SYMPTOM: A WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON

 

When you turn on your cell phone what is the first thing you look for? Notifications, right? You immediately look for a message telling you about any missed phone calls/texts, who tweeted to you, and that post someone left on your Facebook wall— basically, you look for a memo to alert you of any changes that may have occurred between the last time you looked at your phone and now. A car’s warning lamplights are just like a cell phone’s notifications. They instantly let you know if problems have arisen in the system since the last time you drove and if that changes along the way. If a light on your dashboard stays on and you are sure that the problem indicated doesn’t need correcting. There are a few other common explanations.

If a sending unit, which acts as a sensor relaying messages is damaged, than it may be displaying inaccurate information. A faulty sending unit can be fixed by replacement.

It may also be as simple as a loose or disconnected electrical connector.  If this is thought to be the case, all you have to do is check and repair the wiring.

Or, it could be a false code that just needs rebooting, and will correct itself when you shut off your car and restart it.

Warnings shouldn’t be taken lightly. They are there to protect and keep you and your family safe- whether you’re driving to work, driving the little ones to practice, or setting out on a family vacation. Even though it may seem like nothing is wrong with your car, if a warning light comes on, the best response you can have is pulling over to a safe place and finding out why.

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