Ford Auto-Start-Stop indicator
Ford’s Auto-Start-Stop indicator: green when the system has stopped the engine, flashing amber when the driver needs to act, gray and struck through when the system isn’t available.
How to read it
Ford’s 2024 Escape manual says the Auto-Start-Stop indicator illuminates green when the engine stops, flashes amber with a message when the driver needs to take action, and illuminates gray with a strikethrough when the system is not available; the information display can show why. The manual warns that the engine may restart automatically when the indicator is green or flashing amber.
Also searched as: Auto Start-Stop light, auto stop start light, A with circle arrow light, Ford A light.
Ford lights vary by model and year. The owner’s manual for the vehicle says what each light means on it, and a Ford dealer or a qualified mechanic can say what it means for a particular car.
What stop-start does
Natural Resources Canada describes idle stop-start technology as turning off the engine when the vehicle is idling and when slowing at low speeds, to reduce fuel use and exhaust emissions. It says the systems are common on full hybrids and that several makers now fit them to conventional vehicles sold in Canada, with a stronger battery, alternator and starter.
Why the engine is still on
The gray, struck-through light means the system isn’t available at the moment, and the Escape manual says the reason can be shown in the information display.
Read next
More ford dashboard symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with arrows, circles or letters and numbers.
Sources
- 2024 Ford Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company, Auto-Start-Stop Indicators, p. 187
- Learn the facts: Idle stop-start technology and its effect on fuel consumption, Auto$mart fact sheet, Natural Resources Canada, What do I need to know?; How does idle stop-start technology work?
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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