Check Engine
These are all versions of the dreaded Check Engine Light symbols, some of the oldest and easily the most common and recognizable of the symbols that you may see. The word “Check” may appear inside the image, or below, or not at all.
- Before continuing, is one of these truly your symbol?? If yes, read on below.
- Otherwise, you can return to our main Picture Symbols page orText Symbols page and scan again!
The main image is that of an older style engine seen from the side. It includes a fan blade on its front and an air cleaner looking like a helmet mounted on the top. This arrangement is rarely seen in modern automobiles and hasn’t been seen in decades.
Where the word “Check” is missing, descriptions can be all over the map. We’ve heard it called a movie camera light, a personal underwater exploration vehicle, where the fan becomes a propeller, and a helicopter, where the fan and air cleaner both become propellers or blades.
We’ve also had it described as “three elongated circles with some lines connecting them.” We can’t see that no matter how hard we try.
More Versions
The possible reasons for it coming on number in the hundreds and only your dealer or authorized service center can properly address them. However, remember that a loose or missing gas cap will cause the light to come on. This is the only solution available to the average driver, so do check that the gas cap is installed and properly tightened (make sure it clicks at least once).
In older vehicles, this Text version, the Service Engine Soon Indicator, indicates a fault in an emissions related electronic system. The Picture Symbol with the lightning bolt in it means the same thing. Your dealer will be needed to properly assess the problem. Some version of the Check Engine Light is now universal and covers these and other engine-related faults.
Symbols with lightning bolts, while still being basic Check Engine Indicators, also are meant to convey a likely issue with the engines electrical system. The symbol featuring a drawing of a car with an X through it, is specifically meant to be an Electrical System Fault Indicator. A visit to a qualified service shop is in order.
This oddity, a System Check Indicator, makes little or no sense, as it simply adds an exclamation point to the original Check Engine Light. It may appear in yellow/amber, as shown or in red. Seen in yellow/amber, a minor engine fault has been detected. Seen in red, a major engine fault has been detected. The recommendation in when seen in red is to stop the engine and get help immediately, which may be the most useful advice available. In truth, any of the these symbols require attention as soon as possible to prevent real damage.
If other symbols are also active, note that the Check Engine is your first concern. In some cases, other systems in the car may be shut down until the reason the Check Engine light is active is addressed, and the symbols associated with those symbols may be activated. Be sure to check our Multiple Symbols page for more information.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
These symbols are used in two ways. Most commonly it is a Frost or Freeze Warning Indicator symbol. Also, particularly those in the colors interpreted as 
Note that in some electric vehicles (EVs), the same symbol or a similar one in 
The version on the far left, which includes lane markers, is used exclusively to indicate cold weather and the possibility of frost on the roadway. The same is true of the second version, where the snowflake or ice crystal image is shown in a triangle.
PCS stands for Pre Collision, or Crash, System. FCW stands for Forward Collision Warning System. Another is CMBS or Collision Mitigation Brake System. Yet another is the very awkward sounding Pre-safe Seat Belt (PSB) system. This one has a warning image in the message center in gray scale, like the seated figure shown to the right, along with a text warning. How about Panic Brake Assist (PBA), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW) or Smart Brake Support (SBS)? They play in the same ball park, but don’t have their own text symbols!
The end result is yet another advanced system that has managed to resist finding a standardized name. The systems discussed here use radar while others use cameras, which can be found here.
A more recent addition is this Emergency Steering Warning Light indicator, and is part of Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA). The system is intended to assist steering — and hence the steering wheel — to aid in avoiding a collision with an oncoming vehicle from the front or the side or if a pedestrian or other obstacle is detected. It will be seen in 
Another recent (2024) addition is this Pre-Collision Assist indicator. Pre-collision assist detects and warns of approaching hazards in the road and provides multiple levels of assistance to help avoid a collision if you are rapidly approaching another stationary vehicle, a vehicle traveling in the same direction, or a pedestrian or cyclist in your path. The system offers an alert first, then brake support and automatic emergency braking, if needed.
The images here are of a Collision Warning System active and another with the word OFF added, meaning the system has been deactivated. They are seen as a car in a lane with wavy lines radiating away in four directions. And the word OFF in the one case, all in 
This symbol is a Rear Collision Warning indicator. While it resembles many of the symbols already seen on this post, it is specifically used to warn of a possible collision from behind. The difference is that the car in front is seen in full and the one behind is only partially visible. The roles are reversed in collision warnings with a car in front.
