Key Out
This is the Key Out Indicator symbol. This light will blink if there is an attempt to start push button or keyless start vehicle when the key fob is not present. A chime may be heard as well. Most manufacturers use picture symbols for this purpose, like the one shown below.
- Before continuing, are you sure this is your symbol?? If yes, then read on below.
- Otherwise, you can return to our main Text Symbols page and scan again!
Without the key fob present, the vehicle will only go into accessory mode. The light will go out if the key fob is removed after the car is started and the car begins to move.
Similar System
You can find additional information on the subject and more symbols used by clicking here.
——————————————————————-
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Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow.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 are the Recuperative or Regenerative Brake System (
The two additional version to the left are Regenerative Braking Icon Indicator 
These also appear as household batteries, but as Max Regeneration indicators, they are meant to indicate that maximum regeneration capability has been engaged and operating. They will be accompanied by the following instrument cluster messages: Max Regeneration On when the feature is turned on, Max Regeneration Off when the feature is turned off, and Max Regeneration Unavailable when the feature is requested, disabled.
These indicators come from another manufacturer, Kia, which uses arrows and the colors 
This is a Regeneration Boost Indicator 
Similarly, Honda Motors Corp. offers the option the increase or decrease the rate of regeneration using a paddle on the steering wheel stalk. The result is the symbol to the left, a Deceleration Paddle Selector Indicator. Using the deceleration paddle selector, the driver can you sequentially shift through six stages of deceleration. The more larger V shapes are seen, the more deceleration is chosen. The M indicates that the choice has been locked in, suggesting the letter should be an L!
The symbols to the right are also used as Regenerative Brake System Indicators. 
Finally, there are a handful of cars that use this symbol instead, so be aware! Its still a cutaway of a tire, and somewhere along the line it was decided that the exclamation point would be more easily understood.
The power top on my car is quirky and well past its warranty, but being a hands-on guy, I am generally able to deal with any issues that crop up. It sometimes stops near the end of the opening process. The top has gotten confused during the closing process, dropping the rear portion of the top before the storage cover is closed. It may start to open and decide not to! These issues usually require only a moment’s rest and a restart, although in the second case, a manual lift of the rear portion of the top is required.
These are High Voltage Battery Charge Level Indicator 
Another manufacturer uses three versions with an outline in 
And another uses this set of indicators. From left to right, the first image is in 
Each manufacturer seems intent on creating their own set of charge indicators. This set shows a bar that moves right to left in a rounded rectangle, It changes color as the battery is drained and goes from 
Another set of images appear here. In 
This is the Low Brake Fluid Indicator
A Tale of Four Drivers – And the Car Dealers That Failed Them
Four Drivers
Car dealers found themselves on the wrong side of three customers who contacted us over the last week or so. They, plus a fourth who skipped his dealer, have something to teach those of us in the auto industry.
Our first case involved a dying key fob. Fortunately, her car continued to start but the locks had begun to misbehave. She’s a personal friend and relayed the problem in casual conversation. I recommended a new battery for the fob, and as she was bringing the car in for a recall the next day, she would note the problem. When she dropped off the car, she asked to have the fob’s battery replaced.
They took care of the recall and failed to replace the battery, so back to the dealer she went. Its truly small consolation – they had the car! – but she did get the battery for free.
Our next two revolve around instrument panels. Not traditional warning lights, but rather messaging that has become so prevalent over the last several years. In each case, these drivers contacted their dealers asking what they were seeing.
Service personnel had no idea. So they took to the web and found us.
The first car, a Smart Pulse, had begun a daily countdown past a missed service interval, which to an untrained eye looked rather intimidating. Add to this that the dealer didn’t know what the countdown meant, and the result was a very anxious driver. An example is shown to the right, has a wrench and a -3 (days). Its a bit difficult to see, but it took only a few minutes in the vehicles owner’s manual to decipher the answer.
Our second instrument panel from a Fiat had also begun displaying information that the car’s owner had not previously seen. In this case, the driver had accidentally changed the display herself. The panel was now showing average miles to the gallon, mpg, which was in lower case. The “g” in the font used really looked like a “9”. She sent a photo shown to the right. Again, a few minutes in the owner’s manual turned up the answer.
Number 4
Our fourth driver didn’t actually have a problem, but when I relayed the stories, he laughed and said he would have called AAA! He spends that money every year, and by gosh they would be his first choice.
So what do we take from these incidents?
The first and best lesson is that only one of these drivers, the Smart owner, consulted their owner’s manuals. And he did not dig deep enough or understand what he read (he didn’t say). The first three started all made calls to their dealer. The fourth would have gone to AAA. Every new system added by auto manufacturers is backed up by an equally new entry in the manual and it is assumed that this is where a driver will turn. And understand.
They don’t…
Manufacturers are in a continual struggle to bring their customers up to speed on their vehicles, and from our perspective continue to fail. Showing a new owner a feature will never replace experiencing it for the first, second or third time. In our examples here, changeable instrument panel displays are a good idea on paper but less so in practice.
For all the training and experience, service personnel are only human. And in these incidents, their failings are left in full display. And at first blush, they may not take the time to problem solve. I say at first blush because they are not identified and do not have the opportunity to tell their side.
Which is the second lesson. Manufacturers also continue to struggle to keep their own personnel up to speed. Our largest concern in these examples is the failure to replace a key fob battery. We are moving inexorably towards all cars being equipped with push button start capability, and a non-working key fob is in our minds a safety concern. It will likely take a lawsuit from a stranded motorist to drive this point home. Every service person across the industry must make sure that their customers have new key fob batteries once a year.
And third, while a manual was available, the Internet was chosen for a search for an answer instead! This is where drivers increasingly turn for help.
We, and others like us, are happy to help.
In the meantime, automakers surely want to simplify their products. Add all the features you want, but with an eye towards making them simple to use, experience and understand.
——————————————————————-
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