If your vehicle's temperature light comes on while driving you should?

• A. Pull over safely, open the hood, and let the engine cool before checking anything
• B. Continue driving to the nearest shop
• C. Ignore it
• D. Turn on air conditioning

Answer: (A)

Overheating can cause serious engine damage, so the heat warning means you should stop driving and deal with it safely. The best move is to pull over to a safe spot, turn off the engine, and let it cool before you check anything. Opening the hood can help the cooling process and let you inspect for obvious problems, but only after it’s cooled enough so you won’t burn yourself or when you can safely remove anything around hot surfaces. After it’s cooled, you can check the coolant level if you know how and it’s safe to do so, and look for leaks or damaged hoses. If the engine still overheats after cooling, or you can’t find the cause, get help rather than continuing to drive.