Roll Sensing
This is the Roll Sensing Curtain Airbags (RSCA) Off indicator symbol. It means that this set of airbags has been disabled, generally by a switch found on the dashboard. These airbags are generally found on vehicles more prone to rollovers or simply used off road and thus “tippy” such as sport utility vehicles with high centers of gravity. The air bags deploy when a rollover is detected instead of an actual collision. They can also go off if the vehicle is tipped, hence the off switch.
- But first, is this truly your symbol?? If yes, continue on below.
- Otherwise return to our main Text Symbols page and scan again!
For this reason, an off switch is very likely added for off road use, when odd angles are likely to be encountered.
If the switch is in the on position and the RSCA Off indicator is on, and the curtain airbags have not deployed, take the vehicle too your dealer or authorized repair center for repairs.
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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Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow.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
This is the Passenger Air Bag Indicator. Either the word on or off will be active in the 
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.
These are 4 Wheel Drive (
These symbols, Drive Mode Overheat, appear if the drive train temperature rises too high. It includes the image of a thermometer along with the 4WD acronym or image. There will also likely be a text message in the center of the instrument with a recommendation to either pull over or slow down. The light will remain on so long as the system remains overheated.
This is a trouble light for what one manufacturer calls its Super Handling (SH) All Wheel Drive (AWD). The vehicle should be serviced as soon as possible. If the light comes on while driving, the differential temperature is too high and the vehicle should be pulled over to allow it to cool. The light will then go out.
This light, 4A, illuminates when the 4×4 Automatic drive system is engaged. However, it indicates a system problem if it is on but the system is not engaged. A visit to an qualified service shop will be needed.
Finally, this one uses a shorthand for the word Service, SERV. The SERV 4WD Indicator is stating that a fault exists in the 4 wheel drive system and that a qualified service shop will be needed soon. The vehicle will continue to operate in 2 wheel drive normally.
These are all Lane Departure Warning (
Note that with some manufacturers, that these systems are moving to active rather than simple warning status. This is to say that vehicles properly equipped will actually turn the steering wheel enough to remain in the proper lane (LDP above). Seen in 
A warning chime may also be heard. The symbols look like a car in a lane or leaving a lane (or breaking through a fence!), or like lane markers with arrows pointing at them or just the markers. A steady black and white light indicates that lane keeping is not ready; 
We now have a manufacturer who is using the first symbol to the left and seen above as well as a fault indicator. But more importantly, it is using the next two images in 
One manufacturer has chosen to combine the symbol on the left with the 
Another has added the Hands on Steering Wheel Indicator, but remains intended for the lane keeping system. The driver’s hands should, in fact, be on the wheel. In 
Images seen in shades of black and white are seen in the vehicle’s center information display. Here yet another manufacturer uses the lane lines simply to indicate the system is active. Another uses the image to indicate the system is active and lane lines are detected. It goes gray if lane lines are not detected. The last one, white on black, says the system is on, but no lines are detected. Only the particular manufacturer’s owner’s manual will determine what any given light indicates.
The addition of a star indicates that a particular driver’s preferences have been activated. As above, a steady black and white light may also be used to indicate that lane keeping is not ready; 
In this case, the manufacturer displays the lane lines and turns one side 
The light is 
These are Lane Change Assist (LCA) indicators, part of a Highway Driving Assist system. We’re showing two colors here, but in fact the system moves through four colors depending on the circumstance. In white, the system is off. In gray, the system is on stand by. In 
A 
And there is this variation, called Lane Centering, which features indicators with either arrows on either side of lane markings and a car or one that replaces the arrows with a steering wheel (right). This last point indicates the need to keep both hands on the wheel.
These versions, an LDW light, blinks if the system is active and the lane markers are approached. If any of these lights remain on in 
The picture symbol on the right, which adds the exclamation point to the image of a car leaving a lane, is also used by some manufacturers to indicate a fault.
With the use of LKAS acronym, the 
These are Maintenance or Service Required Indicators symbols. In most cases, these 
Note that some manufacturers use the car on in the air or on the lift symbol to indicate that one of the vehicle’s systems has failed and needs repair. In a case like this, another symbol associated with the actual system will be shown as well.
All routine services in a vehicle with an internal combustion engine start with a change of the engine oil and filter. The text 
These red triangles indicate the approach or the passing of a Service Interval. The required service may be a common oil change or something more important such as a transmission service. The first is a single triangle, which may appear in 
In many European vehicles, a simple wrench (spanner) image will be displayed temporarily as a service interval approaches. It will likely be in gray scale, rather than a more expected amber.
These are 4 Wheel Drive Low Indicator 
These two are corresponding 4 Wheel Drive High indicators. The High setting is the default setting in a 4 wheel drive vehicle for normal driving conditions. For this reason, vehicle manufacturers rarely add this indicator. If it is added, High may be spelled out or abbreviated (HI). One manufacturer simply uses a 4×4 Indicator to mean that the vehicle is in 4×4 HIGH.
This indicator, 4WD AUTO, states that the vehicle is in AUTO mode. The vehicle will automatically engage 4 wheel drive when a loss of traction is sensed. Otherwise, the front axle is engaged, but the vehicle’s power is sent only to the rear wheels.
These symbols, a 4×2 or 2H Indicator, say that a 4 wheel drive vehicle is supplying power only to the rear wheels. The use of the rear wheels only is the correct choice in typical driving conditions. That is, smooth, dry roads.
The 4A, 4×4 Auto Indicators and the stick figure indicator with 4WD text in the center both say that 4-wheel drive will be available automatically for additional traction. Only electronically-controlled 4-wheel drive systems will have this available. These indicators become 
This symbol with the open circles is used in Australia and New Zealand to indicate only that the 4-wheel Drive system has been engaged. In North America, the same symbol is usually used to indicate a problem with an All-wheel Drive system, although Chevrolet has begun using it to also indicate the system is engaged. 
General Motors uses an indicator for five possible choices. Their system can be set to AUTO (automatic (AUTO), 4 high (HI), 4 LOW, 2 wheel drive (2WD) and finally N (or NEUTRAL in 
In all cases, the various 4-wheel drive systems are choices that can be made by the driver using either a lever or buttons. If the system will allow a different selection, or if a 4×2 indicator remains illuminated, contact your dealer or authorized service center immediately. Driving will be possible, but only at reduced speed.