smart-Benz Dashboard Warning Lights

Take the hazard out of guessing and learn what the most common warning lights mean

About your smart's safety features

Your smart has a range of safety systems relying on sensors and safety mechanisms to ensure that your vehicle is working at its optimum performance while ensuring full protection for other road users and passengers.

Warning lights will appear on your dashboard momentarily as you switch on your ignition, but they should disappear within a few seconds. Lights that remain visible may indicate an issue. Follow our handy guide on smart warning lights to quickly identify what each light represents on your car's dashboard.

What the smart warning light symbols mean

Most cars are now accompanied by a system that will warn you if any passengers have not got their seatbelt fastened into your car. Using sensors it will assess the pressure on the seats, if this meets a particular weight, it will assume you or a passenger is in your car travelling without a seatbelt. As well as the light on your dashboard, your smart will also alert you with a noise until all seatbelts are fastened. If your speed exceeds 12mph, this light will flash.

When this light illuminates, it means one or some of your doors or the tailgate is open. You should pull over safely and ensure all doors and the tailgate are securely closed.

This light will appear if the restraint system is malfunctioning. If restraint systems are not working correctly, they can often be triggered unintentionally or may not trigger when critical to do so, in the event of an accident.

When this light is lit and a tone sounds, it means the vehicle is in close proximity to another car or obstacle on the road. Remain aware of road conditions, maintain your distance and be ready to brake.

You will see this warning light as soon as you switch your ignition on, however it will turn off after a few seconds. If the warning light persists or becomes visible during driving, it suggests the parking brake has been applied, an issue with the brake system or brake fluid is low. Do not top up the brake fluid, as this will not resolve the fault. Continuing to drive with this light on could cause damage to your vehicle or an accident.

This will light up as soon as the ignition is on, but it will shortly disappear. If it does not, or it appears during your journey, you should stop your vehicle at the next safest moment and check your oil levels.

Once safe to do so, you should stop your vehicle. The visibility of this light indicates your coolant level is too low, or the engine has exceeded normal temperatures and could be at risk of overheating. This light should not be ignored, since it can cause significant damage to your engine if you are not careful. If levels are low, you should replenish the coolant to the appropriate level.

This light signals that your car is running low on charge, and it is not being recharged. This could be an issue with the battery, the v-belt or the battery alternator itself which is responsible for charging the battery.

TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems) have become a mandatory feature for cars in recent years. This light will notify you that tyre pressure is low. You should stop your car safely, check your tyres and inflate them to the correct tyre pressure levels, and then restart your tyre pressure monitor. Low pressure can affect braking and potentially cause a blowout if the car is driven at high speeds.

This would indicate a fault with the power assistance, resulting in you needing more force to steer. This increases the risk of an accident, since you are unable to steer at normal response rates.

This light may appear due to the following: Heavy rain or snow, operating temperature is too high, or the onboard voltage is too low. Once the above is resolved, the light should disappear. If it remains lit, you should pull over, clean your sensors and restart the engine.

An information light, alerting you your vehicle is straying from its lane. Ensure you are within the line boundaries and always indicate first to alert other drivers on the road you are about to change lane.

This light becomes visible when the rear fog lamps are turned on. This feature should only be used in foggy conditions.

Fog lamps light will appear when activated and distinguish once turned off.

As you switch the ignition on, this light will illuminate, but should disappear after around 10 seconds. If this remains visible, you should stop your vehicle safely and contact your smart dealership. It signals a fault with one or two of the following: Engine management, exhaust system, fuel system, or accelerator pedal sensor.

This is your Anti-Lock Braking System light. If this light illuminates, it will indicate the safety systems are currently not available, which result in longer emergency braking distances.

If this light is illuminated, it means the ESP is faulty and unable to stabilise the car. This results in other safety systems being deactivated, increasing the likelihood of skidding or an accident. You should be more cautious and adapt your driving for the road conditions, whilst the system malfunction exists.

The fuel level has dropped into the reserve. Please refuel as soon as possible. If you do have fuel, this could indicate the fuel cap is loose.

Appears when there is a fault with the transmission electronics. This also deactivates the automatic stop/start system and cruise control functions.

When the light appears and the tone sounds, this indicates a fault with the cruise control system, which deactivates automatically. This could be a fault of the system, or it has been deactivated due to a malfunction with the transmission electrics.

This flashing lights means your vehicle is exceeding the set speed limit. You should brake, adjusting your speed accordingly to road conditions. If this light flashes for 10 seconds, it would reference a fault.

This light will flash at you or continuously light up. It is alerting you that the outdoor temperature has dropped or is below 3 degrees – a risk of black ice. You should be extra cautious and adapt the way you drive to the conditions.

Your brake lamps are not working, check your bulbs or LEDs they most likely need replacing.

After you have started the engine, this light will flash. It is alerting you that a minor service or full service is imminent, or the date has already passed. You should contact your smart dealership and book a service at the next availability slot.