What does SVS on the car dashboard mean?
2 Answers
The SVS on the dashboard is a fault indicator light, which is illuminated by the ECU or TCU of an electronically fuel-injected car when it detects a problem with the engine or automatic transmission. All electronically fuel-injected cars have an SVS fault indicator light. For manual transmission models, it serves as the engine fault indicator light, while for automatic transmission models, it indicates both engine and automatic transmission faults. More information about the SVS light is as follows: 1. The SVS light is a standard indicator in the automotive industry, responsible for warning of abnormalities in the powertrain system and prompting users to have the vehicle serviced. When the powertrain system's self-diagnosis detects an abnormality, the SVS light will alert the user to service the vehicle. 2. The SVS light alarm may originate from the engine, transmission, or gear shift mechanism. When the SVS light flashes, it indicates a current fault in the powertrain system that requires servicing. The car's SVS light is similar to the engine fault light. When the SVS indicator is on, it means the engine control unit has detected an erroneous signal from a sensor or that a component has exceeded its usage standard. 3. When the ignition is turned on, the car's SVS indicator light will illuminate for an automatic check and will turn off automatically after a few seconds.
Last time I drove that old Jetta, the SVS light also came on. At first, I thought it was some major issue. Turns out, it was just the car telling me, 'Time for maintenance!'—sometimes it’s like a phone popping up an update reminder. But you gotta pay attention: if it lights up together with the yellow check engine light, it’s probably the exhaust system acting up—especially with China-6 cars, a clogged particulate filter is the most common culprit. You can still drive to the repair shop with this light on, but if it turns red, you gotta pull over immediately and call for roadside assistance.
