4 Reasons Car Dashboard Lights Not Working

Reasons the Vehicle's Dash Lights Go Out - Chevrolet Electrical and Lighting Systems Information in Salem, OR

March 14, 2019

You rely on your car's dashboard for lots of valuable information, including how fast you're traveling, how much gas you have, how hot your engine is, engine oil pressure, and any important notifications or warnings. If the dash lights in your Chevy are broken, dim, or flickering, you'll be missing important information and could be putting yourself in danger. The good news is that different problems with the dash lights often cause different symptoms. Take a look at the list below to find the symptom that matches your own.

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4. The Lights Are Dim

If the dashboard lights in your Chevy are dim, chances are you can fix it yourself. If it's light out, make sure that the headlights aren't turned on. Many headlights often dim the dash automatically when they're switched on, so this might be the cause of the problem.

If that's not it, look for the dimmer switch. This switch adjusts how bright the dash lights are. If you accidentally bumped it, you may have turned the light levels down without noticing it. Simply readjust it and you should be ready to go!

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3. The Instrument Panel Is Completely Dark

If the dashboard isn't lighting up at all, your car might have blown a fuse. Removing the old fuse and replacing it should get the lights working again. While the new fuse may do the trick, it could also indicate a deeper electrical problem. If the new fuse doesn't last long, have it inspected at an authorized Chevrolet service center since you may have a deeper problem in the electrical system.

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2. Only Part of the Instrument Panel Is Dark

If you have a newer vehicle with a dash that's lit by individual LED lights, this likely won't be a problem. However, vehicles even just a few years old were often backlit by incandescent bulbs. If one of these bulbs burns out, part of the dashboard will be dark. The rest will stay lit. Replacing these bulbs can be tricky, so you'll likely be better off trusting it to a factory-authorized expert like who you'll find at Capitol Chevrolet in Salem, OR.

1. The Lights Are Flickering

If your instrument panel is flickering, it's likely not a problem with the dash lights at all. The car battery could be dying, or the alternator (which charges up the battery and runs electrical systems when your car is running) could be going bad. We can diagnose this problem and replace whichever part is failing.