It can be incredibly nerve racking to notice the check engine light come on in your vehicle, especially if it comes on while you’re in the middle of a drive. This is especially true if the light doesn’t just turn on, but begins flashing. Your instinct might be to panic, but you need to keep yourself calm because panicking won’t do anything to help your situation. You need to react quickly to make sure that both you and your vehicle – as well as anyone else inside – remains as safe as possible. So today, we’ve put together a few steps to help teach you what to do if this situation happens in your Chevy vehicle.
What Does a Flashing Check Engine Light Mean?
Before we dive into how to respond to this stressful situation, we thought it prudent to explain what exactly it means when your check engine light is flashing. While the light simply coming on could mean anything from worn-out spark plugs to something as simple as a loose gas cap, when it flashes it means something far more serious.
The most common reason this light begins flashing is because there is some kind of misfire within your engine. This could be caused by a damaged catalytic converter, an issue with the fuel system or something within the engine itself. While you won’t be able or need to diagnose the issue right away, the fact that the light is flashing means your vehicle needs immediate attention.
Step 1: Pull Over Safely
Which is precisely why the first step you need to take is to pull over safely. Safely is the key word here! While the light flashing means something is wrong within your engine that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible, pulling over without concerns for your own safety or the safety of others on the road could create even more immediate issues. Throw on your hazard lights, begin reducing your speed and find a safe place to pull over as soon as you possibly can.
Step 2: Call for Help
Unless you’re a mechanic yourself, the next step is going to be to call for assistance. If your insurance plan or warranty comes with roadside assistance, or if you have access to this from some other membership or what have you, call them. If you don’t have access to such a service, you’re going to need to call a tow truck service to haul your vehicle to your preferred service department. We’d be happy to take care of you right here at Jim Glover Chevrolet!
Step 3: Diagnosis & Repair
This step is out of your hands and will take place at the service department you choose. If you decide to bring it here to Jim Glover, our expert technicians will use advanced diagnostic tools to figure out exactly what was triggering the flashing light. Once that’s determined, we’ll walk you through the repair options, costs and timeline. We believe in transparency here at Jim Glover Chevrolet, so you can rest assured that we’ll never recommend unnecessary work or hide fees from you. We’ll tell you exactly what you need, why you need it and how much it’s going to run you.
Step 4: Prevent Future Issues
The fourth and final step is just to futureproof your vehicle from similar issues down the road. While you can’t predict every single potential engine problem, there are plenty of things that you can do to prevent a lot of the issues that might ultimately lead to engine misfires. Regular maintenance is the number one thing you can do to keep your Chevy vehicle running smoothly for as long as it should. Here are a few specific suggestions:
- Follow the recommended service schedule found in your owner’s manual
- Replace spark plugs and ignition components as recommended
- Use high-quality fuel and oil whenever possible
- Address any warning lights as promptly as you can, even if they aren’t flashing
Hopefully, these steps help you remain calm if your check engine light does come on and begin flashing. The number one thing to remember is not to panic, then just pull over safely and give us a call right here at Jim Glover Chevrolet. We hope you never have to deal with a situation like this, but we look forward to taking care of you if it ever does.