How To Clear The Maintenance Light on Toyota Tacoma

If a maintenance light turned ON, on your Toyota Tacoma, it can be very frustrating and make it feel unsafe to drive the truck. And because a maintenance light can mean many things if you are not sure, clearing it is actually pretty easy. If you are in this situation and need to take care of this, then keep reading, as I’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to clear maintenance light on Toyota Tacoma.

To clear the maintenance light on your Toyota Tacoma, you need to use the odometer button or the cluster display settings to reset it. The method to do this varies depending on the year of the truck but can be completed at home in a couple of seconds. Once your maintenance light is reset, it shouldn’t pop up again for at least 3,000-5,000 miles. Down below you will find the exact process for your year of the truck.

Depending on the year of you Tacoma, you may be seeing an orange warning light that comes up or a message that shows up on your cluster display. Both of them mean the same thing and are reset about the same way.

What Does Toyota Tacoma’s Maintenance Light Mean When It’s On?

Whenever you see a warning light turn ON on your dashboard, it’s normal to immediately jump to the worst conclusions and think that something big is wrong with your Tacoma. Luckily, this isn’t the case with a maintenance light. A maintenance light popping up just means that your Tacoma hasn’t been serviced in a while, and needs a visit to the shop.

Primarily, a maintenance warning light means that it’s time to change the oil and oil filter. If you’re using synthetic oil, you won’t have to worry about an oil change for about 10,000 miles. But, if you’re using conventional oil, expect your maintenance light to come on after around 3,000-5,000 miles. When your maintenance light comes on, you should also be checking the other fluids, like brake fluid, and your brakes for signs of wear and tear.

When it’s OK to Reset the Maintenance Light on a Tacoma?

It’s okay to reset the maintenance light on a Tacoma after you’ve changed the oil and oil filter, checked the other fluids, and the brakes. A maintenance light is there to remind it’s time for these things to be checked, so you shouldn’t ignore it and reset the light before you’ve actually done any maintenance.

It can feel pointless to do all this, especially if you’re Tacoma doesn’t have many miles on the clock. However, from experience, I can assure you that addressing any issues on your Tacoma sooner rather than later will always save you time, effort, and money.

Toyota Tacomas that have regular maintenance are known to go passed 300,000 miles so making sure you do the maintenance on time and regularly is literally extending the life of your truck significantly.

Clearing the Maintenance Light on Each Toyota Tacoma by Year

Here’s how to clear the maintenance light on a Toyota Tacoma by year.

Toyota Tacoma 2005 to 2011

If you want to clear the maintenance light on 2005-2011 Toyota Tacoma, follow these steps:

• Put the ignition switch in the ‘off’ position.
• On the instrument panel, find the Trip reset button and push it down.
• With one finger on the Trip reset button, turn the ignition on, but do not turn on the engine.
• Keep holding the trip button for around 5 seconds.
• After 5 seconds, you should see the odometer reset and display 6 zeros.
• This means that the reset is complete, and you can let go of the Trip reset button.

Toyota Tacoma 2012-2017

If you want to clear the maintenance light on Toyota Tacoma 2012-20127, follow these steps:

• Switch the Ignition to the “ON” position, but make sure that you don’t turn the engine on. This will turn the electrics on.
• Press the Odo or Trip button to switch the display to Trip A.
• Turn off your Tacoma.
• Hold down the Odo or Trip Button.
• While simultaneously holding the Odo or Trip button, turn the ignition back on without engaging the engine.
• Release the button after your trip meter displays all zeros.

Toyota Tacoma 2018-2023

Here’s how to clear maintenance light on Toyota Tacoma 2018-2023 year models:

• Switch your ignition on without firing the engine to engage the electrics.
• On the information display, select the ‘Gear’ icon.
• Select the settings option and click OK.
• Find the ‘maintenance reset’ option and click OK.
• Click ‘Yes’.
• Your screen should say, “MAINTENANCE RESET COMPLETE”.

Is it safe to drive when the Toyota Tacoma’s Maintenance Light is ON?

Unlike most of the other warning lights on your vehicle, a maintenance light isn’t something that you need to address immediately; it’s more of a reminder that you need an oil change. So, it is safe to drive when the Toyota Tacoma’s maintenance light is on.

While you definitely can drive with a maintenance light on, I would recommend you take your Tacoma into the shop for an oil change as soon as possible. If you don’t take your truck to the shop when the maintenance light pops up, you run the risk of doing unnecessary damage to your engine over time. This could cost you hundreds of dollars in the long run, and will shorten your Tacoma’s life.

