I have towed more than 600 cars in the last eight years, and 8 out of 10 times the owner told me the same thing: “The light was on for weeks, but the car was still going.”Those red, orange, and yellow symbols are not decorations. They are your car screaming for help. Here is the exact list I give every new customer, explained the way I explain it to my younger sister who just bought her first Corolla.
1. Red Oil Can or Oil Pressure Light
This is the deadliest light on the dashboard.When it comes on (solid or flashing), your engine has almost no oil pressure. The pump is not pushing oil to the bearings and turbo. In less than two minutes the engine can seize forever.
What to do: Stop immediately and safely, turn off the engine, check oil level. If low, top up. If level is okay and light is still on, do not start again. Call tow truck. I have seen brand-new 2023 Hilux engines seize on Lagos-Ibadan because the owner “just wanted to reach the next filling station”.
2. Red Battery / Charging Light
It looks like a small battery or says ALT or GEN on older cars.Means the alternator is no longer charging the battery. You are running purely on battery power. Once the battery dies (15–45 minutes), everything shuts down: lights, fuel pump, power steering, brakes become heavy.At night on the expressway with family inside, that is a nightmare.
Fix: Tighten or replace loose belt, change bad alternator, or at least drive straight to the nearest rewinder. Do not ignore.
3. Red Brake Warning Light
Two possible meanings and both are serious.
One: handbrake is still pulled
Two: brake fluid is dangerously low or there is a big leak.
If the pedal also feels soft or goes to the floor, pull over immediately. I once towed a 2019 Camry from Berger to Ikeja because the rear brake line burst. The driver said the light had been on for two weeks.
4. Engine Temperature Light or Red Thermometer
Usually red and looks like a thermometer in water.Your engine is overheating right now. Coolant is too low, water pump failed, thermostat stuck, or fan not working.Keep driving and the cylinder head warps or gasket blows. Repair jumps from ₦80,000 to ₦1.8 million overnight.Action: Pull over, turn off engine, wait 30–45 minutes, check coolant, top up if safe. If light comes back in five minutes, tow it.
5. Check Engine Light (Orange Engine Outline), Only When It Is Flashing
Solid orange CEL can sometimes be small things like loose fuel cap or bad spark plug.But when it flashes, the engine is misfiring badly. Raw fuel is going into the catalytic converter and can destroy it in minutes (₦750,000–₦1.5 m to replace).Flashing CEL = limp to the nearest mechanic at low speed. Do not cruise at 120 km/h.
6. ABS Light (Circle with ABS Inside) Staying On
Anti-lock Brake System is dead.Your brakes still work, but in emergency braking on wet road or when okada jumps in front of you, the wheels will lock and you slide.In rainy season Lagos, that is the difference between stopping and collecting someone.Plus modern cars tie traction control and stability control to ABS. Get it scanned the same week.
7. Airbag / SRS Light Staying On
The red or orange airbag symbol or the word SRS.Means the entire airbag system is offline. In an accident, no airbag will open. Seatbelt pretensioners may not work.I have seen people survive ghastly crashes because airbags deployed, and I have seen others not so lucky when the light was on for “only three months”.Never clear the light with a ₦3,000 scanner from the roadside boy. Go to a proper workshop that can read crash data and replace the bad sensor or spiral cable.
Low oil level warning (yellow oil can with drip) on some Toyota, Honda, and Mercedes. This one is yellow, not red, so people ignore it. It means you have less than 1 litre left. Keep driving and it becomes the red oil pressure light. Treat yellow oil light like red.
Quick Rule I Teach Everyone
Red light = stop now or very soon.Flashing light = emergency.
Orange/yellow = fix this week, not next month.Carry a ₦15,000 OBD2 scanner (ELM327 + Torque app) in your boot. It will tell you exactly why the check engine light is on instead of guessing and wasting money.Your dashboard is smarter than most Nigerian mechanics. When it talks, listen. One ignored light can turn a ₦35,000 repair into a ₦3 million nightmare.