The wiring circuits in your vehicle are protected from short circuits by a combination of fuses, circuit breakers and fusible thermal links. This greatly reduces the chance of damage caused by electrical problems.

Look at the silver-colored band inside the fuse. If the band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you replace a bad fuse with a new one of the identical size and rating. The rating is given on all fuses.

Three spare fuses are located in the instrument panel fuse block and two spare fuses are located in the engine compartment fuse block. If you ever have a problem on the road and do not have a spare fuse, you can borrow one that has the same amperage. Just pick some feature of your vehicle that you can get along without -- like the radio or cigarette lighter -- and use its fuse if it is the correct amperage. Replace it as soon as you can.

There are two fuse blocks in your vehicle: the instrument panel fuse block and the engine compartment fuse block.