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On most new cars, when you turn on the key, there are
an overwhelming number of dash warning lights that come
ON while doing their self-test, then they go off when
the engine is started. But what happens when one comes
ON while I am driving? Is it a serious problem? Should
I shut off the car and stop driving and call Stouch’s?
Or can I continue to drive for the rest of the day, and
then call Stouch’s to find out why the light came ON?
If the Light
is RED, stop and shut off the engine!
- This is usually associated with:
- The Red Brake Warning Light
- The Red Engine Temperature Light
- The Red Oil Pressure Light
-
Further
Driving when any of these light is ON, may damage
the engine OR cause a safety problem.
If the Light is
ORANGE or
YELLOW, it is usually a
warning or caution for something you can keep driving
with, but should have checked
- This includes, but is not limited to:
- Air Bag or SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System)
- When this light is ON, the Air Bag
system will not perform in the
event of an accident.
- It is also important to note, the air
bags will not accidentally deploy or go off.
- We recommend having this important
safety item checked and repairs.
- ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System)
- When this light comes ON, your normal
brakes will operate fine – no problem.
- But, the ABS system will not work.
- ABS was added to the car to help you
keep control of the car during hard braking,
particularly in wet/slippery weather.
- We recommend having this important
safety system checked and repairs.
- Check Engine! Service Engine Soon! Or an
Engine Symbol or graphic on the dash!
- Yes, we know, the engine is still
there! Some people have been known to open
the hood just to check for it!
- When this light comes on, the car
computer is indicating it has found a fault
somewhere in its system.
- Usually it is a problem that is
affecting the vehicle emissions.
- Sometimes, it is also a problem that
will cause the engine to stop running,
not start, or suffer other driveability
problems.
- There are hundreds of faults that
can cause this light to come ON.
- We recommend calling us to determine
what the fault is and what it would take to
repair it.
- TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System)
- This indicates either: one of the tires
is low in air; or there is a fault in the
tire pressure monitoring system.
- At minimum, we recommend checking tire
pressure. If the light remains, we may
need to evaluate the cause for repair.
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