how to reset maintenance light on toyota prius

How to Reset Maintenance Light on Toyota Prius 2003 to 2008

Last updated on January 13th, 2023 at 08:27 pm

The Prius model is one of the success stories of the Toyota brand. The vehicle boasts of internal spacious comfort and is reputed by many drivers to be topnotch in patronage for its hybrid status as a modern mix of high-quality automotive technologies.

With the very efficient fuel economy, luxury drive, and contemporary style that it offers, the Prius model projects useful sophistication in the world of vehicles. 

What does check engine light mean on Prius

The maintenance light technology is an inherent design of the Prius model. It works such that the light is illuminated as an indication to have the oil changed.

This is the reason why you see the “MAINT REQD” light illuminated on your Toyota Prius. This illumination occurs after every 5000 miles mileage of the vehicle. 

The fact that more than one million units of this model have been sold over the past 20 years is unsurprising.

The essence of changing the oil is to avoid any related complications, and after getting the oil changed, there is a need to reset the light to turn it off, if it does not turn off automatically.

There is a systematic procedure in place on how to reset the maintenance light of a Toyota Prius.

However, the procedure is model-based and there are three different types for the three ranges of models that have been classified accordingly. 

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How to reset check engine light Toyota Prius 2007 and 2008 and below

There are the 2003-2008, 2009-2015, and 2015-2020 ranges for maintenance reset and the procedure is step by step and the type for your vehicle depends on which of these three classifications it falls within. Let us take them one after the other. 

The first step is to switch the engine to “on” and then push the start button to “accessory mode.” You should not start the engine.

The second step is to change the ODO/TRIP BUTTON to make it display ODO. ODO is short for an odometer and here, you have to change the button to display miles, rather than a meter of the trip.

This is because the maintenance light alarm of your Toyota Prius relies entirely on the ODOMETER and is configured to illuminate after the coverage of every 5000 miles.

Even if you change your oil already, this alarm-programmed illumination will still come on unless you already reset the maintenance light after changing the oil.

The third step is to turn off the ignition.  While, the fourth step is to press and hold down the ODO/TRIP button and push the start button to Accessory Mode/Ignition. You need to hold the knob for not less than 5 seconds until flat zero digits are shown on the dashboard.

The fifth and last stage is to have the Ignition turned OFF, and there you have your maintenance reset for your Toyota Prius completed.  

how to reset maintenance light on toyota prius

Maintenance Reset for 2009-2015 Models

Taking various Toyota Prius Models as occasional references, these are the steps of resetting the maintenance light. First, push the power button, but don’t start the engine. It should be on Accessory mode only.

The second step is to press the “Trip” button. This will make “Trip A” to be shown on the dashboard of driver information.

For the 2013 model, push the Odometer button and make it power down the vehicle. As explained, the odometer reads the mileage of your vehicle.

The third step is to power off the Ignition. After this, you then push the KMH/MPH button and press the power button twice to put the vehicle in the accessory mode.

You should not release the MPH button until the resetting is completed and this is certified in the message, “Resetting Maintenance Data”.

The last step is to power off the vehicle and there, you have your maintenance reset done. For the 2015 model, you would have to, first of all, turn your vehicle on.

This is because the dashboard display is powered by light from the battery, so the power must be on for a reset to take place.

You would then go through the dashboard with the use of the navigation pad to choose “Settings.” Once you have selected “Setting,” you have to explore the options available and select the “Maintenance System.” 

After this selection, questions will pop up on your dashboard, so you should answer the on about wanting to initialize in the affirmative by pressing “Yes.” After selecting “Yes,” the maintenance light reset will begin for your 2015 Toyota Prius. 

how to reset maintenance light on toyota prius

Maintenance Reset for 2015-2020 Models

Step 1 has to do with pushing the power button. You should not start the engine at this stage.

The second step involves clearing the System message by pressing the “Back” button on the “Driver Info” button. After this, navigate the Settings by pressing the “Right Arrow.”

The fourth stage is to select the Maintenance System. Thereafter, a message will pop up on whether you want to reset Oil Maintenance.

You should answer in the affirmative by pressing “Yes.” The sixth and last stage is to Reset the complete Message and Power Off the Vehicle. This completes the oil maintenance reset process. 

The 2016 Toyota Prius, for instance, falls in this category. Greatly admired for its serenity, fashionability and excellent design, the features of a maintenance reset are somewhat similar to its other kin.

 In common cases, you have to press the Ignition button and exempt the brake pedal from doing so. After this is done, click on the navigation button on the steering wheel and then find out the Menu.

Once you found the Menu, click on the vehicle setting, and then select the Maintenance button.

The option of “Oil Maintenance” will pop up on the screen and you should choose “Yes.” With this affirmation, you have completed the Oil Maintenance Reset of your 2016 Toyota Prius. 

Conclusion

The Maintenance light of your Toyota Prius is different from its Check Engine Light because while the latter informs you that something may be wrong with your vehicle and tells you to troubleshoot, the former is based on the Odometer and is programmed to be illuminated after every 5000 miles covered for you to change the engine oil.

 Resetting the Maintenance Light of a Toyota Prius is model-varied and not a serious or difficult task to carry out. In short, it is a mileage-based alarm that feeds your consciousness about the lubrication status of your Toyota vehicle.    Why Prius Won’t Turn Off & How to Turn It Off        

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