How long Can I Drive with the Maintenance Light On a Toyota Tacoma?

You can actually drive for a long period of a few months, or even years, without addressing your Toyota Tacoma maintenance light. This is because the light means that you need an oil change, which isn’t an urgent matter. The car will still be able to run on old oil, and you probably won’t notice any dips in performance for a while.

However, failing to get your oil changed is very bad for your engine’s health. Over a long period, the old oil will begin to damage your engine as it becomes thicker, causing overheating and accelerated wear and tear. Basically, it won’t be a problem until it’s a big problem. So, if you want to take care of your Tacoma, get the oil changed as soon as you can after the maintenance light turns on.

How often should the Maintenance Light Be Reset on a Toyota Tacoma?

The maintenance light should be reset any time it comes on, after the oil change and any other maintenance work has been completed. It’s a good idea to reset the light the moment the maintenance work is finished, to keep the maintenance schedule in time with your last oil change.

You can technically reset the maintenance light without doing any work on your vehicle. However, this isn’t a good idea and, as I mentioned earlier, if you reset the light without doing any maintenance work, you will mess up the maintenance system’s schedule and run the risk of putting wear and tear on your engine.

What happens if the maintenance light is not reset on a Toyota Tacoma?

If you don’t reset the maintenance light on your Toyota Tacoma, nothing will happen. It will just stay on whenever you turn on the car until you decide to rest it.

This might not seem like a bad thing, but when you don’t reset the maintenance light, you turn off your maintenance schedule reminder and won’t get a second reminder about an oil change. Without a reminder, it’s easy to forget about an oil change, and in turn, start to put unnecessary wear on your vehicle’s engine.

Why Does the maintenance light stay on after an oil change on a Toyota Tacoma?

If you’ve taken your Tacoma to get an oil change, and the maintenance light is still on, you might be wondering if there’s a bigger issue that you’re missing. Nine times out of ten, there won’t be, because you actually have to reset the light manually, and the mechanic just forgot to reset it after they were done with the work. So the light is going to stay on regardless of whether you get an oil change or not until you reset it.

I would suggest that you reset your light before you drive out of the shop. This will ensure that your Tacoma maintenance schedule is in sync with the last oil change, meaning it can accurately remind you when you need to go for another.

How long does it take to reset the maintenance light on a Toyota Tacoma?

It takes just a few seconds to reset the maintenance light on a Toyota Tacoma, and you don’t need any specific equipment to do so.

To reset the maintenance light on a 2005-2011 Toyota Tacoma, follow these steps:

• Put the ignition switch in the ‘off’ position.
• On the instrument panel, find the Trip reset button and push it down.
• With one finger on the Trip reset button, turn the ignition on, but do not turn on the engine.
• Keep holding the trip button for around 5 seconds.
• After 5 seconds, you should see the odometer reset and display six zeros.
• This means that the reset is complete, and you can let go of the Trip reset button.

For 2012-2017 models, here’s how to clear maintenance light on Toyota Tacoma:

• Switch the Ignition to the “ON” position, but make sure that you don’t turn the engine on. This will turn the electrics on.
• Press the Odo or Trip button to switch the display to Trip A.
• Turn off your Tacoma.
• Hold down the Odo or Trip Button.
• While simultaneously holding the Odo or Trip button, turn the ignition back on without engaging the engine.
• Release the button after your trip meter displays all zeros.

For 2018-2023 models, here’s how to clear maintenance light on Toyota Tacoma:

• Switch your ignition on without firing the engine to engage the electrics.
• On the information display, select the ‘Gear’ icon.
• Select the settings option and click OK.
• Find the ‘maintenance reset’ option and click OK.
• Click ‘Yes’.
• Your screen should say, “MAINTENANCE RESET COMPLETE”.

How often does the maintenance light come on, on a Toyota Tacoma?

The maintenance light will come on every 3000-5000 miles, depending on the model year and oil you’re using. This is because the oil needs to be changed at least every 3,000 miles, so the maintenance light is basically a little reminder for you to do this. Although, if you’re using synthetic oil, it probably won’t come on until every 10,000 miles.

Once your maintenance light does come on, it won’t turn off until you reset it. As such, it’s important to get the oil change done as quickly as possible once your maintenance light comes on, so you can reset it and keep the sensors in sync with your oil change.