Have you just noticed a Toyota Maintenance required light or you’ve always had this warning light on your Toyota dashboard and worried about the cause and how to reset it?
For some reason, I find it disturbing to see any warning lights on my Toyota dashboard. I know you are worried too. In this section, I will walk you through the possible cause of Toyota Maintenance Required Light and how to get it fixed immediately.
These 5 steps which I have listed below have been adopted by many drivers to reset their Toyota Maintenance Required Light.
What does Toyota Maintenance Required Light mean?
Before we delve into the details of how to reset this warning light (MAINT REQD), it’s best to explain what the light (Toyota Maintenance required light) means.
I need to mention at this point that the appearance of this light does not imply any vehicular damage, rather, it’s just a warning that you need to check your engine oil as well as other routine maintenance. You should keep in mind that this light comes on once it’s 5,000 miles since the last reset.
Why is Toyota Maintenance Required Light still on?
If you carry out oil changes and other maintenance frequently and still have the warning light on, More often than not, your mechanic may have forgotten to reset the light. This could also be a result of malfunctioning of your car’s computer. Whichever the case, you need to learn to reset the Toyota Maintenance Required Light warning.
Tools Required to Reset Toyota Maintenance Required Light
Resetting your car Maintenance warning Light does not require any specialized tool or equipment. All you need for this task is the car ignition key and the odometer button.
How to Reset Toyota Maintenance Required Light?
It takes only a few minutes to have the reset done. You might want to consult your vehicle’s manual for other instructions before starting.
Step 1: Insert your car key into the ignition
Insert your car key into the ignition and flip to position one as if you want to start the engine. But do not start yet.
Step 2: Push and hold the Odometer button,
Check for the Odometer button, push and hold the button, then turn the ignition key to position two.
Step 3: Observe any flashing or bleeping light
Continue holding the odometer button until you notice the maintenance light start flashing, beeping, or displaying 000000. Any one of the above means the resetting is going well
Step 4: Discontinue holding the Odometer button once the flashing light goes off.
The light would go off after a few seconds or minutes. Once the light is off, you should stop holding the odometer button.
Step 5: Start your car now and confirm if the light is gone.
Start your car now and confirm the light is gone. If yes, the warning light reset is successful. But if the maintenance warning light is still on, it means you need to repeat the process again.
Benefits of Resetting Toyota Maintenance Required Light Warning (MAINT REQD)
While it’s easy to reset your Toyota Maintenance Required Light (MAINT REQD), we also need to emphasize the importance of having car engine oil changes and other periodic maintenance checks carried out.
Changing a car engine oil is something you can do yourself right in your house if you follow our guide as explained in our other article – DIY Engine Oil Change.
The best way to address this warning light is to have oil changes and other periodic maintenance (fluid checks, brake pad checks, tyre rotation, etc) at regular intervals. There are many benefits that come with regular maintenance some of which have been stated below.
Better Mileage: Frequent oil changes will help to keep your engine’s internal working components in good condition thereby providing you with better gas mileage, less fuel, and cost savings.
Prolonged Engine Life: A frequent oil change will help to prevent oil dirt, sludge, or grime that causes engine friction and wear and tear, thereby prolonging your engine life.
Reduced Wear and Tear of Car Engine Component: Your car engine generates friction and a lot of heat which results in wear and tear. New engine oil has better lubrication helping to reduce friction, wear, and tear of your engine component.
Eco-Friendly and Less Carbon Emission: Your car will emit less toxic hydrocarbon when you have your engine in good working condition.
FAQ
Can I Drive With Maint Reqd warning on Toyota?
Yes, you can drive your car even with this warning light on. However, you need to schedule an engine oil change and other routine maintenance as soon as possible if you’ve not already done that. Driving a car without adequate maintenance could pose a danger to the driver and other road users. Periodic car maintenance at least every 3000 miles is recommended by Toyota and other manufacturers
How serious is the Maintenance Required Warning Light
The maintenance required light is a warning sign that you need to carry out an oil change and other periodic maintenance like car fluid top-up or change, tyre rotation, oil filter change. Maintenance Required Light is a default program that comes up once you’ve covered 5,000 miles without an oil change.
What happens if you dont reset Maintenance Required Warning light?
Except if the warning light is as a result of malfunctioning of your car computer after you’ve carried out an oil change and other maintenance. Driving with Maintenance Required Light without addressing it could result in damage to your car engine as there would be increased friction, wear, and tear of your engine component when you don’t change your oil as when due.
Why does my car still say Maintenance Required after oil change?
You are still seeing this warning light because your mechanic forgot to reset the light after an oil change or because of malfunctioning of your car’s computer. If you experience this, you can return the car to your mechanic to have the reset done or you carry out the reset yourself.
Does the maintenance required light turn off on its own?
No. The maintenance warning light does not turn off on its own. Even when you have recently serviced your car, it needs to be manually reset either by your mechanic or yourself.
What is the difference between maintenance required light and Check Engine Light?
While both maintenance required light and Check Engine Light are warning lights, the maintenance required light gets turned on after 5,000 miles of no oil change, informing you of the need to book maintenance service. Check engine light on the other hand comes on when a specific fault has been identified. To know the exact fault, you would need a code reader or scanner to identify the issue. Check engine light should be taken very seriously.
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