If your vehicle is showing low coolant warning light or message on dashboard, here are the most likely causes and the parts you'll need to fix each one.
Rubber hoses and plastic connectors degrade over time from extreme heat cycles, causing slow or sudden coolant leaks.
The plastic end tanks on modern radiators frequently become brittle and crack with age, leading to steady coolant loss.
The water pump's internal seal can fail, causing coolant to leak from the weep hole as a warning sign of impending bearing failure.
Plastic thermostat housings warp and crack over time, causing a steady coolant leak near the top or side of the engine block.
The sensor inside the reservoir can fail and trigger a false warning, or the plastic reservoir itself can crack and leak fluid.
If the cooling system was recently serviced and not properly bled, trapped air pockets will surface and drop the fluid level in the reservoir.
A failed head gasket allows coolant to leak into the combustion chamber and burn off as white exhaust smoke, rapidly depleting coolant levels.