How to Tell When Your Truck is Experiencing Problems

Say that you are going on your regular route for the day. Everything is going as it should, but all of a sudden, something strange starts to happen with your truck. These kinds of things often start out small, but sometimes start out quite large and obvious. People don’t have time to deal with every small issue, and may even be crossing their fingers that whatever strange issue will go away on its own. This is usually not the case; thus, to help deal with them, we have gathered some examples of things to keep an eye out for, that may indicate a problem with your vehicle.

Warning lights

Warning lights are among the best indications that something with your vehicle has gone wrong. There are multiple kinds of warning lights that appear on your dashboard, yet unfortunately, all too many people let these warning lights go unaddressed.

One warning symbol is the Engine Temperature Warning Light, which suggests the engine’s temperature is beyond safe operational limits. This may be caused by your engine’s fans not working, or your coolant having issues (such as a leak or needing replacement). The Battery Charge Warning Light, meanwhile, is pretty self-explanatory: your battery is either low on power, or is having issues being charged. If you are having issues with this, have an expert check the battery or the alternator.

The Oil Pressure Warning Light means that the oil pressure is low or absent, causing a lack of lubrication as a result. When this light comes on, check to see that your oil level and pressure is at appropriate levels. The fourth warning light is called the Brake Warning Light, which may mean multiple things. This light comes on when the handbrake is on. However, if the light is constantly on, this suggests that hydraulic pressure is absent in one side of the brake system, or that the fluid level is low. The fluid level may be low due either to a leak or, more commonly, the fluid in this system decreasing through use.

These are just a few of the warning lights that your vehicle may have. In addition to these, some warning lights may warn of:

• Missing gas cap
• Active child safety lock
• Low brake fluid
• Worn brake pad
• Deactivated brake pad
• Parking brake is on

And much more. To see other warning and safety light meanings, you can check here.

Steering wheel issues

If you’ve ever experienced a steering wheel that seems like it has a mind of its own when you have a proper hold on it, just know that this is not typical, and means your vehicle has something wrong with it. If you have to put in effort to keep your truck driving in a straight line, this may suggest that the wheels have low pressure or are misaligned, or have brake issues. If it’s jerking, this may suggest that the steering rack has loose bearings.

Strange sounds from the engine

If you hear a sound coming from your engine, such as a knocking, clicking, or tapping. The first time you hear any of these sounds, you should have it checked out immediately. These sounds could be indicative of multiple potential issues. For example, low oil pressure may cause one of these noises, and if left alone, could cause permanent damage.

Strange sounds when braking

Due to their frequency of use while driving, the brakes tend to wear down faster than most other parts of your cars. Thus, you’ve likely heard the product of this wear more than once. When your brakes are experiencing issues, they may make a grinding or squeaking noise. A squeak is an earlier sign that something is wrong with your brakes, but if it is grinding, that means that the problem has worsened. If the brakes are squeaking, make sure you immediately get them repaired, let alone when they are grinding. Allowing your brakes to get bad may make your liability in a car accident greater, as ignoring the problem would constitute neglecting your duty to others on the road.

Driving is more difficult than normal

If you are finding you are having more trouble than normal driving, this may indicate that there is something wrong with one or more of your tires. Your tire may be uninflated, which could be due to low pressure or it being entirely flat. Make sure that you do not drive on a tire that is flat, as it is unsafe to do so.

Turbulent driving can create plenty of issues. For example, you are more likely to get into an accident if you are struggling to control your vehicle. And since it’s a truck, that can result in quite a lot of damage. You may also find it difficult to keep the contents of your truck’s bed from coming out. While it is not the optimal solution to that problem, using truck bed covers will at least help keep this from happening.