ELIZA86

Light just came on, car seems to run fine called dealer to bring car in, but the dealer is unable to service the car until March 1. I have a long trip to drive and concerned about this light.

superswiss

If you don't have the ability to scan the codes yourself, then take it to AutoZone. They'll scan it for you and then at least you know why it's on and can decide what to do about it. The light can come on for minor reasons such as the gas cap not tightened properly, so it could be something minor like that or something that should be looked at ASAP. It's a good idea to get a ODBII Bluetooth dongle and an app for your phone, so you can do these scans yourself. If it's a minor issue, the light will go out on its own after a while once the problem is resolved. For example if it's the gas cap then just make sure it's tight. If it's something like a misfire due to bad gas, that will clear itself as well.

Redd

What he said.

But unless the dealer is 100 miles away...I would stop by the dealership (not first thing Monday morning, not Friday afternoon, but if possible at a slack time) and ask them ASK A CUSTOMER COURTESY COULD THEY PLEASE RUN THE CODE because you have a long trip and need to know if this is a problem. And that you're not asking them to drop everything, just to take a quick look and see what the code is.

The guys at the auto chains often are just underpaid help, who don't really understand simple tests. But some will actually lend you the reader, which just plugs into a socket you can't see until you stick your head under the steering wheel. (But it is there, it is unmistakeable.) And then it is a matter of looking up the code(s) which sometimes are very vague, sometimes very simple and clear.

Personally, I bought a bluetooth code reader on Amazon for about $25 (didn't buy the cheapest, wanted the best rated) and then I use Android software to read it on my phone. (Bought Carista, which will also program a number of options, not just read codes.) That's fairly simple and painless, and that same reader can be used with pretty much every post-1996 car on the road. I just leave it there, don't even bother to unplug it.