# Car dashboard warning lights: meaning and when to stop _Updated: 8 November 2026_ **Short answer:** The colour of the light tells you how urgent it is: red means a serious fault, so stop as soon as it is safe and switch off the engine, and yellow means the car needs a check as soon as possible. Green, blue and white only show that something is switched on. > **The service we recommend: Diagnostics** We read faults from every computer in the car and tell you what is urgent. We tell you the price when you tell us the model. [More about the service](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/car-diagnostics) ## Red light: stop as soon as it is safe A red light means a fault where driving on can damage the engine or be dangerous. Slow down, stop in a safe place and switch off the engine. Do not drive to a garage with a red light on. [More about the towing service](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/towing-service) - **Oil (oil can):** Oil pressure has dropped or the oil is too low. Stop right away and switch off the engine, because without oil the engine can be damaged beyond repair. [More about the oil light](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/oil-warning-light) - **Temperature (thermometer):** The engine is overheating. The cause can be too little coolant, a leak or a bigger engine fault. Stop right away. [More about antifreeze](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/antifreeze-g11-g12-g13) - **Battery:** The battery is not charging while the engine runs. The cause can be a poor contact, a damaged cable, a worn-out battery itself or the alternator, the part that charges the battery while the engine runs. Do not drive further than you must, because the car can stop suddenly. [More about the battery light](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/battery-warning-light) - **Brakes (exclamation mark in a circle):** The handbrake is on or the brakes have a fault. Release the handbrake. If the light stays on, the brake fluid may be low. Drive slowly and without hard braking to a safe place and stop. - **Power steering (steering wheel with an exclamation mark):** Power steering helps the steering wheel turn easily. When it has a fault, the steering wheel is suddenly heavy to turn. Stop, switch off the engine and start it again after 30 seconds. If the light stays on, do not drive on. - **Seat belt (person with a belt):** The driver or front passenger is not belted in. The light usually comes with a beeping sound. Do not open the coolant reservoir under the bonnet until the engine has cooled down. ## Yellow light: get it checked as soon as possible A yellow light does not ask you to stop right away, but it does ask for a check as soon as possible. Until then, drive calmly, without hard acceleration and high revs. A fault that is left can damage other parts too, and a small repair becomes a big one. If the light turns red or the car loses power, sounds strange or smokes, stop as soon as it is safe and switch off the engine. - **Engine (check engine):** The engine computer has stored a fault in the engine or in the parts that clean the exhaust gases. If it stays on, you can keep driving until the check, without hard acceleration. If it flashes, the engine is misfiring and can damage the catalytic converter: drive slowly and get it checked straight away. If it is red, stop. [More about the check engine light](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/check-engine-light) - **ABS:** ABS is not working, but the brakes still work. Drive more carefully, with a bigger distance, and get it checked. If the red brake light is on as well as ABS, stop as soon as it is safe. [More about the ABS light](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/abs-warning-light) - **Airbag (person with a ball):** The fault is in the airbags, the seat belt pretensioners or the sensor that detects the front passenger. The airbag may not work in a crash, and it can also go off by itself. Get it checked straight away. On some cars this light is red. - **Tyres (horseshoe with exclamation mark):** Pressure has dropped in one or more tyres, slowly or because of a puncture. Slow down, without hard braking or sharp steering. Stop as soon as it is safe and check the pressure in all tyres. Most petrol stations have an air machine for checking and topping up the pressure. The right pressure is in the car's manual. We repair punctured tyres. [More about tyre puncture repair](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/tyre-puncture-repair) - **Glow plugs (coil, diesel):** When you turn the key, it is normal for it to light while the glow plugs heat. When it goes out, the engine is ready and you can start it. If it flashes while driving, the system is not working properly: get it checked as soon as possible. [More about the glow plug light](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/diesel-glow-plug-light) - **ESP (car with wavy tracks):** ESP stops the car from skidding. If it flashes, ESP is working right now and that is normal. If it shows with the word “OFF”, ESP has been switched off with the button. If it stays on even after restarting the engine, ESP is not working: get it checked. - **DPF (filter with dots, diesel):** The particulate filter in the exhaust catches soot and cleans itself while you drive. The light means it has filled with soot. Drive for about 10 minutes faster than 65 km/h so the filter burns off the soot. If the light does not go out, turns red or another light comes on, get it