These two are Intersection Collision Warning symbols and warn of a possible collision from the side. They are always seen in 
A common problem is dirt on the sensors or cameras in the front of the vehicle and often a simple car wash or cleaning will resolve the issue. The symbol to the left showing an arrow piercing the top side of a car is used by manufacturers for what they call the City Safety System to indicate that sensors mounted in the windshield are blocked by dirt or debris.
The first symbol in this set also points to debris blocking the camera at the front of the vehicle, and again a car wash is likely all that is needed. This, and the next two symbols, are the only ones to attempt a representation of seeing. They are also in black and white and will be displayed in the information screen along with a text description of the problem. The image, unlike the next two gives no indication itself of a problem.
These next two do indicate a problem. The first to the left adds an exclamation point and indicates a fault with the forward facing camera. A qualified service shop will be needed. The second, with the line drawn through the car and the radiating lines, indicates that the camera is temporarily unavailable due to its temperature being too high or too low. Camera function will return when the proper temperature range is restored.
These symbols indicate that the Forward Collision Warning system has been turned off. Some manufacturers use the picture symbol with the word OFF, while others add OFF to the system’s acronym. The image symbols are intended to look like cars crashing into each other, and does the job.
The symbol to the left, which adds the exclamation point in the triangle alert and an arrow indicating the direction of travel, illuminates when the brakes are applied automatically, which would be an obvious distraction to the driver at a clearly bad time.
If any of these lights remain illuminated, it indicates a problem with the system that will require your dealer or authorized service center to resolve. The light to the left is a trouble light only. See your favorite service center. And note that if there are any additional illuminated warning symbols, most likely they will need to be addressed first.
These indicators to the left are Front-end Collision Warning indicators, although the symbols show the back-end of a car. The manufacturers use the same symbol for both a warning that the system has a problem or if a collision is imminent. We’ve shown them d, which is used when a potential collision is detected. It may flash 
These are all Slip Indicator and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or Fault 
The indicators may also be in text form. Some manufacturers also include an intermittent beep while the system is active. Your dealer or authorized service center will be best equipped to address problems with the system.
But again, for the most part, these images appear 
The image with its squiggly or wavy lines behind a car, is unfortunately that of a car in a skid, which can be more than a little unnerving, particularly to drivers unfamiliar with the symbol’s meaning. It is seen whether the system is working to keep the vehicle in control and when the system is off, which the strike through line indicates. The addition of the wrench also indicates that the vehicle has detected a fault in the system. Again, the vehicle will operate normally, but without the advanced control system.
The last image to include is the triangle with an exclamation point inside. Some older vehicles that were first to offer stability control use this as a Slip Indicator or as a Fault Indicator. That is, it is seen when the system is doing its job and keeping the vehicle in control when a slip or skid is sensed, as was noted above.
These are Brake Press Indicators 
Don’t confuse this image with the similar ones to the right. For more, 
This is an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS Status Indicator 
These are Passive Speed Limit Indicator and Overspeed Indicator 
The symbols here are pictorial representations of essentially the same thing, using a speedometer image with an arrow or a sign alongside. If a set passive speed limit is exceeded, the driver is alerted by an acoustic signal. In addition, the symbol indicating the speed limit is turned to 
Similarly, several manufacturers use an Overspeed Warning Indicator. It has a single speed set into the system, which is 75 miles per hour, or 120 kilometers per hour (km/hr). It is a simple warning that illuminates if the speed is exceeded, with or without a greater than sign. A chime sounds for a few seconds as well.
This pair are seen in green. The first icon with the dial with an arrow and the letters LIM indicate that its Manual Speed Limiter is on and functioning. In this case, the indicator will flash if the speed is exceeded. The Assist indicator tells the driver that speed limits will be detected and can be set manually.
As usual, there is seemingly no limit to the number of variations these warnings will take. This version will be seen in black and white in the information screen in the instrument panel, again when a speed set by the driver is exceeded. It shows either the letters MPH in the center or KPH in Canada or Europe for miles or kilometers per hour.
The symbols to right are Passive systems and may be related.