Lexus Dashboard Warning Lights

“Lexus NX 2017.” By Karlis Dambrans licensed under CC BY 2.0

Taking care of your car is essential to maintain its lifespan and ensure your safety. Lexus is invested in ensuring it and has created a series of lights and symbols indicating when your car needs maintenance. Some of these lights show when something is wrong, and your vehicle needs immediate attention, while other lights indicate when you should get routine maintenance. When a dashboard light comes on, the technicians at Eskridge Lexus in Oklahoma City can help you solve the problem, protect your Lexus, and get you back out on the road.

What Is a Warning Light?

A warning light is a symbol on your car’s dashboard that indicates the status of mechanics within your vehicle. These lights can be very easy to see once they are turned on. They are placed in front of the wheel to be accessible to the driver without them taking their eyes off the road. Warning lights indicate what part of your car has an error or needs to be checked. They light up to draw your attention to a potential problem so that you can take your vehicle to get serviced or immediately address the issue.

Types of Warning Lights

There are various warning lights for each type of problem your car may experience. Understanding these lights can also help you communicate more clearly with your technicians to help them know where to look for potential damage or malfunction. Here are the light symbols on a Lexus:

Brake System Warning Light

The brake system warning light indicates that something is malfunctioning with your brake. This light comes on when the parking brake isn’t released before you begin driving. A warning buzzer also accompanies it. This light can indicate that your parking brake isn’t engaged, your brake fluid level is low, or the entire brake system is experiencing a malfunction.

Your brakes are an essential part of your car, and you cannot drive without the ability to stop. If this light comes on, stop the vehicle as quickly as possible and pull over to a safe location, like the shoulder of the highway. Contact your dealer to find out the next steps for getting your brake looked at. It would be best if you didn’t drive again until a technician inspects the brakes.

Charging System Warning Light

This symbol looks like a battery with a minus sign on the left and a plus sign on the right. When this light comes on, the vehicle’s charging system has encountered a problem. This means your car is running solely on battery power, and you may soon be left with a dead battery. Your car can’t start with a dead battery, and the inability to charge it means that your battery may die while you are driving. It’s important to pull over immediately and reach out to your dealership to resolve this issue.

Oil Level Warning Light

The oil level warning light looks like an oil canister with a small drop of oil falling out on the right side. This symbol lights up in red and indicates that you need to check your oil. You should check your Lexus oil regularly and track how often it’s been checked and changed. Not changing your oil can damage your engine.

Sometimes when the oil level warning light comes on, the oil level is satisfactory, but the engine has a problem. When this light comes on, drive to your local dealership as soon as possible and have a technician inspect your car and determine what’s causing the warning light to come on.

Power Steering Trouble Light

This warning light looks like a steering wheel with an exclamation point. This is an essential light because it indicates when the power steering is experiencing a malfunction. Power steering allows you to quickly move the wheel without feeling the vehicle’s total weight. If this light is red or yellow, you may need to drive very carefully until you get to the dealership. Turning may be more difficult, so take it slow to protect yourself and others.

Seat Belt Reminder

The seat belt reminder light looks like a person sitting in a car with a seat belt buckled around them. This light typically turns red when someone is in a seat but not wearing their seat belt. The seats have weight sensors to detect when a person is sitting in the seat. The light comes on when weight is detected, typically combined with a repeating tone.

You can quickly fix this light by reminding passengers to wear their seat belts. Once everyone fastens their seat belt, the light should turn off. If an inanimate object is on the seat, you may have to move the object to turn off the light. If the light is on without weight in the seat, the sensor may have a problem, requiring a technician to repair it.

Door Ajar Indicator

The door ajar indicator looks like a bird’s-eye view of a compact car with two front doors open. It typically lights up red when your car’s sensors indicate a door is still open. This can be helpful if multiple passengers are loading into the car behind the driver, as they may not be able to see everyone. However, if everyone is already inside the vehicle and the door ajar indicator is triggered, a door may not have been closed properly.

You can solve this problem by opening the doors and closing them again until the light goes off. If the light doesn’t turn off, you may have a problem with your sensors, so it’s best to take your car to the dealership to have it checked.

Low Fuel Indicator

The low fuel indicator is one of the most common indicators on a Lexus vehicle. It looks like an old gas pump and lights up yellow. If this light comes on, you are running low on fuel and need to stop at a gas station to replenish. Your car can’t run without fuel, so pay close attention to when this light comes on, and get gas as soon as possible.

We hope this guide has helped you learn about the most common dashboard lights you can get on a Lexus. If you have questions about the lights on your car, make an appointment at our service center today. You can also email our team at Eskridge Lexus with any questions you may have.