It's natural to experience slightly unnerved when the primary indicator light turns on in your Nissan Altima. This warning light is hard to miss. It shows up on your dashboard as a brilliant triangular symbol with an exclamation point inside the triangle. Unlike other warning symbols that low-cal up on your dash from fourth dimension to time, the main warning light does not point a specific problem—which leaves you wondering what is wrong with your auto and how serious the issue might be.
An illuminated primary indicator light in your Nissan Altima is not necessarily causing for alarm. This light can exist triggered past whatsoever number of issues, most of which are very small and some others that are more than urgent and require immediate attention. That existence said, you should never ignore your auto'southward master warning lite one time you discover that it is illuminated. Every bit soon as you see that this calorie-free has turned on, take your Altima to a nearby Nissan dealership or a reputable machine body repair store in your surface area and request a thorough inspection.
Or, if you are able to successfully diagnose the problem yourself and successfully get the principal alarm light to plow off, y'all tin can relieve yourself the hassle of a time- consuming, potentially expensive trip to your local dealership. Here are five reasons why the master indicator light might turn on in your Nissan Altima—and five solutions for how you tin set up the problem as speedily and easily as possible.

ane. You Left Your Headlights On

If you lot forget to plow off your headlights, your Nissan Altima's master warning light will illuminate before you leave your car.
Check your headlights every bit presently as you cease driving if you lot find that your automobile's master indicator lite has turned on. If you've left your headlights on accidentally, that warning light could save yous from dealing with a expressionless auto battery the adjacent time you get in the machine to bulldoze somewhere.

2. Your Fuel Cap is Loose

If y'all detect that your car'southward master warning low-cal is on after yous fill your auto upwardly with gas —and information technology wasn't illuminated before you stopped to re-fueled—your fuel cap is the near likely culprit. fuel cap loose
In this scenario, find a safe place to pull over or park your car and get out to examine its fuel cap. Even if the cap looks secure at kickoff glance, requite it a couple of extra twists to brand sure it's really on there tight. If the chief indicator light turns off once you lot start driving again, yous're skillful to get. If it remains illuminated, then the source must be a dissimilar problem.

iii. You Forgot to Release Your Parking Brake

This trigger for your Altima'due south master indicator lite is an excellent cautionary example of why you should try your best to make up one's mind the root cause of that illuminated triangle on your dashboard as soon as it appears.
While this event might seem very minor because it doesn't put you or your passengers in firsthand danger, forgetting to release your parking brake and leaving it engaged while you bulldoze can damage your brakes and other essential—and expensive to replace —parts and systems of your car.
Fortunately, this problem is very easy to set up. All you have to practice is release your parking brake. If you choose to ignore the master alarm lite on your dashboard, however, you can end upwardly doing some serious damage to your car.

four. Yous're Almost Out of Gas

Your Nissan Altima's master alarm light will turn on when your auto's fuel tank gets shut to empty as an extra reminder for y'all to refuel ASAP or run a risk getting stranded on the road somewhere.
In addition to low fuel, depression levels of washer fluid, coolant, or other essential fluids can also trigger your car's main alert light. Check all of the fluids in your car earlier you rule out depression fluid levels as the reason why your Altima's master indicator lite is illuminated.

5. The Pressure in Ane of Your Tires is Low

Depression tire force per unit area is ane of the most serious and potentially dangerous problems that can trigger your Altima's master alarm low-cal. If the pressure in one or more of your car'southward tires is low, that tire is much more likely to become flat or blow out—which can cause a serious accident if it happens while you're on the road.
If you know how to check your car's tire pressure yourself, check it as before long every bit possible to rule out low tire pressure equally the reason your car'south principal indicator light is on. Or, take your car into your local dealership or repair shop and ask a professional at that place to bank check the pressure in your tires.