Collision Mitigation
This is the Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) Indicator symbol. It is a radar-based system that can warn a driver of a potential collision or even apply the brakes on its own to prevent one. These systems are all moving in the direction of automatic braking, which all manufacturers have promised to install in all passenger vehicles by roughly 2020.
- Before moving on, are you sure this is your symbol?? If yes, then continue on below.
- Otherwise you can return to our main Text Symbols page and scan again!
The light comes on if the system has been turned off, if the radar sensor is dirty or blocked, or if there is a fault in the system. In the second case, a simple car wash may restore the system’s function. In the last case, take the vehicle to your dealer or authorized service center for diagnosis and repair.
These systems continue to evolve. Click this link for more on Collision Avoidance and Auto Braking systems. This link goes to yet another related system with an entirely different name, Intelligent Brake Assist.
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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Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow.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 Parking Brake Indicator 
If any of these symbols are flashing, it indicate that service is necessary. Also, the first image to the right with the wrench or spanner added is used with Electronic Parking Brakes and indicates that it needs to be serviced. The car can be driven, but be sure to have it serviced as soon as possible in order to maintain the parking brake’s availability.
The letter P is shown above for “Park”. It is inside the circle in brackets, which is always used to represent brakes. The symbol holding the whole word is also a park brake indicator, but may indicate an electric park brake fault. 
Note that the symbol to the right is associated, and may be serious. 
This is the Catalytic Converter Warning 
These are Distance Warning Indicator or Vehicle Detection Indicator 
Note that the symbols to the right are very similar and have a similar function. 
The image of a steaming hot cup of coffee is an Attention Assist Indicator 
And immediately after saying that color does not indicate a fault in the alert system, we find this symbol, in 
Another manufacturer adds the exclamation point, as seen in the symbol to the right, if the vehicle detects that it is being driven erratically. An audible tone is also added and likely a text message. The tone and message will be repeated if the driving pattern continues.
Finally, we have this version. Updated systems are able to detect a driver nodding off at the wheel! And so this symbol, which is a bell with three letter Zs, is shown and accompanied by a warning tone. This will continue until the driver turns it off. This part of the system is also limited by the ability to see the driver’s eyes. See more on this subject 
These are all Water in Fuel Indicator 
Each image includes at least a drop of water or wavy lines or both. Other images are meant to resemble canisters. These filters need to be serviced periodically, and one of these lights serves to tell you when. This filter system is termed a Diesel Fuel Conditioner Module (
Automotive Warning Light Anti-logic
There Is Little Logic In Warning Lights
We’ve taken thousands of calls in service departments over the years and there is nearly no end to the way drivers describe the various warning lights that pop up on their instrument panels. These, of course, are not car people, just average every day drivers trying to describe a symbol that was presumably designed to be universally understood around the globe.
The Best Example
Some TPMS warning light description are:
Other Examples
The descriptions fall out of each person’s life experiences. So take the example of a recent call from a lady who was driving at the time (which is important to the story) who said there was a flashing red light on her dash. When asked to describe it, she said, “well maybe a man riding a horse”.
Since first running this article, a customer called to talk about the movie camera light on her dash. We’ve also heard of a driver who thought it resembled a “personal underwater exploration vehicle”! The fan becomes a propeller. That light did not have the word “Check” embedded in it. And we just heard from a man whose son described what eventually turned out to be the Check Engine light as “three elongated circles with some lines connecting them.” We can’t see that no matter how hard we try!
Most recently came the possibility that it was a helicopter! Again, a version of the light without the word “Check”. Now, we can actually see this one from both the fan on the left and what is supposed to be an air cleaner at the top but how a driver in an automobile comes to think of a flying machine remains a mystery!
We’ll post more as they come up, for any and all symbols.
——————————————————————-
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