Tag: ABS

Electronic Brake Force Distribution Trouble Indicators

Brake Force Distribution

Electronic Brake Force Distribution IndicatorThis is an Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) Indicator symbol. If this amber lamp is illuminated, it indicates that the system is unavailable or has a fault. In either case, an authorized repair facility will be needed to resolve its issue.

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Brake force dist indicatorABS Trouble Indicator CanadaABS Trouble Indicator CanadaBrake Trouble IndicatorThese two combinations of warning lights used by manufacturers also warn of a fault in the system. The first is already a combination of what is more typically seen as three separate brake system warnings, and the second indicates a fault with the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS). The second uses the ABS light and the more typical BRAKE warning light.

EBD is best seen as an enhancement of or an addition to the ABS. ABS, oversimplified, varies the brake force on a given wheel to prevent wheel lock up while braking based on road contact. EBD goes further by varying the brake force on a given wheel using factors such as the load on each wheel, the condition of the road, the speed of the vehicle.

If the first indicator light is seen in conjunction with the ABS and Stability Control warning indicators, it indicates a fault in the EBD system, and that the ABS and Stability Control are also unavailable. Once a vehicle is equipped with EBD, the ABS and Stability Control systems rely on the proper function of the EBD system.

Your vehicle’s brakes and steering will continue to function in a normal fashion. Risk exists only in extreme braking or steering conditions or in poor weather. Drive with caution.

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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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2017/04/electronic-brake-force-distribution-indicator/

A New Name for Adaptive Cruise Control Revisits an Old Question

Kia LogoAdaptive Cruise Control

Adaptive Cruise Control systems have been available from many auto manufacturers now for several years, These are systems that allow a car to maintain a set distance from a vehicle ahead of it. Kia Motors now in 2014 has it available in its Cadenza and K900 models. The fact that the company has chosen to call the system “Advanced Smart Cruise Control” prompts this piece.

Never mind that manufacturers were already bouncing between the names Active and Adaptive Cruise Control and Radar Controlled Cruise Control. Now the motoring public has a new name – and a new acronym (ASCC) – to adjust to.

Too Many Examples

This is not the first time we’ve commented on the topic of nomenclature. Drivers already face too many instances where their automobiles can make them feel inadequate and under the gun. A look through our Acronyms page finds three names as well for blind spot monitors, five versions of lane departure systems, and no less than twelve names for stability control (go ahead, count them up!). Is any of this really necessary? The answer is no…

It is a wonder that drivers know any the names of the many Smart Cruise Control Malfunction Indicatorfunctions of today’s vehicles and understand what they do. It is a greater wonder that they recognize its associated warning light! Seriously, does the light shown on the right mean that other car is about to hit? We’ve been asked that question!

In the meantime, beleaguered sales and service personnel spend hour after hour explaining advanced systems to their customers and struggle with what is an Automotive Knowledge Gap – drivers simply don’t understand their cars. Meanwhile, the industry continues to build the equivalent of the old VCR with a clock that only a select few know how to program.

Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) and Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) are standard names across the industry. Where is the consistency, the standards, the sanity, when it comes to other advanced safety systems?

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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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2014/05/a-new-name-for-adaptive-cruise-control-revisits-an-old-question/

Automotive Warning Lights: Scrap the Useless System

Is There Any Value in Current Dashboard Symbols?

Recent discussions in the automotive press (since deleted) have railed on the uselessness of the check engine light or called for an outright ban of the light and other automotive warning lights.

And they’re on to something. Lets face it. Scrap the useless system. The current and growing crop of automotive warning lights, including the check engine light, without the associated fault code or codes says nothing, to the driver in particular. However, in point of fact, the entire warning and indicator light system suffers from the very same problem:

  • What is an oil light without an oil gauge?
  • What is a charging system light without a volt or amp meter?
  • What is an ABS light without a fault code?
  • What are any of the hundreds of other lights without more information?

What Should We Do Instead?

