Definitely, one day, no matter how careful you drive your car, you’d see a warning light appear on your dashboard. For Mazda 3 owners, it’s usually a yellow exclamation light, which signifies quite a number of problems, from tire pressure to ABS failure or engine problems.
The Mazda 3 yellow exclamation mark indicates that your vehicle’s engine needs to be checked; there are also other things it signifies, which we will discuss later in this article.
Basically, when a warning light shows up on your car’s dashboard, it is important to troubleshoot the vehicle and detect what exactly caused the light to show up.
Mazda 3 Yellow Indicator Lights/Icons
The color of the dashboard lights indicates the severity of the problem/situation detected in your car. “Red” warning lights usually mean the detected problem is severe, and you should stop to check the car/engine before continuing with the drive.
On the other hand, yellow lights – although requires serious attention – indicate that the suspected problem with your car isn’t too serious to warrant stopping the car immediately. Yellow lights usually appear when there’s a faulty component or you disabled an important feature on the vehicle.
There are many yellow indicator lights that can illuminate your Mazda 3 car’s dashboard. These indicator lights have different shapes and icons; however, each one identifies a particular fault.
See Also: Service StabiliTrak Message Meaning
What Triggers Yellow Light on Mazda 3 Dashboard?
Hereunder is a list of situations that can trigger a yellow dashboard light to illuminate on your Mazda 3’s dashboard.
- Traction Control System (TCS) malfunctioning or Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) malfunctioning.
- Power Steering malfunctioning
- Check engine
- Master warning
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warning
- Cruise Main Indicator ON
- Antilock Braking System (ABS) malfunctioning
- Low fuel level
- Smart Brake Support (SBS) turned off
- Mazda radar cruise control warning ON
So, which of these situations is linked with the yellow exclamation icon that appeared on your Mazda 3 dashboard?
Let’s see….
Mazda 3 Yellow Exclamation Mark: Explained
There are about three situations that can trigger a yellow exclamation mark to appear on your Mazda 3 dashboard; the situations are listed below:
- Power Steering malfunctioning
- Master warning
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warning
These problems, when they occur on a Mazda vehicle, are indicated with a yellow exclamation mark. The exclamation mark is either placed inside a shape or beside an icon (as in the case of a power steering malfunction).
1. Yellow Exclamation Inside a Triangle (Master Warning)
If the yellow exclamation mark is placed inside a triangle, it signifies the “Master Warning,” which means that one or more advanced systems of your car are faulty – malfunctioning.
Of course, this warning should be taken seriously; usually, this warning light is accompanied by a message (shown on your car’s infotainment display) that tells you the faulty component(s).
2. Yellow Exclamation Mark Beside a Steering Icon (Power Steering Malfunction)
If the yellow exclamation is placed beside a steering icon, it signifies that your car’s power steering system needs attention. Maybe the power steering fluid is leaking away, or the belts are worn. These are some common reasons why the power steering warning light will appear in front of you.
This one is more specific; all you need to do is to check the power steering fluid and the housing/harness for possible cracks or leaks. Once you fix the power steering issue, the warning light will automatically turn off. You can actually drive with this light turned on, but steering may be difficult.
3. Yellow Exclamation Mark Inside a Pot-like Icon (TPMS warning)
When the yellow exclamation mark appears inside a pot-like icon, it indicates a problem with the car’s Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). The TPMS throws up this warning light when you’re driving with low tire pressure – in other words, your tires need to be inflated or checked for leaks.
However, if you check and your car tires are in perfect condition, then you should look for the TPMS reset button and press it for a few minutes – about 1 – 2 minutes.
Ensure to leave the car turned on while doing the reset; after you’ve done the reset, turn off the car, wait for some minutes, then turn it back on. This should turn off the warning light.
What More?
There are situations that can trigger a yellow exclamation light to appear on your Mazda 3’s dashboard. These situations are carefully explained above with tips on how you can get the lights turned off. Practically, although this article focuses on Mazda 3, the information shared here applies to other Mazda vehicle models.
The Mazda 3 yellow exclamation mark warning(s) doesn’t call for you to panic; however, you should check out the identified faulty system and have the problem fixed as early as possible.
Generally, yellow light warnings aren’t as severe as red light warnings; nevertheless, any warning light that illuminates on your car’s dashboard should be taken seriously.