Your dashboard warning lights are your car's way of telling you something is wrong. Some of those messages are more urgent than others.
The Dashboard Symbols You Can’t Afford to Ignore
Published on Jul. 30, 2025
When I first started fixing cars over 50 years ago, there were only a few dashboard warning lights, such as low oil pressure, overheating engine, or a faulty charging system. They were all vital to address right away when they turned on. We called them “idiot” lights—because if you ignored them, you were an idiot.
In comparison, today’s modern, high-tech cars can have over two dozen warning lights. Some warning lights, as always, are crucial and need to be checked immediately, even if it means pulling off the road and calling for a tow. Others, not so much. They mostly indicate that some system needs attention, but you should be able to keep driving without making the problem worse.
Ahead, a veteran ASE Master Technician and Automotive Technology instructor shares real-world tips to help you understand which warning lights need attention now.
Emergency Dashboard Symbol Categories
“Many manufacturers place emergency dashboard symbol warning lights into color categories to help you understand which ones are more urgent than others,” explained ASE Master Technician Tim Diamond. Categories usually include:
- Red Dashboard Symbol Warning Lights: Stop immediately. There is a serious problem with a safety system or could cause additional (expensive) damage to your vehicle.
- Amber/Yellow Warning Lights: Caution and warning. Something needs attention soon, but you can usually keep driving.
- Blue/Green Lights: Informational status indicators, not warning lights.
- Red/Yellow/Gray/Green: Modern cars have symbols for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). The color will depend on the manufacturer and the system’s situation.
Diamond says, “Check your owner’s manual if you ever see a warning, caution, informational, or ADAS light you don’t recognize.”
Emergency Dashboard Symbols
These are the most common RED emergency dashboard symbols that require you to stop immediately.
- Oil Pressure Warning (oil can with a drop of oil dripping from the spout) means low oil pressure. Pull over immediately and check you oil levels.
- Brake System Warning (circle with an ! inside, or the word “BRAKE”) indicates low brake fluid or possible brake failure.
- The Battery Charge Warning (a battery icon with [+] and [-] symbols) indicates a problem with the charging system.
- Engine Temperature Warning (a thermometer immersed in or sitting on top of waves—like a boat) indicates an overheating engine; stop and let it cool before checking the coolant level. (WARNING: Do not try to open the coolant tank cap until the engine has fully cooled down.)
- Transmission Temperature Warning (gear with a thermometer inside) indicator lights up when the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) overheats or when the transmission itself is damaged. Stop and check the ATF immediately.
- Airbag Warning (a person in a sitting position with a round circle sitting in their lap) means there is a major failure within the airbag system, and the airbags may not deploy in a crash.
- Seatbelt Reminder (person sitting forward with a seatbelt outline, maybe flashing) means someone in your car hasn’t buckled up. In most modern cars, this indicator light is accompanied by an annoying beeping that won’t stop until everyone buckles up.
- Door/Hood/Trunk Open (a car outline showing the hood and or trunk lid open): Diamond emphasized this is a “safety hazard, especially at highway speeds when the hood could pop up blocking visibility, or worse, fly off, if not closed securely.”
Urgent Dashboard Symbols Warning Lights
These are the most common yellow emergency dashboard symbols that indicate something needs attention, but you can usually keep driving if your car is driving without any problems (but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one or more).
- Check Engine Light (silhouette of an engine block) related to the emissions system or sensors and could mean anything from a loose gas cap to engine misfire or backfire. Use a trouble code reader to determine if this is a DIY fix.
- Service Required (silhouette of a car with a wrench in front) comes on based on mileage or time since the last maintenance service reset. Does not necessarily indicate a fault or failure. Make time for some regularly scheduled DIY maintenance.
- Service Engine Soon (words, no symbol) is typically linked to engine and emission control performance, such as misfires, bad fuel, or worn spark plugs.
- ABS (Anti-lock Brakes) Warning (ABS inside a yellow circle) triggers with a fault in the ABS braking system. Diamond explained, “The base [standard] brakes will still work, but ABS won’t, and most likely neither will traction control.”
- A Tire Pressure Warning (a tire’s cross-section with an ! inside) activates when one or more tires may be underinflated. Check tire pressure before bringing it in for service.
- Catalytic Converter (a rectangle with openings on both short sides with wavy lines on top) indicates an overheated or clogged converter that can damage other components, including the engine itself. In the worst case, “a flashing light may restrict engine power [limp home mode] to avert additional damage to the drivetrain,” said Diamond.
Safety Dashboard Symbols
The following dashboard symbols are general safety warnings that could alert you to anything from your tank being low on gas to dicey weather conditions outside.
- Traction/Vehicle Stability Control—VCS (yellow car tilted sideways with trailing tire marks) means the VCS system has been disabled or may be malfunctioning.
- Frost (yellow) or Winter Warning (green lines showing a road with either a snowflake or icicle) reminds you of possible severe winter road conditions and to drive with extra precautions or in AWD or 4WD if available.
- Distance Warning (yellow triangle with a silhouette of a car inside) lets you know you’re getting too close to the car in front of you.
- Low Fuel (green gas pump) reminding you it’s time to stop for a fill-up.
- Parking Brake (yellow circle with a P inside) means you forgot to release the parking brake.
- Brake Warning (yellow circle with a bottle inside covered with an X) could mean low brake fluid, a burned-out brake light bulb or even worn brake pads. Check the brake fluid first, the bulbs, and pull the wheels to check the pads and rotors. However, if the light is flashing, it’s time to take your car to the pros.
- Lane Departure (two green solid outside lines with broken lane indicator lines in the center) senses you’re drifting from your lane into another or oncoming traffic. Hate to say it…stay in your lane.
- Lane Keep Assist (green road line with a steering wheel between them) detects unintentional lane drift and notifies you via a dashboard alert, or steering wheel vibration before gradually steering you back into your lane if you don’t correct it yourself.
About the Experts
Tom Diamond has over 35 years of experience in the automotive repair industry as a technician, certified original equipment manufacturer (Mazda) trainer and shop supervisor and is the instructor at Father Judge High School/Faulkner Institute Automotive Technology Program. He has been an ASE Master Technician for over 25 years, including ASE L1 advanced automotive engine performance certification and is a PennDoT certified state safety, emissions and reconstructed vehicle inspector as well as a certified welder. Email interview July 14, 2025.
Resources
- 2020 GMC Acadia Owner’s Manual: “Symbols”
- Dashboard Symbols: “All Dashboard Symbols and Warning Lights by Color” (July 12, 2025)
- The Wall Street Journal: “The High-School Juniors With $70,000-a-Year Job Offers” (May 7, 2025)
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