Have you noticed a red car and lock symbol on your vehicle’s dashboard? Don’t let the red color send you into panic mode. Although the symbol looks like you’re somehow about to get locked out of your own car, the car and lock symbol just means your vehicle’s anti-theft system has been activated. Read on to learn more about this symbol.
What Is the Car and Lock Symbol?
The anti-theft system is installed to protect your vehicle from thieves. Well, car thieves, to be precise. You could get dispossessed of your wallet and that teddy bear you just got as a birthday gift, but the anti-theft system is designed to ensure you’re not dispossessed of your car without your consent. At least, not for long.
The anti-theft systems keep getting more advanced as time passes. It basically works by obstructing power from circulating through your car, which should either stall the vehicle or turn off the engine right away. The system could just be an engine immobilizer or it can be integrated into a car alarm system.
If your vehicle was made after 1998, it should have a factory-fitted immobilizer. Immobilizers have been required on all vehicles made since 1998 but you can have add-on immobilizer fitted if you have an older vehicle model without one.
The immobilizer is an installed electronic security system that stalls your vehicle’s engine if the “wrong” key is inserted. That you’re asking this question shows that the activated anti-theft system in your car was most likely unintentional.
Why Does the Car and Lock Symbol Appear?
Have you done some work on your vehicle’s engine recently? Perhaps you sent in the car to have its engine refurbished? In that case, the sudden appearance of the car and lock symbol may not be unrelated with the recent work on your car’s engine. In a scenario like this, the car and lock symbol is most likely not the only strange development you’ve noticed on your car. The car could also exhibit starting trouble and all kinds of weird stuff that has to do with the vehicle’s power source; the battery and engine.
There are other things that can trigger a vehicle’s anti-theft system. For example, a dead battery may lose its key memory, which will in turn trigger the anti-theft system. You might also want to check that the battery in your key fob isn’t dead. Also, a damaged immobilizer chip in your key or your vehicle’s car door lock can trick the anti-theft system into thinking something is wrong.
Of course, something is wrong, but just not the way the system thought.
When a vehicle’s immobilizer integrates a car alarm, the anti-theft system can be triggered by movement inside the vehicle, the wrong key (key learning), charging alarm (applicable to electric vehicles), tilt/inclination, and forced entry involving the doors, trunk, or hood.
Whatever the case, you want your vehicle to return to normal operation and that unnerving car and lock symbol gone. Your first move should be to deactivate the security system. Then have the vehicle scanned to figure out what codes are triggering the car and lock symbol light.
I always just press the unlock button on the key, but that morning I tried to manually open the door with the key, I have never done such thing before. Then I drove home, parked the car and turned off the engine. After I had used the key to lock the vehicle, I saw a red car-with-lock symbol on the dashboard. When I unlocked the car, it disappeared, but when I locked it again, it appeared again lol. What does this mean???
I always just press the unlock button on the key, but that morning I tried to manually open the door with the key, I have never done such thing before. Then I drove home, parked the car and turned off the engine. After I had used the key to lock the vehicle, I saw a red car-with-lock symbol on the dashboard. When I unlocked the car, it disappeared, but when I locked it again, it appeared again lol. What does this mean???
Other stuff such as glove box and trunk, will be locked once the service mode is activated by the key. So it informs you or the other person who operates the vehicle that mode is active. You should read user manual.
Thanks a lot! This gave me clarity. After working an afternoon shift, I became aware of that symbol. I thought there must be a problem.
Thank you for clarifying. I just bought a car and noticed this thing. I freaked out af, it was new to me. Now I know I don’t really have to be concerned or somethin.
Just purchased a brand new Ford Fiesta and noticed the dash blinking, so I wondered why.
I have a good method, to fix this without any issues, you should remove the negative cable to reset the alarm system, it supposed to work.
I dont think this is smart decision. That deletes all data…
I had only purchased my car four days when I noticed the exact flashing light. I was a little disturbed, so I went to Google to check it out. Now I’m fine. Thank you ;3
That’s so crazy. After having this car for almost six years, I had never noticed this light before. I just googled this stuff. I’m really astute to everything since I’m having car problems right now.
Since I’ve owned my car for a year and a half, I can say with absolute certainty that this light has never turned on before. The light is still flashing even though my ignition is off, which is weird af.
When the ignition is off, that light is supposed to flash in order to alert thieves to the fact that the vehicle is disabled due to the alarm.
I’ve had my car Ford Mustang for five years now, and when I first saw this, panicked a bit. However, after reading this explanation, it seems like a regular thing.
If you don’t drive the car for a few days, will this thing make the battery die? That’s the topic that worries me.
No, it wont dw
I only realized it last night when I locked my truck. The only difference is that it does not flash, instead, it remains on for about a minute before turning off.
One day I was vacuuming my car and the dashboard when I heard a sound similar to when I touch the screen and this symbol began to show up. It only popped up after I did that, I swear it wasn’t there before lol
When I forgot to close my window, this blinking red light appeared.
Does this indicate an attempted break in???
However mine does not flash, it is draining my battery. I had never seen it before it finally started to drain my battery…
Just purchased a brand new Lexus, went outside to admire it in the garage, and noticed that light. By visiting this website, I could have saved myself an hour of time. I greatly appreciate it!
What’s up with that? My car won’t start with that red light flashing unless you press the emergency button at the same time you turn the ignition on.
This light simply indicates that the car’s security alarm has been activated.
On the side of the road, my car just died, and this light was flashing. My entire dashboard shut down just before this took place, and the vehicle stalled. How do I fix this? Thank you in advance.
I slept in my car. This symbol just appeared for no reason smh. I couldn’t start the car because of it.
Does this blinking use up car’s battery power?
People have driven with flashing leds for the last 30 years and everything is fine
Pretty sure this sh*t is draining my vehicle’s battery
How do you disable this stuff? My own car can not start because of this symbol!
What if my key FOB is no longer functional? How do I get my car to start?
Replace the battery! If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to get a new key fob or figure out why the car won’t start. This sounds like a unexpected visit to the car dealer or a highly skilled mechanic.