGR filling, and the engine malfunction lamp may come on for many more reasons. The engine fault lamp lights up in two different ways, yellow and red. If you are faced with the yellow check engine light, you need to take your car to a service center as soon as possible. When you encounter the engine fault lamp, there is no sudden risk. But if you encounter a red check engine light, you should pull your car to the right as soon as possible and seek assistance from the roadside assistance service. Because the red check engine light indicates that the car is no longer able to move.

Overtemperature fault lamp

Our cars work with a great cooling system. Not only the engine, but even our transmissions are supported by special cooling systems. Most car gauges today have a gauge where you can check the engine temperature. When this indicator rises above a certain safe level, you can take action. But unfortunately, this temperature indicator does not happen in every car. Your car has a serious problem if the temperature warning light is on. It means that the water in your engine is seriously hot and has reached the level to damage some parts of your engine. In this case, you need to stop your car quickly and prevent further damage to the engine.

Oil Pressure Lamp

Our cars work thanks to a certain oil level. Many critical parts in the engine are able to work more efficiently thanks to this lubrication system. If the oil level in our car is low, we may be faced with an oil pressure fault lamp on the instrument panel. If the oil level drops drastically in the car, many parts, including the piston rods, become inoperable and lock up after a while. As a result of this, to speak with an industrial term, “engine bearing coupling” occurs. We can say that it is useful to measure the oil condition frequently in short periods with the dipstick in the engine of our cars.

Battery warning lamp

The battery, which powers the electrical parts of our automobile, is one of the most important parts of the engine. In case of a serious decrease in our batteries, which are fed by the operation of our automobile and provide power to many electrical and engine parts, we may encounter a battery warning lamp on the indicator. Usually in such cases, if the car is in working condition, we wait for the battery to charge itself after starting it. But if our car will not start, we charge our battery via a jumper cable. If your car gives this warning, either your battery has lost its life, or some electrical components may have used the battery seriously while your car’s engine is off. For example, if you leave your headlights on after parking your car in the evening, your battery may run out by morning.

brake warning light

If your car’s handbrake is not fully applied, you may encounter the handbrake warning lamp. But the only purpose of this warning lamp is not to remind the handbrake. If there is a problem with the brake fluids of your car, you may encounter the same warning lamp. If you encounter this warning lamp even though your car’s handbrake is off, you can perform a brake test in an area that will not put traffic at risk. If you feel a decrease in brake pressure, you should take your car to a workshop as soon as possible.

Tire pressure warning light

This warning is usually found on cars above a certain model. If the air in your car’s tires falls below a certain level, your car activates the tire pressure warning to warn you. If you see the tire pressure warning light, it means that your tires are seriously low. This, along with reducing comfort, will make your car even more difficult to drive. In fact, if you continue without inflating when the air is completely emptied, you may encounter problems such as warping and breaking of the rims, as the rims of your car will be loaded.

ESP/ASR warning lamp

The ESR/ASR system, which ensures that our cars do not slip off the road and do not skid, has a very important task. If your car loses control, the ASR system activates automatically. When activated, you will see the ASR warning lamp flashing continuously on your instrument panel. But if this light is on steadily, your ASR system is disabled.

ABS fault lamp

The ABS feature, which is the most important part of the braking system in our car, allows you to stop more quickly during sudden braking. If the warning light of the ABS system, which allows your car to stop without aquaplaning, especially on rainy and slippery surfaces, the system is deactivated. If you are faced with the ABS malfunction lamp, we recommend that you go to the authorized service as soon as possible, since the ABS feature in your car does not work.

Seat belt and airbag warning light

Airbags and seat belts, which play a major role in protecting the driver and passengers, can be turned off manually in most cars. If you see a yellow seat belt warning light on your indicator, it means your seat belt and airbag protections are disabled. But if this warning light is lit red, it indicates that there is a problem with these systems and they are not working.

Windshield washer warning lamp

Windshield washer water is as important as the engine water in our car. When the glass water, which allows you to quickly clean the mud and dirt that splashes on your glass when you least expect it, is finished, you will see a yellow washer water warning lamp on your indicator. When you encounter this warning, you can add water by taking water from the nearest gas station.

Particulate filter warning lamp

If you have a car that works with a diesel fuel system, you may encounter a particle filter warning lamp, even if it is very unlikely in your car. If you are faced with this warning, you can clean your car’s particulate filter with very easy methods. The simplest method for this is when you use your car in 3rd or 4th gear, between 2000-3000 revolutions for 30 minutes after you go out on a highway, you will see that this fault lamp goes off automatically. The particle filter warning lamp is usually on in cars that are heavily used in the city. Because we use our cars in the city at lower speeds and lower revs. This causes the particulate filter to fill up after a while.

We have answered the question of what the fault lamps on the car indicators mean for you. There are quite a few warning lights in cars, even though we don’t see them often. If you are faced with at least one of the warning lamps above, you need to take the necessary precautions. Which warning lamp do you encounter the most? Don’t forget to share in the comments.