Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light

Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) is an important safety feature that becomes active when you need to make an abrupt stop, or in difficult driving conditions like icy roads.

Can I still drive with my ABS light on?

If the ABS light comes on by itself you should still have normal, unassisted braking, so it's safe to continue your journey – but keep your distance, take extra care, and contact your local Europcar location and arrange to have your vehicle checked as soon as possible.

If the ABS light comes on with the brake warning light, it could indicate that the brake system is failing and you should:

• Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so
• Switch off the engine
• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Brake system warning light
• Parking brake warning light
• Brake fluid warning light

If this red light remains on after you fully release the parking brake, or comes on when you’re driving, it may indicate that the brake fluid level is low.

If the ABS warning light is also illuminated this signals that the braking system has malfunctioned and your brakes may not work properly. In this case the Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) warning light may also be illuminated.

Can I still drive with my brake warning light on?

You should not take any risks.

The brakes are one of the most important safety features of the vehicle, so it's important to act immediately when you see this red vehicle warning light.

• Keep your speed low and avoid braking suddenly
• Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so
• Switch off the engine
• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Brake pad wear warning light

If this symbol appears, it means a sensor has detected your brake pads are thinning.

Can I drive with my brake pad light on?

This warning light should come on before the brake pads become dangerously thin, so you have time to get them changed.

• Contact your local Europcar location to arrange have your vehicle checked as soon as possible.

Also known as

• Supplemental restraint system (SRS) warning light

When this light goes red it means that at least one element of the airbag safety system is not working correctly: either the airbag system itself; the front passenger occupant classification system (which detects the front passenger’s weight and position in order to safely deploy the airbag); or the seat belt pretensioner system, which tightens the belt in the event of a crash.

Can I still drive with my airbag light on?

If the airbag system is not working properly, it may not go off in the event of a collision or in some cases it could even deploy unexpectedly and cause a collision.

The airbag system is an extremely important safety feature of your vehicle.

• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Some vehicle manufacturers fit their vehicles with tyre pressure monitoring systems that will let you know when the pressure falls which could happen over time or it could be because of a puncture.

Can I still drive with my tyre pressure light on?

Yes, but you should drive with extra care and arrange to top up with air at the next opportunity.

Most petrol stations and garages have an air compressor you can use to check your tyre pressure. Top up the air in the tyres according to the vehicle manufacturer specification that can either be located on the side edge of the drivers door or can be found on your Vehicle's On-line Information Card

Low tyre pressure can cause unsafe driving conditions so reduce your speed, and try to avoid braking suddenly or making any violent steering manoeuvres.

Tyre Puncture(s)

Vehicle manufacturers do not provide vehicles with a spare wheel as there is no legal requirement to do so.

In the event of a punctured tyre or damaged tyre, you should:

• Contact Europcar's dedicated tyre replacement & repair service provider.

Also known as

• EPS warning light
• EPAS warning light

This vehicle warning light indicates that there’s a problem with the powersteering. For electric powered systems, this problem could be as simple to fix as rebooting a computer.

• Find a safe place to stop, turn the vehicle engine off and back on again after 30 seconds.

Can I drive with my EPS light on?

You can but if the power steering system fails the vehicle will be harder to manoeuvre and you should take extra care – it could be dangerous to drive at high motorway speeds without power steering assistance.

• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Coolant fluid absorbs the heat from the engine and disperses it through the radiator to prevent the engine from overheating.

This yellow car warning light will come on when coolant levels are running low, as a reminder to top them up.

Can I still drive if the coolant level light is on?

Avoid making any long journeys without sufficient coolant.

• Contact your local Europcar location to arrange for the coolant levels to be topped up as soon as possible otherwise you may risk causing serious damage to the vehicle.

Always wait for the engine to cool down before topping up.

Also known as

• Coolant temperature warning light

This light appears if the engine is overheating, which could mean that coolant levels are running low, possibly due to a leak in the system. Alternatively, it could be a sign of a more significant problem, such as a head gasket failure.

Can I still drive with my engine temperature light on?

If this light is red you should stop straight away, as without enough coolant your engine could get so hot that it effectively welds itself together resulting in irreparable damage.

• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Check engine warning light
• ECU warning light

When the engine management light (EML) is illuminated it’s often accompanied by signs that the engine is not performing properly, such as alack of power or stuttering as you press the accelerator.

This light could indicate a number of faults ranging from minor faults to major ones.

How long can I drive with the check engine management light on?

Generally, unless there are other symptoms indicating that’s something is wrong, you can continue driving to your destination.

You should then contact your local Europcar location to arrange to get the vehicle looked at by an expert as soon as possible to avoid risking further damage to the vehicle.

However, if you do experience other symptoms with the vehicle that indicate something is wrong with the engine, or if the EML is red or flashing while the engine is on, this could indicate a more serious problem.

If this happens, you should:

• Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so
• Switch off the engine
• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Low oil pressure light
• Low engine oil warning light

The oil warning light comes on when either the oil temperature gets too high or the oil level or pressure is too low.

If the oil is not lubricating the engine effectively it could lead to expensive or even irreparable engine damage, so it’s important to quickly arrange to top up the engine oil.

When this light comes on you should stop as soon as it’s safe to do so and turnoff the engine.

Look for any obvious oil leaks under the car, and then check the oil levels, topping up if necessary.

If you can’t see any obvious leaks and the light goes off after topping up then you should be fine to continue your journey. If the light comes back on again after topping up you should contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider to have your vehicle checked as soon as possible.

If the oil levels are fine, then the oil pump may be faulty. In this case you should contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider to have your vehicle checked as soon as possible as driving any further could damage the engine.

OR

If the light stays on, you should:

• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider to have the vehicle checked as soon as possible. Driving any further could damage the engine.

Also known as

• Exhaust particulate filter warning light
• DPF warning light

Only applicable to Diesel vehicles.

Should these lights come on they indicate a problem with the exhaust particulate filter, which removes harmful soot from the exhaust gases to reduce emissions and could indicate that the filter has become blocked with soot.

Can I still drive with the DPF light on?

As well as releasing a plume of toxic black smoke every time you press the accelerator, driving with a blocked filter could cause more serious damage to the vehicle.

If this happens, you should:

• Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so
• Switch off the engine
• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Exhaust particulate filter warning light
• DPF warning light

Only applicable to Diesel vehicles.

Should these lights come on they indicate a problem with the exhaust particulate filter, which removes harmful soot from the exhaust gases to reduce emissions and could indicate that the filter has become blocked with soot.

Can I still drive with the DPF light on?

As well as releasing a plume of toxic black smoke every time you press the accelerator, driving with a blocked filter could cause more serious damage to the vehicle.

If this happens, you should:

• Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so
• Switch off the engine
• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Battery charge warning light
• Battery charging system warning light

If this light comes on when you’re driving it indicates that the battery is not charging which may be related to an issue with the vehicle’s electrical system such as

• Faulty battery
• Faulty alternator
• Faulty electrical connection
• Faulty cabling

Can I still drive with my battery charging system light on?

If you do experience issues with your vehicle battery, you should:

• Contact Europcar's dedicated breakdown provider

Also known as

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

This is an important safety feature as when the light is flashing it means the Electronic Stability Problem system is intervening – for example, if you’re driving on a slippery road.

If the light stays on it means the ESP system is not working properly.

The ESP light will light up with the word ‘OFF’ if the system has been deactivated, in which case you may have inadvertently turned it off.

To check, try stopping and restarting the engine.

If the light remains on after starting the engine you should:

• Contact your local Europcar location to arrange to have your vehicle checked as soon as possible.