Why is the exclamation mark on the dashboard
Content
Indication on the dashboard is usually performed in the form of illuminated pictograms, where both the picture itself and the color coding make sense. Sometimes a blinking indicator is used.
The exclamation mark does not show anything specific from the point of view of technology, however, the very fact of its appearance is intended to draw special attention to both the color and the meaning of this icon on the instrument panel. In most cases, this is in one way or another related to problems with the braking system.
What does the exclamation mark mean?
Car manufacturers do not have a common approach to the use of such a pictogram. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to refer to the operational and repair documentation for a specific car model.
Only what is used in most cases can be common, and since it is customary to mark brake malfunctions with an exclamation mark, this can be noted as a call to immediately stop moving. Additional information will be provided by the color of the icon.
Yellow
It is customary to highlight hardware or software errors that do not directly pose a security threat in yellow.
However, even the informational nature of such warnings, when it comes to the brake system, should alert.
It is unlikely that the problem will disappear by itself, most likely it will end with a more threatening red indication.
But in itself, movement with such a malfunction is unsafe. For example, an exclamation point might be bordered by a cutaway tire. This means the TPMS tire pressure monitoring system has been triggered. Few people need to explain what driving with a punctured wheel is fraught with.
Quite often, a yellow exclamation point in a triangle means that you need to pay attention to other indicators. For example, about an unfastened seat belt or ABS errors.
Red
The red indicator with an exclamation clearly requires you to stop the trip or not start it. It should light up after the ignition is turned on, indicating that the indication is working, and then go out.
If it does not go out or lights up while driving, there is a critical malfunction, a deeper diagnosis of the car will be required.
Reasons for the icon to appear on the dashboard
The most common is a drop in the brake fluid level, marked by a corresponding sensor in the reservoir above the brake master cylinder. It doesn't necessarily mean that there is a problem.
During the operation of the brake pads, they wear out, the thickness of the lining decreases, the pistons are forced to move further and further out of the working cylinders. The volume of the lines increases, and since they are filled with liquid, its level in the tank slowly but steadily decreases.
It will be enough just to add liquid with a permitted tolerance to the maximum mark.
But it is not always possible to do without diagnostics and repair. A few examples for cars from different manufacturers:
- AvtoVAZ – A red triangle with an exclamation point may indicate a malfunction in the brake system or power steering;
- FIAT - a triangle with an exclamation lights up even in case of failures of various small sensors, bulbs, but also after fixing low pressure in the engine lubrication system;
- Volvo - in the same way, the driver is informed of a decrease in the levels of oil, antifreeze or brake fluid;
- Opel - duplication of indications of more specific indicators of violations in various systems that are critical in the opinion of the developers;
- Lexus - in the same series of dangers as engine lubrication or brake failure, even a small level of washer fluid is put;
- BMW - low voltage level in the on-board network, overheating of the units, tire pressure.
It is difficult to talk about any systematization here, rather, over time, everything will come down to a single light bulb and a scanner as a means of decryption.
Diagnostics and troubleshooting
Sometimes it is possible to decipher the signal indicator message through the on-board computer, which issues error codes in the vehicle's information bus. In other cases, you will need a scanner and a competent diagnostician who knows in what sequence to check the car's systems.
When trying on your own, first of all, you need to make available brake checks:
- liquid level in the tank and the condition of the sensor contacts;
- hit of the hand brake lever on the button of the limit switch;
- evaluate the effectiveness of service braking and the nature of the response to the pedal;
- if a slippery surface is available, then you can make sure that the ABS is working;
- having removed the wheels, assess the condition of the brake pads;
- try to read the error codes in one of the many ways, now it's not difficult, adapters and scanning programs are readily available.
But the best way out is to contact a professional diagnostician, so you can avoid the wrong path of trial and error.
What to do if two icons are on - "exclamation mark" and "ABS"
This is a fairly typical situation, meaning only that the malfunction was noticed by two control algorithms at once. It is unlikely that a failure in the brake system will not be noticed by the ABS unit, followed by a transition to emergency mode and the display of a malfunction indicator light.
As well as the opposite situation, when the car will allow you to move on in case of critical malfunctions of the anti-lock braking system and will not give a signal in the form of a red exclamation mark.
You need to start troubleshooting immediately and not risk driving with problematic brakes, although there are quite prosaic reasons - when driving on a half-flat tire, the system will notice that one is spinning faster than the others and will mistake this for an ABS problem.
