Manufacturers do not abuse the Malfunction Indicator Lamp. Its _legislated_ purpose is to alert the driver to issues which could compromise the emissions control systems of a vehicle. A loose gas cap causes a pressure leak in the EVAP system which captures fuel vapors from the gas tank.
The point that I was trying to address is that if there is a critical warning that you can't do anything about, there's no more info needed than 'stop and seek help' which is perfectly served by a simple light. Or do you want a 1 page problem statement to flash up on the dash and explain why you really need to pull over. The only reason you would do such a thing is if you wanted the user to make the evaluation of whether or not it is important or something that can be ignored.