Land Rover Defender: Warning lamps and indicators
Do not ignore warning lamps or indicators. Take appropriate action as soon as possible. Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury, or serious damage to the vehicle.
Red warning lamps are for primary warnings. A primary warning must be investigated immediately by the driver or qualified assistance, before continuing.
Amber and yellow warning lamps are for secondary warnings. Some indicate that a vehicle system is active, and others indicate that the driver must take action and seek qualified assistance as soon as possible.
Green and blue lamps within the instrument panel indicate a system's status.
LAMP CHECK
Note: Not all warning lamps are included in the check, e.g., high beam headlights and turn signals.
Note: If a trailer with LED lights is connected to the trailer socket, the bulb check may not be performed.
A warning lamp bulb check is initiated when the vehicle's ignition system is switched on. The check lasts for 3 seconds, except for the air bag warning lamp which remains on for 6 seconds. If any warning lamp remains on after this period, investigate the cause before driving.
Some warning lamps have associated messages displayed in the instrument panel.
BATTERY CHARGE (RED)
The 12V battery charge warning
lamp illuminates, as a bulb
check, when the vehicle's
ignition is switched on.
The lamp extinguishes when the engine is started.
If the lamp remains on or illuminates while driving, there is a fault with the battery charging system. The instrument panel displays a warning message. Seek qualified assistance urgently.
BRAKE (RED)
Do not drive if the instrument panel displays a message indicating a low brake fluid level. Check the brake fluid level and top up, as necessary. If necessary, seek qualified assistance before continuing. Driving with low brake fluid can cause increased braking distance or brake failure, and may lead to a collision. A collision can potentially result in serious injury or death.
USA.
Canada.
The brake warning lamp illuminates briefly, as a bulb check, when the vehicle's ignition is switched on.
If the lamp illuminates red while driving, suspect low brake fluid level or a fault with the braking system.
Stop the vehicle as soon as safety permits.
Check and top up the brake fluid, if necessary. If the lamp remains illuminated, seek qualified assistance before continuing.
CRITICAL WARNING MESSAGE (RED)
The critical warning message
lamp illuminates when a
relevant message displays in the
instrument panel.
Stop the vehicle as soon as safety permits, and investigate the cause of the warning.
ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE (EPB) (RED)
USA.
Canada.
The Electric Parking Brake (EPB) warning lamp illuminates if the EPB is correctly applied.
If the lamp flashes, a fault has been detected. Seek qualified assistance urgently.
ENGINE TEMPERATURE (RED)
The engine temperature
warning lamp illuminates when
the engine's temperature is too
high.
The instrument panel also displays a warning message.
Stop the vehicle as soon as safety permits.
Seek qualified assistance before continuing.
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING (RED)
The red lane departure warning
lamp illuminates if the vehicle
crosses a lane marking without
the appropriate turn signal
being operated.
Illumination of the lamp is accompanied by a vibration, felt through the steering wheel.
The left or right lane illuminates, depending on which lane boundary is being crossed.
LOW OIL PRESSURE (RED)
If the low oil pressure warning
lamp flashes or illuminates while
driving, stop the vehicle as soon
as safety permits. Switch off the
engine immediately.
Check and top up the oil level, if necessary. Start the engine. If the lamp remains illuminated, switch the engine off immediately. Seek qualified assistance before continuing.
SEAT BELT (RED)
Note: Objects on the front passenger seat may activate the seat belt reminder feature. It is recommended that any objects placed on the front passenger seat are secured using the seat belt.
When the vehicle is in motion
and seats are occupied, the
warning lamp illuminates,
accompanied by a chime if the
seat belt is unbuckled.
The lamp extinguishes when the relevant seat belt is buckled.
AIR BAG (AMBER)
The air bag warning lamp
illuminates, as a bulb check,
when the vehicle's ignition is
switched on. The lamp
extinguishes after 6 seconds.
