What Does The Check Engine Light Mean?

We realize that when the check engine light comes on, it can be a worrisome sign. The fact is, however, that there are a myriad of issues that could have caused the indicator to illuminate.

First of all, it's important to make sure that it is indeed your check engine light and not merely a maintenance reminder light that has illuminated. Check engine lights often take the shape of an engine icon while maintenance reminders don't appear in this way.

The second factor to consider is whether your vehicle appears to be operating normally when the check engine light comes on. If your vehicle is not displaying any driving issues in this case, then there's no need to panic. However, when the check engine light is flashing, it is still strongly recommended that you stop driving the car immediately. The safest decision in this case is to call a tow truck in order to avoid any further potential damage that may not be physically detected through your vehicle's driving behavior.

Believe it or not, in some cases, something as simple as not tightening the fuel cap after filling up with gas can cause the check engine light to come on. In other cases, the appearance of this indicator can be a sign that there is something seriously wrong with your engine's catalytic converter.

If it sounds like we're being pretty vague about what the problem could be, that's because we are. There is simply no way to determine exactly what the problem may be until you bring your vehicle to our Honda service center in Bartlesville, OK for a diagnosis.

When we plug our diagnostic equipment into your vehicle, it will generate a code that will tell us exactly what's going on with your car, truck, van or SUV. Again, a check engine light is not automatically a reason to panic, but it's definitely not something that you want to ignore. Let us check it out as soon as possible at Skyway Honda.