BMW 7 Series Dashboard Warning Lights (All Models 2001 to 2024)

Either of these two lights will illuminate to get your attention to other dashboard warning lights and symbols.

These lights can also mean that the handbrake is engaged.

This means your battery has low voltage and may need a replacing.

Should you choose to drive your vehicle with a faulty battery, you risk losing power to your battery at high speeds.

Many mechanics will prefer to visit your home to replace your car’s engine battery, rather than have you drive to them.

This symbol is your BMW 7 Series telling you to press the foot brake.

This is required before starting the engine and moving the vehicle out of Park.

Your handbrake is engaged.

This can be disengaged by hand, or your vehicle may have a handbrake that is disengaged with your foot.

This means your driver’s side or passenger side airbag has a fault and may not deploy when required. However, it’s quite common for this light to illuminate due to a faulty sensor, rather than a faulty airbag.

Take your vehicle to your mechanic for inspection as soon as possible.

This symbol represents excessive heat from your engine’s radiator. If ignored, you risk overheating your engine very quickly.

Common reasons are a low coolant level and a leak in the radiator.

Call or visit a mechanic immediately.

This symbol represents the front or rear parking sensors. You will also hear an audible beep as you get closer to a wall, pole, tree or other object when reversing.

This means one of your driving lights has stopped working and requires either a bulb replacement or fuse replacement.

This means your front standard driving lights are on.

These lights are used for 99.9% of driving.

This means your front high-beam driving lights are on.

These lights are used for 0.01% of driving and typically for country roads late at night. Fines can apply for use of high beams in dense residential areas. Do NOT use high team driving lights within 400 metres (1,000 feet) of an oncoming car.

This means your front automatic standard driving lights are on.

These will illuminate by themselves on dusk, when entering tunnels and in other low light situations.

This means your front automatic high-beam driving lights are on.

Please be wary that these lights do not turn themselves on automatically around other cars.

BMW 7 Series’s come with automatic lights, however, these can malfunction.

This is often an issue with the front low-light sensor. You may continue to drive and simply use your normal on/off headlight function until you visit a mechanic.

This is the Glow Plug Indicator symbol, which is found only in diesel-powered variants of BMW 7 Series. Diesel engines require heat in the cylinders to operate, which is supplied initially by its glow plugs when the engine is freezing cold.

When illuminating green, this is operating perfectly but when yellow, a fault may exist.

This means your vehicle is in Park.

While your front hood/bonnet may appear closed, it may show open on the sensor.

This means your BMW 7 Series front fog lights are engaged. A similar symbol exists for the rear warning lights.

Note: In some areas, it is illegal to use fog lights when it isn’t foggy. Please check with your local authority.

Your vehicle’s ABS system has a fault and may not engage under heavy braking.

Please visit a mechanic as soon as possible.

ECO mode in a BMW 7 Series is an optimum driving mode.

Your throttle will not respond favorably to performance driving.

Instead, your fuel economy will be at its best, hence the term ‘Eco’.

While your rear trunk/boot may appear closed, it may show open on the sensor.

This means your front sensor is engaged.

This feature provides autonomous braking and adaptative cruise control.

This means your lane-keeping assistant is on.

This feature allows your vehicle to remain straight within its lane.

This may only engage above 40km/h or 25mp/h.

This means your BMW’s Electronic Stability Programme (or Electronic Stability Control in some countries) has been engaged.

This typically engages on wet, muddy or icy roads.

This means your brake fluid has become low and may require topping up.

This means your brake pads have become low.

This may be difficult to check and may require visiting a mechanic as soon as possible.

This means your steering wheel is locked.

This is an anti-theft symbol that flashes when your vehicle is locked.

This means your vehicle is due for servicing soon.

Your mechanic may have programmed an alert within your car’s computer to illuminate this symbol upon crossing a certain odometer reading.

This means your heated seats are on.

The number of vertical lines represents the level of heat.

This means your cruise control has been activated and is ready to use.

However, your cruise control will not be on. It’s simply ready to switch on.

Cars often use 2-buttons to avoid accidentally turning on cruise control.

This means you have an issue with your wheel.

This isn’t the rubber tire but the wheel itself.

Issues include alignment, steering and balance.

This means your windscreen is being heated to melt frost or ice.

This may turn itself off automatically.

If your BMW 7 Series has air suspension, then this symbol represents a fault.

This could be a deflated rear suspension air bag, an air leak or a sensor issue.

This means your tire pressure is either too low, or the sensor has faulted.

This requires calling or visiting your dealership as soon as possible.

This means your automatic windscreen wipers are on. No action is required.