Honda dashboard symbols
The dashboard lights Honda names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
Honda's owner's manuals call almost every light an indicator, whether it reports a fault or shows that a system is working. Honda's dashboard guide for the 2009 Fit sorts them by colour: red indicators "are critical and require immediate attention", amber ones "are urgent and require attention as soon as possible", and blue and green ones are for general information. The 2024 Civic's manual still labels its indicators by colour, red or amber. Indicators should go out shortly after the engine starts.
Honda's names for the lights
The malfunction indicator lamp is the check engine light: the Fit guide names it that way itself, "Malfunction indicator lamp (CHECK engine light)". The charging system indicator is the battery light, and the supplemental restraint system (SRS) indicator is the airbag light. The brake system indicator, the anti-lock brake system (ABS) indicator, the low tire pressure indicator and the low fuel indicator are the brake, ABS, tire pressure and low fuel lights, and the Electric Power Steering (EPS) indicator is the power steering light. The low temperature indicator is the blue cold engine light: it comes on when the engine coolant is cold. The Maintenance Minder indicator is Honda's maintenance reminder: maintenance such as an oil change or tire rotation is coming due or is due now. An amber tire with an exclamation point, the Civic's manual explains, means the Tire Pressure Monitoring System needs attention.
Lights of Honda's own
Honda's stability control is Vehicle Stability Assist, VSA, also known as Electronic Stability Control. The VSA system indicator blinks while VSA is working and comes on if the system has a problem; it is the stability control light on other makes. The VSA OFF indicator comes on when VSA has been partly turned off.
Where Honda sends you
For a fault, Honda's manuals send the driver to a dealer: "see dealer as soon as possible" in the Fit guide, "have the system checked by a dealer as soon as possible" in the Civic's.
Sources
- 2009 Honda Fit Dashboard Details, American Honda Motor Co.
- 2024 Honda Civic Sedan Owner’s Manual, American Honda Motor Co. (copy hosted by Dealer eProcess), Instrument panel: Indicators
- 2020 Honda Civic Type R Owner’s Manual: Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), American Honda Motor Co. (Honda Owners)
Last reviewed September 28, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research