Being familiar with the many warning lights that can appear on a car’s dashboard will bring drivers some peace of mind while they’re on the road and a symbol lights up on the dash. The first thing to take note of is the color of the dashboard indicator.
Red lights are a warning and require immediate attention, amber colored are advisory lights to make you aware of an issue that doesn’t need immediate action, and blue/green/white dash lights are information lights that require no attention and are there to make you aware of a function.
Dashboard warning lights weren’t installed in cars until the 1930s when they replace gauges that would alert drivers to various issues with the car. Many struggled with switching over to dashboard lights and referred to them as “idiot lights” because they made it harder to detect issues early since they only activated once an issue had occurred.
This infographic from alansfactoryoutlet.com is a useful guide for drivers to have on hand if any of the 52 common dashboard warning lights happen to turn on.
