Questions and Answers

Nissan 300-ZX Red Warning Light Q. I have a 1993 Nissan 300-ZX 2+2 Non-turbo 3.0 liter V-6, automatic, 125,000 miles. My problem is that sometimes when I apply the foot brake a red light in the dash lights up. It looks like the light for the brights except that it is red and in the upper left corner. It tends to do this in the afternoon on my way home from work when its hot.

It never happens in the mornings. I drive about 19 miles to work one way.

Thank you,
Ray

A. As you can see in the picture, there are four warning indicators in the upper left hand corner of the dash. The low Washer Fluid Warning, the ABS Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) and the HICAS (four wheel steering) Warning light.

Since the High Beam Indicator is blue, we can eliminat that as a possibility. The low Washer Fluid Warning is yellow so we can toss that aside. That leaves the ABS Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) and the HICAS Warning light.

Since the light goes on when you step on the brake, it's probably the ABS light.

This system activates the ABS warning lamp when a malfunction occurs. The vehicle must be driven above 30 km/h (19 mph) for at least one minute at which time the unit will perform a self diagnosis. If a problem is found it will activate the warning lamp. Bring the vehicle to a stop and, with the engine still running, count the flashes on the control unit LED to determine the trouble code.

Any codes in the system will be erased once the engine is turned off.