ABS warning light
A yellow warning light for the anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Easily confused with
How to read it
The symbol is a circle containing the letters ABS, between parentheses, and Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations set it as yellow. Toyota says it indicates a malfunction in ABS or the Brake Assist system. Ford's F-150 manual says that when it is lit while driving, the vehicle continues to have normal braking without the anti-lock function.
Also searched as: anti-lock brake light.
Dashboard symbols vary by manufacturer. The vehicle's owner's manual or a qualified mechanic can say what a light means for a particular vehicle.
What the manual says to do
Ford's F-150 manual says to have the vehicle checked as soon as possible. Nissan's LEAF manual says the brakes then work normally but without anti-lock assistance, and to have the vehicle checked.
Look-alikes
The red brake system warning light uses the same frame, with an exclamation mark inside.
Read next
- Next in Dashboard warning lightsAirbag warning lightThe warning light for the airbag system.
- The same shape in Glassware types and makers’ marksAnchor Hocking markThe mark of Anchor Hocking of Lancaster, Ohio: an anchor with a capital H across its shank, pressed into the company’s glass from 1938. Anchor Hocking LLC still makes glass in Lancaster and owns the Anchor Hocking name and logos.
More dashboard warning lights
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles, curves and waves or letters and numbers.
Sources
- Toyota Dashboard Symbols & Warning Lights Meaning, Toyota Motor North America (MyToyota)
- Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038): Identification of Controls, Tell-tales and Indicators, C.R.C., c. 1038, Schedule IV, s. 101, Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website, s. 101, Table
- 2020 F-150 Owner's Manual, Ford Motor Company, Instrument Cluster: Warning Lamps and Indicators
- 2020 Nissan LEAF Owner's Manual, Nissan North America, Warning lights: Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) warning light
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 26, 2026. How we research
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