Three-quarters of Americans don't recognize this basic car warning symbol
A new study examines Americans' basic car knowledge and maintenance schedule.
As of 2016, there were about 222 million licensed drivers in the United States, and an estimated 263.6 million registered vehicles. But how well do drivers really know their vehicles?
A new study from The Zebra polled 5,000 Americans to find out. Researchers asked participants to identify three of the most common and important warning lights in a vehicle: a tire pressure warning light, a coolant temperature warning light, and an oil pressure warning light.
The most shocking statistic found that 73% of Americans don’t know what their oil pressure warning light means.
The study also found that 40% risk engine failure because they don’t understand their coolant temperature warning light.
The coolant warning light notifies the driver that the coolant temperature is higher than normal, meaning the engine is near overheating. Driving with this warning sign on for an extended period of time is extremely dangerous, and could wind up costing drivers hundreds if not thousands of dollars in repairs.
When it comes to tire pressure warnings, the study found that 30% unknowingly risk driving at an unsafe tire pressure.
How quickly do drivers address warning lights?
The Zebra analysts also polled respondents on their response time when these warning symbols appear. The poll found participants respond:
- Same day — 19%
- Within a week — 34%
- Within a month — 10%
- Never — 11%
- I’ll fix it myself — 23%
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The cost of waiting
Experts at The Zebra broke down the potential cost of waiting too long to address any of these three major warning lights, should they appear.
Waiting longer than a week to address an oil pressure problem could cost you upwards of $500 as you face risk of permanent damage to the engine and possible engine failure. Waiting longer than a month could cost you $2,000-4,000, including an entirely new engine.
No excessive damage will be done if you wait a few days to address a coolant temperature symbol, but testing your luck at the one week mark could result in possible engine failure from overheating. The cost? Anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000.
With tire pressure, you have a bit more time. Driving around for too long on a depleted tire could wear the tire and damage the rim. Of course, taking care of any of these symbols as soon as possible is your safest bet.
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