To be honest, it might be difficult to distinguish between the numerous symbols on your dash, particularly if they don’t frequently appear when anything goes wrong.

However, you should try to understand what they mean because if it turns out to be a serious problem that needs to be corrected right away, it is your responsibility to have it fixed before it destroys your poor car.

After reading this article, you’ll know exactly what to do if your car unexpectedly flashes this small symbol that resembles a boat.

You already know about the obvious ones, like the low fuel symbol, but this one is giving drivers everywhere a lot of trouble.

Users on X were attempting to understand its meaning, and some were genuinely helpful, even though the majority were making jokes about it.

One flashing indicator was circled in a snapshot of the user’s dashboard that she shared online.

She wrote: “What this light mean?”

Then, someone else retweeted it saying, “Looks like a boat. Probably smooth sailing or something,” and the hilarity ensued.

One person wrote: “That’s the ‘pirates approaching’ warning. better start paddling.”

Another said: “idk what does that mean either.”

The actual response?

A commenter clarified: “It means your car’s engine hasn’t warmed up to the normal temperature. When it does, that light will turn off. I only know this because I had to look it up for a rental car about 2 months ago.”

Nope, he’s also mistaken.

It’s a thermometer with wavy lines at the bottom, not a boat, and it’s the engine cooling warning light.

A poll conducted by ATS Euromaster revealed that 80% of drivers were unaware of its meaning.

In essence, it indicates that your car’s engine coolant is running low and the engine temperature is rising too high.

Your engine may overheat and you may have to spend thousands of dollars on a new engine if you don’t solve it.

If this comes on and you’ve no idea what to do, try this: according to Eden Motor Group, “If the light is red, you should pull over as soon as it is safe to do so and switch off the engine.”

“If the coolant level is low or there is another problem with your cooling system, you could cause serious damage by continuing to drive. Then you can do some basic checks yourself or call for help.”

You need to consider a number of potential causes in order to determine why it has begun flashing.

The group says: “The most likely is either a loss of coolant or a fault with the sensor.”

According to the specialists, “A coolant loss could be caused by a leak somewhere in the system, such as a split hose or a hole in the radiator. You might be able to see, hear of even smell this when you open the bonnet.”

You can determine whether you have enough coolant in the tank by looking at the “maximum and minimum markings on the side” if you are unable to spot a leak.

You’re welcome.