Nothing can interrupt a nice peaceful drive in your Ford Fiesta through the streets of Costa Mesa quite as much as a warning light popping up on the dashboard. The panic and confusion that comes up whenever one of these lights turns on is something that most of us are very familiar with. Even though these warning lights have more or less stayed the same over the past decade, there are still many drivers who do not know what they mean. That is why this guide is here to help explain the meaning behind each of the main warning lights and what to do when they turn on.
Tire Pressure Light
This light is the one that somewhat resembles a tire and usually has an exclamation mark in the middle of it. When this turns on it means that at least one of your tires has become slightly deflated. If you have a more modern Ford Explorer from a Costa Mesa dealer, then the onboard driver information display system might actually be able to tell you exactly which tire it is.
However, older vehicles require you to just get out and look at each one to try and see which of them looks less full than the rest. If you have a tire gauge with you, then you can quickly check the psi of them to find out which one it is.
When this light pops up, you should stop and examine your tires as soon as possible. If one of them is only slightly low then driving on it will not be a big deal, but it will lower your fuel efficiency. However, if one or more of the tires is significantly low, then driving on it can damage your wheel and force you to buy a replacement.
If you notice during your inspection that one of the tire walls has suffered serious damage, then you will probably end up having to replace the entire tire. In this case, you will actually have to replace the other tire on the opposite side as well because otherwise, the different tread amounts can impact the performance of your vehicle.
But if the tire tread has been damaged by something small like a nail, then you might be able to pull it out and fix the hole with one of the tire spray products that are available. These foam sprays will enter the hole, harden, and plug it up to prevent air from leaking out.
Check Engine Light
This light looks like an engine and is the most serious light on the entire dashboard. It is meant to indicate that some part of your engine is experiencing an issue. Finding out exactly what this issue is can be tricky because this light can be triggered by so many different things. Some of the issues are small and do not require a trip to the mechanic, while others are much more serious and need to be checked out as soon as possible.
Generally speaking, a problem with the vehicle’s emissions system will cause the light to flash, whereas anything more serious will probably cause it to stay solid. Either way, if the light stays on for more than 24 hours, or you notice a serious problem with your vehicle’s performance, then you need to take it to a professional to get checked out right away.
Oil Light
This light is shaped like an oil can and is one of the other most serious lights that can turn on. Many people tend to think that this light indicates that your vehicle is low on oil. While this can definitely be what it means, it could also indicate that there is an issue with your oil filter or oil pump.
The oil light is not something that you want to try to ignore, because doing so could cause costly damage to your engine. So when this light comes on, make sure that you either examine your vehicle yourself or take it into a professional to get it checked out.
Coolant Light
This light looks like a weird key, which is supposed to be a thermometer, sticking into several wavy lines. What the coolant light represents is that the temperature of your engine’s coolant has reached a dangerously high temperature. The reason for this is hard to determine, but fixing it usually is not too difficult.
Simply pull over into a safe location, lift the hood up your vehicle up, and let your vehicle rest for a while. That should be enough to bring the temperature back down to an acceptable level. If the light comes back on again after you have let your vehicle rest for a while, then you should consider getting it checked out by a professional.
Battery Light
This light is appropriately shaped like a car battery, although it represents far more than just the battery. If it turns on, then that means that your vehicle is suffering from an electrical charging system problem. This system includes your car battery, but it also includes the alternator and voltage regulator as well.
A damaged battery will likely be what activates this light, which means that it either it is not charging or can’t hold a charge. Either way, you will not be able to continue driving your vehicle much longer until this issue is fixed. So make sure that you immediately go get your vehicle checked out once this light turns on.
Brake Light
This light is usually shaped like an exclamation point with a circle around it and two curved lines on either side of the circle. When it turns on, it could indicate several possible issues. Either the parking brake is still engaged, the braking fluid has become low, or there is a problem with your vehicle’s ABS system. So while the fix might be as simple as disengaging your parking brake, it could also be much more serious. If it stays on after you have played around with the emergency brake, then be sure to go get it checked out by a professional.
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