Release the button and turn the vehicle off completely.Once the dashes are gone, the maintenance required light should turn off. Keep holding the button down until the ODO screen, with five dashes, shows them disappearing one by one.Remember: never use the brakes or fully turn the car on! Press and hold the odometer/trip display button while turning the ignition switch to ON, or pressing the push start button once.Set the odometer/trip display to ODO mode (early models) or Trip A (later models).Don’t put your foot on the brake, turn the ignition switch to ON, or, for push start, push the button once.The good news is that you can reset it yourself, and don’t have to waste time schlepping the car back to the shop. It can be concerning when the light comes on if you know you were recently at the shop and had regular maintenance done well before the 5,000-mile interval mark. But, because not every vehicle has this warning light, some mechanics forget to reset it. When you take your vehicle into the dealer or shop, the mechanic is supposed to reset the light so the car can let you know when it needs regular maintenance again.
#MAINTENANCE REQUIRED LIGHT HOW TO#
How to Reset Your Maintenance Required Light Make sure you call your mechanic or dealership and schedule a service appointment. While the maintenance required light doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with the car, you should still take it seriously if it pops up. Once your car reaches the 5,000-mile mark interval or more, the light stays on as long as the vehicle is running – this should be treated as a final warning. Typically, this light flashes for six seconds around the 4,500-mile mark interval when you start the vehicle and then disappear. This can include oil or fluid changes, tire rotations, or changing the spark plugs.
#MAINTENANCE REQUIRED LIGHT DRIVER#
Its sole purpose is to remind the driver that after so many miles the car needs to be taken in for regular maintenance. The maintenance required light isn’t present in every vehicle on the market. What does the Maintenance Required Light Mean? I learned how to change my own fluids and jump start a battery with my 2010 Kia Sorento, and now – with my 2014 Toyota Camry – I’ve learned how to reset the maintenance required light. I’ll let you be the judge.I’ve had my fair share of car problems, like any other vehicle owner. When I proofread I read what I was thinking, not what I actually wrote. I am subject to editing blindness on occasion.
It may turn out that my instructions are every bit as poorly written as the instructions I found in the Google featured snippet. So, I decided to write my own instructions. There were lots of places where the reader could get confused and do the wrong thing. The thing is, I didn’t really like any of the instructions I found. Anybody familiar with tech support is also likely familiar with Google and cutting and pasting. My original intention was to cut and paste some instructions from the internet because, you know, why recreate something that already exists.
Anyway, she was game to reset the light on her own, so I said I’d send some instructions. When I checked her file, we had just done a service about 2,000 miles ago. I just had a customer call in to schedule a 5K service because her maint req light was on. This falls under the “really old news category”, but I’m writing it for a reason.