TAMPA, Fla. -- Car problems can wreak havoc on your life, so it’s important to know the warning signs before they turn into a crisis. 

Your car making strange noises, a warning light that comes, or an oily leak in your parking spot -- just a few red flags you should never ignore when it comes to your vehicle.

Not long ago, Josciel Veras was driving his Cadillac Escalade when all of a sudden the check engine light came on. He was smart to take quick action.

“My engine got too hot, and I had to pull over, and it’s here now," he said.

Veras took his vehicle straight to the Toyota of Tampa Bay garage to get it checked out.  

“It’s stressful,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have my car. I have to pick up my kids. There are just so many things I have to do.” 

Check Engine light

When it comes to car trouble, some warning signs are worse than others. 

One of the biggest things to never ignore is your check engine light. There are two possibilities here: the light comes on and stays on, or even worse -- it starts blinking on and off.

“If it’s flashing, you want to immediately have it towed in so you don’t damage anything else,” said Jacin Hogeland, Toyota of Tampa Bay Service Director. “I’ve seen them -- if you overheat enough and you continue to drive, it’ll literally melt your engine.”

Luckily, that didn’t happen to Veras. Since he immediately brought his Escalade in to get it checked out, the mechanics were able find and fix the problem.

“Any light that comes on the dashboard, you never want to ignore none of those,” Veras said, knowingly.

Strange Noises

Noises are another red flag not to ignore. Hogeland says any noise is bad, but especially when your brakes are squealing.

“Usually when you apply your brakes, you’ll hear a slight squeal coming from up there. As that gets closer to where you’re going to damage anything -- then, that’s where it’s going to get louder, louder, and when you hear grinding, like metal on metal—that’s bad. You should have it towed,” he advised.

If you ignore the noise, you can damage the rotor, in addition to the brake pads, which Hogeland says will double the cost of the repair, and more importantly, could put you in danger.

A strange noise can also be the first sign of steering trouble.

“You’ll hear like an ‘ee ee ee’ noise,” Hogeland said. “Or you’ll feel like shuddering a little bit when you’re turning. Sometimes it will get hard to turn.”

Once again, don’t ignore that. Take it to the shop as soon as possible.

Leaks to worry about

Leaks that cause oily stains are also cause for concern. Pay attention to the color of the liquid for a clue to the problem:

• Oil is light brown or dark brown
• Coolant can be a variety of bright colors, depending on your vehicle, including: pink, blue, orange, red, and green
• Brake fluid is clear or sometimes light brown
• Power steering fluid is also clear

If you notice a stain in your driveway with any of these fluids, it needs attention right away.  

“Coolant, brakes and steering, you don’t want to mess with,” Hogeland said.  “You have a little more leeway with oil, but get it in as soon as you can.”

One thing not to worry about is a water stain in the parking spot under your car. That’s just water dripping from your AC drain, which is normal.

Battery light

Your battery light is another problem not to ignore. It will come on when your battery is dying, but it can also come on when you have a problem with your alternator, which is more serious.

The alternator generates all the power for your vehicle, so it can lead to electrical issues where several features just stop working.

“As you’re driving, certain non-essential systems will start shutting down. So your air conditioner, radio, and lights -- different things start shutting down to give you more time. Cars are smart,” he explained.

If that happens, pull over to a safe spot as soon as you can and get your vehicle to a repair shop.

With all of these warning signs, don’t procrastinate or you could end up with a bigger expense, and even worse -- a problem that could put you in danger on the road.

“You want to take care of it, for sure, before anything major happens,” Veras said.