What does the yellow OFF light on the dashboard mean?
1 Answers
"The yellow OFF light on the car dashboard means the function is turned off, while ON indicates it is activated. The OFF light primarily refers to ESP OFF, where ESP stands for Electronic Stability Program, an active safety system designed to prevent vehicle skidding and loss of control. If the ESP OFF light illuminates on the dashboard, it means the vehicle's stability control system is either manually deactivated or experiencing a malfunction. If the ESP OFF light turns on accidentally due to pressing the ESP OFF button, simply press it again briefly to reactivate the ESP system. However, if the light remains on due to a system malfunction, it is recommended to take the vehicle to a 4S dealership for immediate inspection. Various issues can trigger the warning light, such as wiring faults, damaged sensors, incorrect signals from the electronic control unit, or a weak battery. ESP is particularly sensitive to oversteering or understeering. For example, when a car oversteers (turns too sharply) on slippery roads, causing the rear to slide outward, the system detects the skid and quickly applies braking to the appropriate front wheel to restore traction, generating counter-torque to keep the vehicle on its intended path. The key difference between a car equipped with ESP and one with only ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and ASR (Traction Control System) is that ABS and ASR react passively, whereas ESP proactively monitors driving conditions and corrects errors to prevent accidents before they occur."