Some warning lights that appear on your dashboard are serious. However, others are easily fixed. The bonnet warning light is one such light that is usually easy to rectify. Below you will find a short guide to what a bonnet warning light means and what you can do about it.
Why is My Bonnet Warning Light On?
Your bonnet warning light will usually show on your dashboard when the bonnet has not been closed correctly. If this light shows when you are driving, you should stop your car in a safe place and lift the bonnet before attempting to close it. When the bonnet has returned to a secure position, the bonnet warning light should turn off.
Most of the time, the bonnet warning light isn’t anything to worry about as it will usually come on if you have opened your bonnet for a reason and are already aware that it is open. However, this warning light can also come in handy if you have forgotten to close the bonnet for any reason and can prevent you from driving away with your bonnet open, which can be unsafe. Along with this, it can also alert you to any issues with the latch or sensor that might be leading your car to detect the bonnet as being open when it is actually closed.
What is the Bonnet Warning Light?
The bonnet warning light is a light on your dashboard that shows up to inform you that your bonnet is not securely closed. This could be if you have been working on something in your car’s engine such as filling up the windscreen washer fluid or the oil and have not closed the bonnet correctly afterward. Most of the time the bonnet warning light will show up on the dashboard as a light in the shape of a car with the bonnet open.
What Does it Mean When the Bonnet Warning Light is On?
The bonnet warning light is not usually a huge cause for concern. Usually, it will be rectified when you close the bonnet correctly. If you see the bonnet warning light come on, you should stop your car, lift up the bonnet, and push it back down again firmly. In most cars, you will hear an audible click when your bonnet has been closed firmly. The light should disappear from the dashboard once the bonnet has been fully closed.
How Does the Bonnet Warning Light Work?
The bonnet warning light is there to alert you that your bonnet is still open. You may see the bonnet warning light when you unlock and open your bonnet to check your oil levels or replenish your windscreen wiper fluid. The bonnet warning light should go off when you close your bonnet. If it does not, this could mean that you have either not closed the bonnet correctly or that there is a problem with the bonnet locking system.
What are the Common Reasons the Bonnet Warning Light Will Come On?
Some common reasons why the bonnet warning light has come on in your car could include:
Bonnet is Open
The simplest and most common reason for this warning light being turned on is that the bonnet is open. This might be because you have opened it on purpose to check something in the engine, top-up fluids, or if the car is in the garage to be fixed. If you see it when you are driving, however, it usually means that the bonnet has not been closed correctly. You should pull over and close the bonnet as soon as is safely possible.
Latch Failure
If your bonnet warning light is coming on when the bonnet is closed, the reason behind this could be due to a failur