What does it mean when the vehicle's skid indicator light comes on?
2 Answers
The appearance of the skid indicator light indicates that the vehicle is in a hazardous condition, with the ESP system intervening to assist in steering the vehicle back to a safe trajectory. Once the vehicle stabilizes, the skid indicator light will turn off, while the ESP continues to monitor the vehicle and anticipate the driver's intentions. If the ESP switch is pressed, the skid indicator light will remain continuously illuminated, indicating that the ESP has been manually deactivated. ESP stands for Electronic Stability Program, a braking system designed to prevent vehicle skidding under emergency driving conditions. The ESP system typically supports the functions of ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulation) by analyzing vehicle motion data from various sensors and issuing corrective commands to ABS and ASR to help maintain dynamic stability.
I've been driving for many years, and that time when I was in a hurry on a rainy day, the car suddenly lit up the skid warning light, which really scared me. Usually, this indicates that the tires have lost traction, possibly due to slippery road conditions or tire issues. I immediately slowed down and pulled over, got out to check the tires, and found that the tire pressure was too low and the tread was severely worn. On wet and slippery roads, old tires are prone to skidding, and the system detects this and automatically intervenes by lighting up the warning light. I also remember the last time the system flashed the light when I braked, it was because the brake discs were wet. Now when I drive, I've developed the habit of regularly checking the tires, looking at the tire pressure and tread depth every week to ensure safety. When the warning light comes on while driving at high speed, it's the most dangerous, so you have to be careful to control the steering wheel and avoid sudden turns. The mechanic told me that dirty sensors or circuit faults can also cause false alarms, so don't panic when this happens, just stop the car steadily and have it professionally checked.
