Dashboard

A dashboard, dash, "dial and switch housing" or fascia, (chiefly in British English) is a control panel located under the windshield of an automobile. It contains the instrumentation and controls pertaining to the operation of the vehicle. During the design phase of an automobile, the dashboard or instrument panel may be abbreviated as "IP".

Originally, a dashboard was an upturned screen of wood or leather, placed on the front of a horse-drawn carriage, sleigh or other vehicle, that protected the driver from the mud, debris, water or snow thrown up by the horse's hooves.



Dashboard items

Dashboard instruments displaying various car and engine conditionsItems located on the dashboard first included the steering wheel and the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster pictured to the right contains gauges such as a speedometer, tachometer, odometer and fuel gauge, and indicators such as a gear shift position, seat belt warning light, parking brake engagement warning light[5] and an engine malfunction light. There are also indicators for low fuel, low oil pressure, low battery, low tire pressure (on newer cars), and faults in the air bag (SRS) system. Heating and ventilation controls and vents, lighting controls and audio equipment came later on. In more modern cars, automotive navigation systems are mounted directly into the dashboard.