Dashboard warning indicators and their meaning

What a dashboard indicator means, what is safe to continue with, and what needs a stop.

Common failure modes

• An indicator cleared without finding the cause
• A colour misread as advisory

Procedures

• What the red brake light on my dashboard means and whether I can keep drivingA red lamp with the word BRAKE in it is not one warning. FMVSS 135, the federal standard for light vehicle brake systems
• How to read the check engine light codes on your car with a cheap code readerEvery car sold in the United States since model year 1996 carries a self-diagnostic system that watches the emission con
• What does the oil pressure warning light mean, and is it the same as the low oil light?A dashboard light shaped like an oil can, or carrying the words oil or engine oil, is not the same thing as a low oil le
• How to reset the service light, oil change light or maintenance required light on a car after an oil changeMost cars, trucks and SUVs carry a maintenance reminder — a wrench symbol, or a message such as Maintenance Required, Se
• What the tire pressure light on my dashboard means and what to do about itOne dashboard symbol is asked to say two completely different things, and almost nobody is told which is which. A lamp t

Where this stops

Diagnosis beyond reading a code belongs with a workshop.