If the lamp illuminates again, after the bulb check or while driving, there is a fault with the air bag system. Seek qualified assistance as soon as possible.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) (AMBER)
If the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and brake warning lamps illuminate at the same time, do not drive the vehicle until the fault is rectified. The braking system may not be functioning correctly, which may, in turn, lead to a loss of control, potentially causing an accident.
Seek qualified assistance immediately.
The driver is responsible for operating the vehicle in an appropriate manner for the prevailing conditions at all times.
Failure to do so may lead to an accident, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The ABS warning lamp
illuminates briefly, as a bulb
check, when the vehicle's
ignition is switched on.
If the lamp remains on, or illuminates while driving, there is a fault with the ABS system. Drive with care, avoiding heavy brake pedal application. Seek qualified assistance urgently.
BRAKE (AMBER)
USA.
Canada.
The brake warning lamp illuminates briefly, as a bulb check, when the vehicle's ignition is switched on.
If the lamp illuminates amber after starting the engine, or while driving, suspect worn brake pads or a fault with the braking system. The vehicle can still be driven with care. Seek qualified assistance urgently.
CHECK ENGINE (AMBER)
The check engine warning lamp
illuminates when the vehicle's
ignition is switched on.
The lamp remains illuminated until the engine starts. If the lamp illuminates when the engine is running, an emissions-related fault has been detected. The vehicle remains safe to drive with the lamp illuminated, although qualified assistance should be sought as soon as possible.
With the lamp illuminated, the vehicle may enter limp-home mode. Limp-home mode reduces vehicle performance to safeguard against any further damage to the vehicle.
If the check engine warning lamp flashes when the engine is running, reduce the vehicle's speed as soon as it is safe to do so. Seek qualified assistance immediately.
DRIVER CONDITION MONITOR (AMBER)
The driver condition monitor
warning lamp illuminates amber
when the driver condition
monitor system determines that
the driver is presenting signs of
tiredness.
The instrument panel also displays a warning message.
DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC) (AMBER)
The Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC) lamp flashes when the
system is active.
If there is a fault with the system, it remains illuminated and the instrument panel displays a warning message.
The vehicle can still be driven, but without DSC assistance. Seek qualified assistance as soon as possible.
DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC) OFF (AMBER)
The Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC) OFF warning lamp
illuminates when the system is
switched off.
The lamp is accompanied by a chime and a confirmation message in the instrument panel.
EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE (AMBER)
The external temperature lamp
illuminates when the external
temperature is low enough that
ice may be present on the road.
GENERAL WARNING AND INFORMATION MESSAGE (AMBER)
The general warning and
information message lamp
illuminates when a non-critical
warning message, or an
information message, is
available in the instrument
panel.
LOW FUEL WARNING (AMBER)
The low fuel warning lamp
illuminates when the fuel level
is low. Refuel at the earliest
opportunity.
The arrow shows which side of the vehicle the fuel filler flap is located.
REAR FOG LIGHTS (AMBER)
The rear fog lights indicator
lamp illuminates when the rear
fog lights are switched on.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) (AMBER)
The Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) lamp illuminates
amber to warn that one or more
tires are significantly underinflated.
The instrument panel also displays a warning message. Stop the vehicle as soon as possible, when safe to do so.
Check the tire pressures. Inflate to the recommended pressure.
The lamp flashes to indicate a system fault.
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVE (GREEN)
The adaptive cruise control
lamp illuminates when the
adaptive cruise control feature
is active.
ADAPTIVE SPEED LIMITER (GREEN)
The adaptive speed limiter lamp
illuminates when the adaptive
speed limiter feature is switched
on.
ALL TERRAIN PROGRESS CONTROL (ATPC) (GREEN)
The All Terrain Progress Control
(ATPC) lamp illuminates to
confirm that the ATPC system
is enabled.
AUTO STOP/START (GREEN)
The auto stop/start lamp
illuminates when the engine is
shut down by the auto stop/
start system.
Note: Other warnings normally associated with an engine shutdown do not illuminate during an engine shutdown by the auto stop/start system.