checked. A blocked filter reduces engine power, and replacing the filter is expensive. [More about DPF regeneration](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/dpf-regeneration) - **Brake pads (circle with dashed arcs):** The pads are worn. The light comes on before they get dangerously thin, but replace them as soon as possible. - **Coolant (yellow thermometer in waves):** The coolant is too low. Wait for the engine to cool down and do not drive on until the coolant is topped up. If the light keeps coming back, there is a leak somewhere: get it checked. - **Immobiliser (car with a key):** The immobiliser does not let the engine start if the car does not recognise the key. If it flashes while the car is locked, that is normal: the protection is on. If it stays on or flashes after you turn the key and the engine will not start, the car does not recognise the key. On some cars, if it flashes while driving, do not switch off the engine until you get to the check, because it may not start again. [More about the immobiliser light](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/immobiliser-warning-light) - **Fuel (pump):** The tank is almost empty. Fill up. ## Green, blue and white light: not a fault These lights show that something switched on is working: indicators, main beam, cruise control, driving mode. On some cars a blue thermometer means the engine is still cold. Symbols differ from make to make, and the car's manual has a picture of every light. ## At start-up the lights come on for a few seconds When you turn the key, it is normal for the dashboard lights to come on briefly and go out. The oil and battery lights stay on until the engine starts, because the oil pump and the alternator only work when the engine runs. If a light stays on after the engine has started, the car is reporting a fault. It is also a fault when a light does not come on at all. If the airbag light does not come on at start-up, the airbag may not work in a crash, so get it checked then too. ## How we find the cause of a light at diagnostics The cause is shown by the fault the car computer has stored. We read it through the OBD port, the place under the steering wheel where diagnostics is connected. The light only tells you which system has a problem, and the fault shows where the problem is, so parts are not changed by guesswork. A cheap reader reads only the basic engine faults. You need diagnostics when a yellow light stays on, when it comes on and goes off, and when you notice a change in how the car runs along with the light. [More about diagnostics](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/car-diagnostics) ## The engine light and the technical inspection Sort out the engine light before the technical inspection. Under the Serbian Rulebook on Technical Inspection of Vehicles, the inspection checks through the OBD port the system that reports faults in the emission equipment. That is the engine light. It is checked on petrol cars from 2001 and diesels from 2004. [More about OBD at the technical inspection](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/relocated-obd-port-inspection) ## A spanner or “Service” on the dashboard: a reminder, not a fault A spanner-shaped light, the word “Service”, “Inspection” or a number of days to the service does not mean a fault. It comes on when a regular service is getting close, by kilometres or by days, for example for an oil change. After the service the reminder has to be reset so it starts counting again. If it stays on after the service, it was not reset. We reset it at diagnostics. ## Frequently asked questions ### A light came on and then went out. Is everything fine? Not necessarily. The engine light goes out when the fault does not come back for a few drives, and the fault stays stored for some time even then. At diagnostics we see what happened. ### What if I just clear the fault? The light goes out, but the fault remains, so it comes back. That is why we first find and fix the cause, and clear the fault only once it is fixed. ### What does the triangle with an exclamation mark mean? It is a general warning. A message on the dashboard screen next to it says what is wrong. Do what the message says. If the triangle is red, stop as soon as it is safe, and if it stays on after the message, the car needs a check. [More about car diagnostics](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/car-diagnostics) ### I pumped up the tyres, but the pressure light is still on. Why? On some cars the light does not go out by itself. After pumping, the new pressure has to be confirmed, with a button or in the dashboard menu, and the owner's manual says how. If the light stays on after that, a tyre is losing air or a sensor is not working. [More about tyre puncture repair](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/tyre-puncture-repair) Have a question about your car? Message us on WhatsApp or call 067 774 1606. ## Read also - [Check engine light (engine warning light): what it means and what to do](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/check-engine-light) - [Car won't start: what to check first](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/car-wont-start) - [Battery warning light on: alternator or battery?](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/battery-warning-light) --- Page on the website: https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/dashboard-warning-lights auto-industrija, Belgrade. Phone and WhatsApp: +381677741606. E-mail: kontakt@autoindustrija.rs.