Category: Dashboard Symbols & Tell-tales

DashboardSymbols.com descriptions of the symbols and tell-tales used on automobile and light truck dashboards and instrument panels.

A Niro annoyance now understood 

Niro annoyance Every now and again, I step into the Kia Niro, get settled and put the car in Drive only to get an alert complete with sound to put the vehicle in Park, without any indication as to why. I now understand this Niro annoyance. As can be seen in the video below, I …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/10/a-niro-annoyance-now-understood/

Volvo symbols update adds over 20 indicators

Volvo symbols We have at last finalized a Volvo symbols update, and the new EX30 electric vehicle account for nearly all of the 21 new entries now found on the page. The total number is approaching, but not yet exceeding, 100. A full 15 indicators are new to our collection. Notable additions include an Evasive …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/10/volvo-symbols-update-adds-over-20-indicators/

Tire pressure season approaches

Rare Tire Pressure Light w/Arrows

Tire pressure season To the right is a large version of the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) or Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) warning light. The tell-tale comes on during tire pressure season, when the air outside begins to cool and shrink. More precisely, the symbol will be seen when the inflation on at least one …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/10/tire-pressure-season-approaches/

Vehicle status indicators

Vehicle status indicator

Vehicle status These are Vehicle Status Indicator symbols used by Volvo. If it is seen in red, there is at least one critical level notification in the vehicle status view. In yellow/amber/orange the symbol indicates that there is an important vehicle status notification. In either case, go to the vehicle status view to see what …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/10/vehicle-status-indicators/

Consumer Reports throws a list of its favorite safety features

Adaptive cruise control indicator

Safety features Consumer Reports (CR) recently showed a list of what it calls key safety features to look for in new and used cars. And while we have no specific beef with their list, save one, we thought that three more features should be added. First the CR list: Blind Spot Warning (BSW), along with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/10/consumer-reports-throws-a-list-of-its-favorite-safety-features/

2026 Polestar symbols review complete

Attention indicator

Polestar symbols Since we’ve been spending so much time on Polestar models of late, we opted to review the companies dashboard symbols for 2026. The result is the addition of only eight images to the Polestar symbols page. The page now holds 85 indicators and symbols, which is actually small compared to others but large …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/09/2026-polestar-symbols-review-complete/

Volvo, Polestar add needless complexity to open door indicator

Open door While we continue to gather what we need for a Polestar and Volvo jump start video, we ran across the image below right. It is a somewhat familiar open door warning with added coloring, or lack thereof. Some late (~2025 and newer) models have rather pointlessly added seat coloring, or rather de-coloring, to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/09/volvo-polestar-add-needless-complexity-to-open-door-indicator/