Warning light in the car: stop or continue driving?

If a yellow or red warning light comes on in the car, there may be something wrong. So the question is: should you stop or can you continue driving? We provide an explanation.

When you are driving your car, you should not only pay close attention to the road, but also keep an eye on your dashboard, as a warning light may suddenly come on.

Useful rule of thumb

There are a lot of them, so it’s understandable that you might not immediately know what’s going on. As a general rule of thumb, if a red light is on, it’s important to stop.

If an orange or yellow light comes on, you can still drive for a while, but it is important that you take action, such as checking what is going on yourself or going to a garage.

The most important red and yellow (or orange) warning lights are explained below.

Red warning lights

Airbag – In this case there is no need to stop. This light indicates that there is an airbag or seat belt malfunction. Go to a workshop to have it checked.

battery – The battery light always comes on when you start the car, but should go off again afterwards. Is not that so? Then, for example, there could be something wrong with the alternator.

cooling – There is a problem with the car’s cooling system. Stop immediately! There is often too little coolant, for example due to a leak.

oil – The oil pressure is too low. This is probably due to the oil level being too low. Continued driving may cause damage to the engine.

Brakes – This light can indicate various problems: too little brake fluid, wear of the brake pads or a problem with the ABS.

Yellow warning lights

Section – There is a fault in the anti-lock braking system. During emergency braking, the tires can lock.

Tires – Many cars monitor the pressure in the tires themselves. This is a warning that the pressure in one of the tires may be too low.

engine – Something is wrong with the engine, for example with the injection or ignition. Only when the engine light starts flashing do you have to stop immediately.

Particulate filter – The particle filter in the exhaust is defective or full, which means the car can no longer meet environmental requirements. The only time you should stop driving is if there is a power outage.

Relief – A lamp is broken. Check the front and rear of the car (don’t forget the brake lights) and replace the defective light if necessary.