What does it mean when the check engine light comes on?

Hi Jonna.
not sure if this will help you out,but its what i have found on the internet.

Your car's "Check Engine" or "Service Engine Soon" light can flash on for more than 1,400 different reasons, and in the coming months, we're going to share with you what some of those reasons are. The light is part of your vehicle's on-board diagnostics (OBD) system and can indicate anything from a quick fix like a loose gas cap to a major repair like a catalytic converter.
Trouble code: P0217 Engine Over Temperature
If this code is discovered, it means the engine coolant temperature is excessively high under normal engine speed. The engine coolant is overheating if it's around 240 to 250 degrees. This is a critical light! It means your engine is beginning to overheat.
In addition to the check engine light, you might also see some other type of warning on the dashboard, such as a red temperature gauge or maybe the words "engine hot."
The warning lights should come on before any damage to your engine occurs, but you need to shut the engine off as soon as possible.
or check this link out.

Does the engine light come on if the car is overheating Google Search

Not sure what you mean by rotors, but the engine light will not warn of brake wear. Engine light only comes on for service warning or beacuse af an engine fault. Hope this helps

A check engine light doesn’t always mean a big problem or an expensive repair is ahead. However, driving a car with the check engine light on could mean that you are doing further damage to the engine, depending on the problem. It’s always best to get the vehicle checked at your earliest convenience.

Because there are so many possible reasons for the check engine light to come on, pulling the codes for the event can be helpful when the problem is not immediately evident. Even if the check engine light is only on a short time, a code will be stored in the ECU for later retrieval.

I suggest scannin your ECU to know which fault code there.

Hope helps (remember rated this).

WHAT EXACTLY MEANS THE CODE P2096 AND HOW I SHOULD FIX IT CRYSLER 300 2010

IF UR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON THE VEHICLE SHOULD GO ON A CODE READER SOMETIMES A LIGHT CAN COME ON 4 ONE SMALL GLITCH AND MEAN NOTHING GET THE CODE READ BEFORE SPENDING MONEY

That drawing you see of an engine is called the check engine light. When that light comes on, it means that it has detected an issue with your car. I flashing check engine light means the engine is misfiring and running it will cause further damage. A solid check engine light can mean anything from a bad fuel pump to a bad transmission. Bring your car to a place like Autozone and they'll scan the onboard computer for free. After the scan, they'll retrieve the code(s) that will narrow down what the issue is...

check battery connections,bench test starter,check starter wires,check battery negative ground....be more specific in defining your problem..what do you mean engine light comes on??? test battery voltage....

you need to get it scanned, i assume "emissions light" is your check engine light, or the "visit emissions workshop" message, which means, go to a shop and get it checked. The coolant disappearing means you probably have a leak. Another reason to check it,

go to autozone and get a check engine light test done, its free. ask them to tell you what comes up on the computer.

if the check engine lught blinks it usually means you've got a lttle problem. steady could mean a bigger engine or transmission problem. My engine light came on, I had it checked it showed a huge vacuum leak. my gas cap needed replacing end of light.