Of course, fault codes, gauges and meters are only of use to those with the ability to interpret them, which is the source of the ‘idiot light’ system in the first place. But the plain fact is that today’s vehicles have the capability to display not only an indicator light and fault code, but also an explanation of what is actually wrong in plain language AND what needs to be done at that moment:

  • Can the car be driven under the condition?
  • Does the car need to be towed?
  • Is there a REAL danger of loss of control?
  • Etc., etc., etc.

Unfortunately, it is not likely that any manufacturer will step up and risk giving more detailed information to lay people out of liability fears. But the system as it exists now runs the real risk of needlessly frightening drivers with the circus of indicator and warning lights that can pop up at the drop of a gas cap. And sometimes two and three lights at a time.

Further, with 20, 30 and even more indicators on instrument panels today, is there not a risk of saturation? The 2017 Audi Q7 has over 100 lights or combinations of lights that may be shown!

When is enough enough? Every new system added to a vehicle is met with a new indicator and or acronym that, despite the best industry efforts, remain a mystery to the average driver. Seriously, most drivers need to get the kids to school and get themselves to their jobs. They are not car people and simply have too much on their plate as it is.

Even experienced service personnel have to search their memory banks to correctly identify the meaning of some of the more obscure acronyms (AFS does NOT start with ‘Automatic’… ). Should the industry expect more from drivers?

Seriously, before someone freaks out behind the wheel let’s stop throwing new lights at every new vehicle add-on and consider some alternatives. At the very least, new and existing lights should be accompanied by real and useful information.

And since drivers should NOT be reading while driving, how about having the vehicle talk to the driver by voice? With all the discussion surrounding driver distraction and the integration of Siri and other voice command systems into infotainment systems, we are not so far from this ‘Eyes Free’ solution. It’s just a little to the left, in the instrument panel…

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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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2012/07/automotive-warning-lights-scrap-a-useless-system/

Automotive Warning Lights: Multiple Light Syndrome

Multiple Light Syndrome

This has been a difficult topic to write about. My goal is always to explain an automotive issue so that an average driver can follow along and understand. But I have been over and over and over this article, and I’m still not sure if I’m conveying the message properly. We devoted an entire page to the issue, linked here, and have struggled to present the information logically. That difficulty truly speaks to the direction the industry is taking.

A new phenomenon has developed over the last several years. You are driving down the road, the vehicle feels normal and seems to be running properly. And then, not one or two but as many as three warning or indicator lights suddenly flare up on your instrument panel. Now what?? It is a very difficult topic to explain verbally – and even more difficult in writing! See our full layout here.

The original concept of warning and indicator lights, tell-tales, idiot lights or whatever you care to call them, was to put the driver’s attention on a potentially serious problem. And while that remain true, the very fact is that, in today’s advanced automobiles, some systems depend on the proper operation of several others. Thus, a fault in one system will result in the shut down of others that depend on the first.

Thus an instrument panel will show a multitude of illuminated tell-tales, the secondary ones effectively telling a driver only that these systems are shut off. A bad case of Multiple Light Syndrome, and, for the average driver, a potentially frightening time indeed.

ABS Trouble Indicator USAdvanced stability control and traction control systems are the primary culprits, or more to the point, the electronics that they depend on. And they are the least likely to actually fail. These systems rely on signals from the electronics controlling the operation of the engine, transmission, anti-lock brakes (ABS), and suspension systems. A single glitch in any one of these systems effectively means that that system can no longer be trusted. So, a fault in the ABS illuminates the ABS light, the traction or stability control system light, and the skid warning light.

Tell-tales, as we noted, were originally designed to help drivers who didn’t understand how to read a gauge. Today’s advanced systems are not likely to have a gauge associated with them, so all a warning light can hope to do is get a driver’s attention. And in multiples, they are guaranteed to do just that.

The automotive industry turns a blind eye to the fact that the average driver is not a technician, and the circus of tell-tales lit up at once is, bluntly, a frightening sight. The first question is always “is my car safe to drive”? In truth, the answer is nearly always “yes”!

