Vehicle symbols
Dashboard warning lights and indicators, and what each relates to.
Which system each dashboard light relates to, and whether it is a warning or information light.
The dashboard lights and codes Acura names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
What each arm signal from a driver or cyclist means, and which state law, handbook or code defines it.
The standard codes a scan tool reads when the check engine light comes on, and what each one names.
What each code and symbol moulded on a tire’s sidewall means: the size, load and speed, the DOT date code, the quality grades and the winter marks.
The dashboard lights Toyota names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
The dashboard lights Honda names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
The dashboard lights Nissan names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
The dashboard lights Hyundai names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
The dashboard lights and messages Ford names in its own way, and where the rest are explained.
About vehicle symbols
The symbols on a vehicle's instrument panel: the warning lights and indicators that report on its systems, and the trouble codes stored behind them. In the United States, FMVSS No. 101 sets the rules for the location, identification, colour and illumination of a vehicle's controls, telltales and indicators, and UN Regulation No. 121 does the same in the countries that apply it.
Three kinds of page
Dashboard warning lights covers the lights most cars share, under their everyday names. The Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai and Ford pages give each maker's names for those lights, and the lights only that maker has. OBD-II trouble codes sit behind the lights. The federal rule on on-board diagnostics requires a code to be stored for any verified malfunction that lights the check engine light, and the codes to be available through the car's standardized diagnostic connector.
Which page to look at
FMVSS No. 101 requires the lights it lists to use its symbols, or ones substantially similar in form, so those lights look much the same from car to car. For a light not on its list, a maker may use any symbol, word or abbreviation, and the brand pages cover those. A five-character code such as P0420 is an OBD-II code: SAE J2012 starts each one with a letter for the area of the car, B for body, C for chassis, P for powertrain and U for the network, followed by four digits.
One light, several names
The makers' manuals name the same lights differently. The check engine light is the malfunction indicator lamp in Toyota, Honda and Hyundai manuals, the Malfunction Indicator Light in Nissan's and Service Engine Soon in Ford's; the federal rule lets it read Check Engine or Service Engine Soon, or show an engine symbol. The stability control light belongs to systems each maker names for itself: VSC at Toyota, Vehicle Stability Assist at Honda, Vehicle Dynamic Control at Nissan, ESC at Hyundai and AdvanceTrac at Ford.
What the colours mean
UN Regulation No. 121 fixes some colours: red for engine oil pressure and coolant temperature, yellow for low fuel and low tire pressure, green for the turn signals and blue for the high beams. Honda's guide for the 2009 Fit calls red indicators critical and amber ones urgent, and Toyota calls a yellow icon an item of importance that is not necessarily a warning.
On the tires
Tire sidewall markings covers the codes moulded on a tire: size, load and speed, the DOT date code, quality grades and winter marks. FMVSS No. 139 requires each sidewall to show the size, maximum load and maximum pressure, and 49 CFR 575.6 requires the owner's manual to explain each marking.
Sources
- Standard No. 101; Controls and displays, 49 CFR 571.101 (FMVSS No. 101), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
- Regulation No. 121: Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to the location and identification of hand controls, tell-tales and indicators, UN Regulation No. 121, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (text published by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), Table 1
- Toyota Dashboard Symbols & Warning Lights Meaning, Toyota Motor North America (MyToyota)
- 40 CFR 86.1806-05, On-board diagnostics (2012 edition), 40 CFR 86.1806-05, US Government Publishing Office (Code of Federal Regulations), § 86.1806-05(c), (e)
- SAE J2012: Diagnostic Trouble Code Definitions (2002), SAE J2012, April 2002 (technically equivalent to ISO/DIS 15031-6), SAE International; published by Public.Resource.Org on the Internet Archive, § 5, Format structure
- 2024 Toyota RAV4 Owner’s Manual, OM0R147U, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., 2-1. Instrument cluster
- 2017 Toyota RAV4 Quick Reference Guide, OM17V1QRG, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
- 2009 Honda Fit Dashboard Details, American Honda Motor Co.
- 2020 Honda Civic Type R Owner’s Manual: Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), American Honda Motor Co. (Honda Owners)
- 2024 Nissan Rogue Owner’s Manual, Nissan North America, 2. Instruments and controls: Warning lights, indicator lights and audible reminders
- 2024 Hyundai Tucson Owner’s Manual, Hyundai Motor America (MyHyundai), 4. Instrument cluster: Warning and indicator lights
- 2024 Ford Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company, Instrument Cluster: Warning Lamps and Indicators
- Standard No. 139: New pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles, 49 CFR 571.139 (FMVSS 139), U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations), S5.5(b)–(d)
- Consumer information: requirements, 49 CFR 575.6, U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations), (a)(4), (a)(4)(i)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research