BRAKE HOLD (GREEN)
The brake hold lamp illuminates
when a brake hold function is
activated.
CRUISE CONTROL (GREEN)
The cruise control lamp
illuminates green when cruise
control is active.
FOLLOW MODE (GREEN)
The follow mode lamp
illuminates green when the
adaptive cruise control system
is in follow mode.
FRONT FOG LIGHTS (GREEN)
The front fog lights lamp
illuminates when the front fog
lights are switched on.
GEARSHIFT (GREEN)
The warning indicator is only a guide.
The driver is responsible for operating the vehicle in an appropriate manner for the prevailing conditions at all times.
Failure to do so may result in an accident, potentially leading to serious injury or death.
The gearshift indicator lamp
illuminates briefly at the
recommended gear change
point (up-shift).
The gearshift indicator lamp does not illuminate while cruise control is active and is not being overridden by pressing the accelerator pedal.
HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC) (GREEN)
The Hill Descent Control (HDC)
lamp illuminates continuously
when the HDC system is
selected and HDC operating
conditions are met.
If the lamp flashes, HDC has been selected, but the operating conditions are not being met or HDC fade-out is occurring.
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING (GREEN)
The green lane departure
warning lamp illuminates if the
feature is enabled and the
system is tracking the lanes.
LOW BEAM (GREEN)
The low beam lamp illuminates
when the low beam headlights
are switched on.
LOW RANGE (GREEN)
The low range lamp illuminates
when low range is selected.
SIDE LIGHTS (GREEN)
The side lights lamp illuminates
when the side lights are
switched on.
SPEED LIMITER (GREEN)
The speed limiter lamp
illuminates when the speed
limiter feature is active.
STEERING ASSIST ACTIVE (GREEN)
The steering assist active lamp
illuminates green when the
feature is active.
TRAILER TURN SIGNALS (GREEN)
The trailer turn signals lamp
illuminates, as a bulb check,
when the vehicle's ignition is
switched on. The lamp
extinguishes when the engine
is started.
If a trailer is attached, the warning lamp flashes in conjunction with the turn signal warning lamp. If the lamp fails to flash, the turn signal bulb on the trailer may be faulty.
Note: If a connected trailer is fitted with LED lights, the bulb check may not be performed.
TURN SIGNALS (GREEN)
The appropriate turn signal
lamp, left or right, flashes when
the column control is moved up
or down to signal a turn.
If a turn signal bulb fails, the visual and audible warnings flash and sound, respectively, at twice the normal rate.
AUTO HIGH BEAM ASSIST (AHBA) (BLUE)
The Auto High Beam Assist
(AHBA) lamp illuminates blue
when the AHBA feature has
activated the high beam
headlights.
HIGH BEAM (BLUE)
The high beam lamp illuminates
when the high beam headlights
are switched on or flashed.
STEERING ASSIST NOT ACTIVE (GRAY)
The steering assist not active
lamp illuminates gray when the
feature is not active.
AUTO HIGH BEAM ASSIST (AHBA) (WHITE)
The Auto High Beam Assist
(AHBA) lamp illuminates white
when the AHBA feature is
active.
AUTO LIGHTS (WHITE)
The auto lights warning lamp
illuminates white when the
vehicle's exterior lights are
operating in auto mode.
AUTO STOP/START INHIBIT (WHITE)
The auto stop/start inhibit lamp
illuminates when the auto stop/
start system is active but a
vehicle system requires the
engine to run.
AUTO STOP/START OFF (WHITE)
The auto stop/start OFF lamp
illuminates white when the auto
stop/start system is switched off.
DRIVER CONDITION MONITOR (WHITE)
The driver condition monitor
warning lamp illuminates white
when the driver condition
monitor system determines the
driver is presenting signs of
tiredness.
The lamp is accompanied by a message in the instrument panel.
LOW TRACTION LAUNCH (WHITE)
The low traction launch lamp
illuminates white to confirm that
the low traction launch system
is active.
