What does the snowflake warning light on the car dashboard indicate?
2 Answers
Car dashboard snowflake warning light indicates that the outside temperature is too low. When the vehicle is driven in an environment with temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius, the outside temperature sensor measures the temperature and transmits it to the dashboard, which will illuminate the snowflake light to alert the driver to drive cautiously. Generally, the snowflake light appears yellow when temperatures are between 0 to 4 degrees Celsius, and turns red when temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius. This is an advisory light and does not affect normal vehicle operation. Due to temperature drops, the car needs to activate its antifreeze function. If the indicator light is orange, it indicates a minor issue; if it's red, the vehicle must be preheated before driving. The standard procedure is to idle the engine until the coolant temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius after preheating before driving.
When that snowflake light comes on, don't panic! It's not a malfunction warning at all, it's just the car reminding you that the outside temperature is low enough to almost freeze, usually turning on automatically below 4°C. Every time I see this, I know the road might get slippery, so I need to slow down and drive carefully. Especially before heading out in the morning, if the light is still flashing, I definitely warm up the engine for a few minutes to let it heat up, check the tire pressure to avoid skidding accidents. Winter driving is most afraid of this kind of black ice road conditions, leaving more distance between cars is also very important.
