Check Engine
These are all versions of the dreaded Check Engine Light symbols, some of the oldest and easily the most common and recognizable of the symbols that you may see. The word “Check” may appear inside the image, or below, or not at all.
- Before continuing, is one of these truly your symbol?? If yes, read on below.
- Otherwise, you can return to our main Picture Symbols page orText Symbols page and scan again!
The main image is that of an older style engine seen from the side. It includes a fan blade on its front and an air cleaner looking like a helmet mounted on the top. This arrangement is rarely seen in modern automobiles and hasn’t been seen in decades.
Where the word “Check” is missing, descriptions can be all over the map. We’ve heard it called a movie camera light, a personal underwater exploration vehicle, where the fan becomes a propeller, and a helicopter, where the fan and air cleaner both become propellers or blades.
We’ve also had it described as “three elongated circles with some lines connecting them.” We can’t see that no matter how hard we try.
More Versions
The possible reasons for it coming on number in the hundreds and only your dealer or authorized service center can properly address them. However, remember that a loose or missing gas cap will cause the light to come on. This is the only solution available to the average driver, so do check that the gas cap is installed and properly tightened (make sure it clicks at least once).
In older vehicles, this Text version, the Service Engine Soon Indicator, indicates a fault in an emissions related electronic system. The Picture Symbol with the lightning bolt in it means the same thing. Your dealer will be needed to properly assess the problem. Some version of the Check Engine Light is now universal and covers these and other engine-related faults.
Symbols with lightning bolts, while still being basic Check Engine Indicators, also are meant to convey a likely issue with the engines electrical system. The symbol featuring a drawing of a car with an X through it, is specifically meant to be an Electrical System Fault Indicator. A visit to a qualified service shop is in order.
This oddity, a System Check Indicator, makes little or no sense, as it simply adds an exclamation point to the original Check Engine Light. It may appear in yellow/amber, as shown or in red. Seen in yellow/amber, a minor engine fault has been detected. Seen in red, a major engine fault has been detected. The recommendation in when seen in red is to stop the engine and get help immediately, which may be the most useful advice available. In truth, any of the these symbols require attention as soon as possible to prevent real damage.
If other symbols are also active, note that the Check Engine is your first concern. In some cases, other systems in the car may be shut down until the reason the Check Engine light is active is addressed, and the symbols associated with those symbols may be activated. Be sure to check our Multiple Symbols page for more information.
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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
Electric Park Brake and Fault. These 
The 
If however, if any of these lights flash, it may indicate a fault. In most cases, if the light goes off, the system is working properly. If it continues to flash or remains on while in motion, find a qualified service station as soon as possible. The brake may actually be engaged, so check to be sure it is not. The double symbol is found in some new (2024) Ford vehicles.
indicate a fault in the system if illuminated. If this light is seen along with a 
These are all variations of of Keyless Ignition Key Fob Detection indicators. A number of 
The flashing 
This one, which is an image of a key with a line drawn through it in 
Note that some manufacturers will have the light flash in 
These are Key Fob Indicator 
These symbols are Low Key Battery Indicators. The images of a key are shown above or alongside the image of what most resembles a AA or AAA battery with its level low. One adds the letter E for empty to the right. Replace the battery as soon as possible. They do NOT use AA or AAA batteries!
Electronic keys, key fobs, remote controls, smart keys, intelligent keys, advanced keys are all terms used by manufacturers and drivers to describe the same device. You get to get into and start your vehicle only if the correct device is present, has a working battery and is not interfered with by other electronics (actually rare). All the images include the representation of a key and depending on the manufacturer, may include an exclamation point, a question mark or even a lightning bolt.
Do not confuse these with other automotive trouble symbols that make use of the image a key. Click
Alfa Romeo dashboard symbols page gets the new color alignment
Our Alfa Romeo dashboard symbols page has now been re-ordered into the new color alignment. This makes 26 pages transformed to reflect the new color ordering, including our primary pictographic symbols page. We have slowly moving past the half way mark to re-ordering all our manufacturer symbols pages. There are 49 on the site.
This is another page that we updated in August adding almost a dozen new symbols in the process. The addition of a hybrid system in the 2024 Tonale was the primary cause of the increase.
The indicators are seen as a lightning bolt in a cloud-like circle. As noted, the colors alert the driver to the status of the E-Boost system.
Page Alignment
As to the page alignment, the symbols page is now ordered first by red symbols, then to red with yellow/amber/orange option indicators, through to yellow/orange/amber (depending on how you interpret the color!), then to green and blue and finally to black and white or gray scale symbols.
Ordering the page by color provides a cleaner, simpler option for drivers searching for information on a new symbol.
Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.
At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.
Our page covering Alfa Romeo indicators, with over 90, can be seen here.
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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 could be 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