A Look At Your Dashboard Lights And What They Mean

You may be driving along in your car and then a light comes on on your dashboard. What does that light mean? Should you pull over and look into it? Clearly, your car is trying to tell you something, so it is best to know what the dashboard lights mean and what you need to do to get rid of it. We discuss the most important (and common) lights you'll see on your dashboard below.

5 Dashboard Lights To Remember

While there are many lights that show up on your dashboard, especially with newer vehicles, these are the five lights you need to remember!

Check Engine

For this image, it is the outline of a standard engine. It can come on for a variety of reason, including low oil, the engine overheating or clogged air filter. This is a pretty serious light to come on, so you should get your car serviced as soon as possible to find out what the exact problem is. If this light comes on and it is flashing, you should stop driving as soon as it is safe to stop. The blinking check engine light is a sign of something serious, so if you continue to drive with it on, you could severely damage the engine.

Low Fuel 

This image will look like a gas pump, so pretty easy to remember. If you see this light pop up, it means it is time to get to the gas station. The average car has 2-3 gallons of fuel left when this light comes on. Don't push your luck with anything and just get to the gas stations ASAP.

Oil Light

For this image, it is shaped like an old-fashioned oil can. When you see this light, it means your oil pressure is low. To fix it, you should top off your oil as soon as you can. You need to keep oil in the engine, otherwise it could seize up and that would be a costly thing to fix. If you are seeing the light frequently, you may have a leak and should get that checked out.

Washer Fluid

This image looks like a spray of water over a windshield. This light means your washer fluid is low and you need to fill it up. While this doesn't seem like an emergency, it could be based on how the driving conditions currently are. Snowy roads can leave your window dirty and hard to see out of, so you would need that washer fluid to clean it up.

Battery Alert

For this image, it is shaped like your car's battery. When this light comes on, it doesn't automatically mean something is wrong with the battery. It means there is a problem with the charging system in general, so it could even be the alternator. You will want to get this checked out quickly, as it could be an issue that would cause draining of your battery and you could end up with a dead battery.

While there are other lights that might pop up on your dashboard, these are the most common lights and ones you can easily address.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.