You can get a lot of information from your vehicle’s dashboard because it holds crucial indicators, like your trip odometer, fuel gauge, and speedometer. Different lights on your vehicle’s dash can also illuminate when something is wrong or needs your attention.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at the maintenance required light, its meaning, and how to reset it.
The maintenance required light illuminates when it’s time for your vehicle to go through its regular maintenance routine. This routine typically includes an oil change, an oil filter change, tire rotation, and fluid level checks and top-ups.
Manufacturers program the maintenance required light to illuminate automatically every so many thousand miles, and on some vehicles it’s tied to the percentage of oil quality. Some Fords will have “Change Oil Soon” messages that roll over to “Oil Change Required” after the mileage threshold is reached.
The maintenance required light can come in different forms and trigger at different times, depending on the vehicle.
For example, on a 2014 Toyota Camry, the maintenance required light shows up on the dashboard as “MAINT REQD” and informs the driver that their next oil change is due. It isn’t tied to vehicle sensors or malfunctions.
Oil changes for normal service will range from 5000 to 7500 miles unless the engine calls for synthetic oil. In which case, it will usually have a higher oil capacity and will call for oil changes in up to 10,000 miles. Severe service calls for oil changes as early as 3000 miles.
One example is the Chrysler Crossfire (mid 2000s) that holds 9 quarts of synthetic oil and calls for oil changes every 10,000 miles.
The maintenance required light is a regular service reminder and doesn’t necessarily indicate that there’s anything wrong with your vehicle. If you’re changing your oil more frequently than the OEM requirements, the maintenance required light will just need to be reset periodically, but make sure you keep up with when the oil needs to be changed and get it done on time.
If you’ve recently changed your vehicle’s oil or oil filter and have kept to your vehicle’s regular maintenance schedule, you can feel free to disregard the maintenance required light. It’s best to ask a mechanic to reset the light if this is the case though, or it will trigger indefinitely. You also won’t have a handy reminder for your vehicle’s next scheduled maintenance routine.
You can also reset the maintenance light yourself.
“Maintenance Required” lights have been around since about 1980 when they first appeared on the Toyota Celica.
Ford pickups and Big Broncos had an orange “Maintenance” light that illuminated at 60,000 miles. That one had a small brown module with a tiny reset button on the circuit board inside the module. It was accessible through a hole in the plastic module housing.
Late 1980s Jeep Cherokees and Wranglers had a small, clear timer box with visible gears that, after a certain amount of time, would turn on an orange “Maint, Reqd” light. To reset it, you reached through a small port in the housing and flipped the spring loaded contact wire back into place.
Mid-1980s Nissans had an orange light that would illuminate every 50,000 miles that was supposed to urge the owner to visit the dealer for an emissions systems checkup. There’s a small box behind the passenger side kick panel with a rubber button on it that reset the light.
Some Asian makes (Mazda, for example) had a red maintenance light that came on when it was time for a major service including timing belt replacement. To reset it was a one-time deal: you disconnected a one-wire connector that was taped to the harness above the park brake pedal.
More modern vehicles have specific messages on their instrument clusters advising oil life and the need for oil changes, but these lights and messages aren’t as trustworthy as actually keeping track of the miles, so be careful about that.
Remember that you should only reset your vehicle’s maintenance required light once you’ve completed your vehicle’s regular maintenance tasks. There are various ways to reset the light depending on your vehicle’s make and model. You can check your vehicle’s manual to see the exact steps for this process.
Here are the steps to reset a maintenance required light on some vehicles:
The first step is to turn your vehicle’s key in its ignition twice. You want your vehicle to power on without the engine for this step. The key should be in the “RUN” or “II” placement. If you own a push-button start car, press the “Start/Stop” button twice while your feet are off the brakes.
The odometer/trip button is usually labeled “ODO/TRIP” on the dash, but it can also be indicated as “TRIP RESET,” “ODO,” or “TRIP.” The button might also be on the steering wheel. Press this button to cycle to “TRIP A.”
For vehicles with an electronic color display dashboard, go to its settings and search for the scheduled maintenance settings to reset the maintenance data.
Once you’ve cycled your dash to “TRIP A,” turn off your vehicle. Once it’s off, hold down the odometer button and don’t let go.
Turn your vehicle back on in the same manner you did in step one. You want your vehicle powered on with the engine off. Keep your finger on the odometer/trip button as you turn your car back on.
The maintenance required light might flash or a message might display on the dash informing you that your maintenance data is being reset.
Keep your finger on the odometer/trip button until the maintenance required light and any connected messages disappear. Then, turn your vehicle on to check if the maintenance required light is gone for good.
If the light is still there, you might have gotten the timing or settings wrong. Repeating the previous step should fix this. If the light still continues to flash after that, it’s time for a trip to an auto repair shop.
While they look similar, the maintenance required light has a different purpose from the check engine light.
Maintenance required lights indicate that you’ve driven a set number of miles since its last reset. It’s there to tell you your vehicle’s due for some maintenance.
Check engine lights alert you that the vehicle’s powertrain control module (PCM) has detected a malfunction somewhere. You might be able to ignore a lit maintenance required light for a while, but an illuminated check engine light should be addressed immediately.
Now that you know the check engine light and maintenance required light meanings, you’ll be better able to gauge when to take your vehicle to a trusted mechanic. Either way, you’ll likely need to drive into an auto shop, but one light definitely needs more immediate attention than the other.
When your vehicle’s maintenance required light flashes, it’s likely time for many of the automotive maintenance chores on your to-do list. This includes oil changes and various other inspections. Should your mechanic find anything wrong during the process or you find you need to flush and replace your vehicle’s motor oil, you can turn to CarParts.com for the fluids and components necessary for maintaining your vehicle.
The CarParts.com catalog features many replacement parts that will make maintenance and repairs easy. It takes only a few quick clicks to browse our easy-to-navigate website. The wide range of products includes washers and various hoses in case the ones in your vehicle are worn down. Checking out is convenient and secure, and we’re happy to match or beat competitor prices if you can show us the same product at a lower price on their website.
If you’re looking for a place to get motor oil and various other automotive maintenance needs, buy now from CarParts.com.
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.