The Bottom Line

VDC Off IndicatorMultiple lights rarely, if ever, mean multiple system faults. A fault in the engine (Check Engine), ABS or drive train will result in its associated fault light coming on. That one fault will shut down the traction and/or stability control systems, and those “off” lights will be illuminated to tell you that they are shut down. It is perfectly safe to drive a vehicle with the advanced systems off, as they are designed to kick in only in the most extreme conditions.

Should the problem be addressed? Yes, and as soon as possible. So long as the vehicle seems to be running normally, you have time to reach your dealer for service at minimum. Just add a little more caution to your drive.

However, if the vehicle is not running properly, do not attempt to drive it. Call for roadside assistance right away!

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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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2012/02/automotive-warning-lights-multiple-light-syndrome/

All Those Lights on Your Dashboard: They’re Not for Idiots Anymore

The First Warning Lights

Oil Trouble Indicator Symbol In a simpler day, if your engine’s oil pressure dropped too low, your dashboard, or more properly, your instrument panel, would have had an analog oil pressure gauge displaying the pressure reading and a warning light, a red dot, that would come on to get your attention. Then some manufacturers did away with the gauge altogether, leaving only the red dot or “Idiot” light. There would have been a temperature gauge plus a light to warn a driver if the engine’s temperature rose too high. But now you might not see a gauge at all. In the meantime, “Idiot” lights have proliferated to the point of madness. And as a driver, you need to be a “road scholar” (sorry) to understand them all.

Idiot lights, or tell-tales, as they are known only in the industry, were designed to help drivers who didn’t understand how to read a gauge and to get your attention. To those who actually did know how to read the gauges, and watched them like a hawk, the tell-tales came to be known as Idiot lights. And the term stuck.

Warning Light Evolution

Check Engine Light SymbolHowever, in today’s vehicles, there could never be a corresponding gauge to compliment a Check Engine light, or the ABS (anti-lock brake) light, or a Drivetrain Trouble light, or for any of the dozens of text and picture tell-tales that have permeated vehicle instrument panels over the last few decades.

There may be literally 20 or 30 picture or text tell-tales on a modern instrument panel, each connected to some system in your car. We’ve counted as many as one hundred in some models! And they may illuminate in twos and threes if a problem is detected. That is, a problem with one system causes other systems that are dependent on the first to be shut off. Each of those systems will have an associated, and now illuminated, tell-tale. Today, a driver needs to be an automotive prodigy to know what’s going on.

Slip Indicator SymbolMaybe the most troubling about the “Prodigy” lights is that when one of them crops up, it indicates a problem or malfunction has already occurred. For instance, there is no gauge to indicate a change in the anti-lock brakes. If a malfunction occurs, a tell-tale appears. The same for an electronic throttle, the power steering, the stability control system, or any of the other advanced, and often electronic, systems.

So a “Prodigy” light comes on and a frustrated and often panicked, non-prodigy driver turns to his or her owner’s manual for help. Unfortunately, the common answer is to call your dealer. It is truly impossible for an average driver to memorize the meaning of all the lights, which all too many times includes a system acronym or abbreviation. In the end, drivers actually do feel like Idiots through no fault of their own.

VDC Off IndicatorDrivers need help and at DashboardSymbols.com, we are developing tools to do just that. The first tool is a Smartphone app that includes some 100 image and text tell-tales and their descriptions. The App is currently available for Android and Blackberry phones and under development for the iPhone. We ultimately intend to change the way vehicles communicate with drivers. In the meantime, if you are confused by the symbols that show up on your instrument panel, go to www.dashboardsymbols.com. There, you will find the most comprehensive list of automotive symbols available anywhere, and access to our tools. We’ll help you feel like a “Prodigy”, rather than an “Idiot”!

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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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2011/10/all-those-lights-on-your-dashboard-they%e2%80%99re-not-for-idiots-anymore/