You turn onto Crystal Lake Road on the way to First Midwest Bank in McHenry when you notice that the car doesn’t seem to have the same pep when you step on the gas pedal. You’re headed South on Green Street on your way to jh Events and Flowers on Municipal Drive when the engine coolant sensor comes on in your dashboard. You’re driving east on Route 120 bringing your pet to Riverside Animal Clinic when the engine starts running rough. All of these problems and more could have something to do with a sensor gone bad.

Computers play an increasingly large role today in the operation of the vehicles we drive. The computers make adjustments based on feedback they receive from numerous sensors built into the vehicle. You may have as many as 30 sensors in your vehicle but probably as many as 12, unless you drive an older car – a significantly older car.

When sensors go bad the information they provide is often wrong. Operating on bad info the computers fail to call for the proper adjustments to optimize the operation of your vehicle.  You’ll often notice this in the performance of your vehicle. Sometimes, you’ll notice because the sensor controlled a warning light and that light is flashing or lighted to let you know there’s a problem.

The sensors affect the operation of the engine, the brakes, emission, and safety features. They can seriously affect the operation of the vehicle, the braking system, the gas mileage and the safety of the driver and passengers.

Here is a list of sensors you may have in your vehicle:

• Anti-lock Brake sensor(s)
• Air conditioning pressure sensor
• Camshaft angle sensor
• Crankshaft angle sensor
• Crash sensors
• Drive shaft rotation sensor
• Door ajar sensors
• Engine compartment temperature sensor
• Engine coolant temperature sensor
• Engine temperature sensor
• Exhaust gas recirculation valve position sensor
• Exhaust oxygen sensor(s)
• Fuel Temperature sensor
• Fuel vapor pressure sensor
• Heater and air conditioning temperature sensor
• Manifold air temperature sensor
• Mass airflow sensor
• Outside air temperature sensor
• Seatbelt sensor
• Seat pressure sensor
• Spark knock sensor
• Steering angle sensor
• Steering wheel sensor
• Transmission oil temperature sensor
• Vehicle speed sensor
• Windshield cracked sensor

Those are quite a few sensors. When they’re all operating correctly, your vehicle will probably run like a top, stop on a dime and keep you safe (assuming your vehicle is, otherwise, in good shape) on McHenry roads and beyond.