One of the worst things to experience while driving is to see a warning light suddenly pop up on your dashboard. These lights can cause both confusion and worry if you’re not familiar with what they mean. Before you panic or overreact to a dashboard warning light, it’s important to follow a simple rule of thumb regarding their severity. Simply treat each color of the warning light exactly as you would a stoplight.
Stevenson Hendrick Honda Jacksonville has assembled this quick reference guide that should help provide you with all the information you need to know about what the most common Honda dashboard warning lights are and what they mean.
Green (or Blue) Icon – Continue to drive without worry. These are simply informational messages that should not interfere with routine driving.
Yellow (or Orange) Icon – Exercise some caution while driving. These alerts could warn you of a potential problem that should be dealt with at your earliest convenience. Generally, they won’t require you to stop driving immediately.
Red Icon – Stop driving as soon as it’s safe to do so. Pull over and shut off your engine. Red warning lights are usually signs of a serious problem and you should call an authorized Honda service facility for assistance.
Brake System Failure There has been a potential failure detected in your brake system. If you’re driving and this symbol appears, we suggest that you pull safely off the road and call roadside assistance to tow your vehicle to the closest authorized Honda dealership for repair.
Your parking/emergency brake is engaged. Make sure to disengage the emergency brake before driving to prevent unnecessary wear.
Check your oil level to verify it’s within the recommended threshold. This may also point to a problem with your oil pressure sensor. Low oil pressure can lead to serious damage to internal engine components due to the loss of lubrication. When safe to do so, contact roadside assistance and have the vehicle towed to a repair facility.
Fault or failure within the charging system. Without electrical power, your vehicle can shut off and leave you stranded. Find a safe area to pull over, park the vehicle, and call for roadside assistance immediately.
An SRS fault is an indication of a possible problem with your airbags, causing them to fail to deploy in the event of a collision. Do not drive your vehicle. Call for roadside assistance and have your vehicle towed to the dealership for inspection.
Your vehicle is overheating. Engine coolant cannot exceed a certain temperature before it fails to protect your engine. Shut off the engine and pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Until your seat belt is fastened, this indicator light will remain on the dashboard. Always wear your seat belt!
One of the vehicle’s doors is open or not fully shut.
Your trunk is open or not completely closed.
The Adaptive Cruise Control system is activated and engaged. Use normal caution as you would when driving without this feature.
Your vehicle’s all-wheel drive system is active. Power is being directed to all four wheels.
If there’s an issue within the ABS system, this warning light typically pops up next to the brake warning light.
Auto Idle Stop briefly shuts off your engine to boost fuel economy and reduce emissions. This light tells you that the system is engaged and working properly.
A vehicle has entered your blind spot and the system has issued an alert. Use extra caution when making a lane change or merging.
Although this light may indicate a wide range of different issues, it appears when the onboard diagnostics system has detected a problem with your vehicle’s emissions, ignition, fuel, or exhaust systems. It’s a smart idea to be proactive and bring your vehicle in for service.
Your CMBS has engaged and reacted to a potential collision.
This typically indicates that one of your DRL bulbs has malfunctioned or is burnt out and requires replacement.
There’s a problem with your power steering system. Be sure to have a professional inspect your vehicle soon.
Your LKAS system is active, detected that your vehicle has started to drift out of its intended lane position, and took corrective action. Use caution.
Your vehicle is running low on fuel. Stop and refuel as soon as possible to avoid becoming stranded on the side of the road.
This is a helpful notification that your vehicle is due for scheduled routine maintenance. It’s time to schedule a service appointment with your Honda dealership.
The RDM system had detected that your vehicle has left the road surface and took corrective action. Use caution.
This is a sign that the smart entry system has experienced a problem. Some possible culprits are a low/dead keyfob battery or a problem detecting the remote. See your dealer for further inspection.
Check your vehicle’s information display found in the gauge cluster for additional information.
The VSA system has activated due to a loss of traction or there’s a problem within the system.
Add additional windshield washer fluid to your vehicle’s reservoir under the hood. This is especially important during winter weather conditions.
Your high beam headlights are being automatically controlled.
Cruise control is engaged and your vehicle is maintaining its pre-set speed. Use the same caution you normally would while driving.
Your exterior lights are turned on. Be sure to switch them off when they’re not needed to save potential battery drain.
The vehicle’s fog lights are switched on.
You’ll usually see this light appear when you first start your vehicle. It means that your engine coolant has not reached the recommended operating temperature yet. Avoid heavy acceleration until normal operating temperature has been reached and this light turns off.
Your turn signals are activated.
