Q: My check engine light just started turning on when I accelerate. When the car is at a stand still or parked the light is off. I ha

A vehicle’s check engine light illuminates whenever there is a malfunction. The first thing you should do is use a code scanner to download, from the OBD-II system, any trouble codes that have stored along with freeze frame data. Without having those codes in hand, I can speculate that, if the light came on "steadily" (not flashing), a possibility is a fault with the mass airflow sensor but that is speculative until an attempt is made to download the trouble codes and perform a diagnostic.

If the check engine light happened to be flashing during these episodes of acceleration, that means there is a serious fault, such as cylinder misfiring, that requires immediate repair. Misfiring, in particular, has the potential to damage the catalytic converter which can result in additional costly repairs. If the check engine light is "steadily" illuminated though (not flashing) the seriousness of the malfunction is hard to judge unless and until a code scanner is used by the Mechanic to download the specific trouble codes from your car’s computer (PCM or ECU) that have caused the light to illuminate. To resolve your issue, the best thing to do is request a check engine light diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.