First - welcome to R2R! Glad you found us for help on this.
The "---" display is part of the unit's boot-up display. It's supposed to go away once the unit is fully on, however...
Have you tried removing the battery, waiting 30s, and then replacing the battery? Might also want to try a new battery.
It seems like it's reading correctly, but I'd still suggest getting it replaced if possible. Where did you get the meter from?