Reset Maintenance Light Prius and What You Have to Know About Your Dashboard

Toyota has done a wonderful job with the Prius family. It has been a world class type of vehicle gaining patronage from countless car drivers and enthusiasts all around the globe. It is a familiar brand of modern hybrid cars. It offers one of the greatest package deals out there: good fuel economy, sleek and modern style and the nice drive that you experience with it. It is no surprise that it has sold over a million units since the year 2000. Pretty amazing numbers. As it is the leading car type for fuel economy, there are various reasons why you have to reset maintenance light for the Toyota Prius. Here is a comprehensive walk-through to guide you on how to reset the maintenance light in Prius. 

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Before we dive into the reset itself, there are several factors you have to know about the maintenance light and the Prius model itself. Today’s vehicles have a couple different lights sharing the dashboard. One light is the maintenance required light and the other is the check engine light. These two lights can easily be seen as similar but they are not. Here is why.

The maintenance required light is connected to the mileage of your vehicle. It is also known as the service required light. This light will turn on depending on the vehicle you are driving. Once it lights up, it will stay that way until it is deactivated manually. Service required light is very useful in directing the driver’s attention to the maintenance of the car, which means the small things a driver could do to make sure their vehicle works in optimal status. Examples of these maintenance jobs are changing oil, monitoring the spark plugs, changing tires, replacing air filters and the like. The maintenance required light is one of the reasons why Toyota Prius is well-known as a fuel efficient vehicle. Every 5,000 lights, the service required light turns on warning the driver to refill fuel. Which means you don’t have to keep checking. Professional mechanics usually reset the maintenance required light when you have your vehicle checked but you can definitely do it by yourself as well.

The check engine light is significantly different from the maintenance required light as it is not activated because of mileage but it is an aid to troubleshoot your vehicle. The check engine light activates once it detects a fault in your car that needs to be addressed. It is wise to pull over if you see the check engine light turn on while you are driving. Factors to the check engine light turning on are engine overheating, low oil pressure, faulty gas cap, faulty spark plugs and etc. With the check engine light, you will have to have a code reader to identify what the problem was. Auto part stores usually have this in their stock which you can either borrow to know what the matter was with your car (they usually let drivers use the code reader for free) or buy for yourself (which is good so you won’t have to keep dropping by). Owning a code reader is also good investment for car owners so it would be easier to troubleshoot and fix the arising problems immediately.

Toyota has developed the Prius family several times. The different year models of Prius display core high technology features with each succeeding year. But the outstanding fuel efficiency of these model vehicles are still astounding to the masses. As each model has differences one from another, there are also different methods in resetting the maintenance light. The next sections will help break down the process to you, complete with the description of the Prius model of that year. If you want to know how to reset your maintenance light in your Prius (though methods vary depending on the year model as well) then read on!

How do you reset maintenance light on a 2013 Toyota Prius?

The 2013 Toyota Prius models startled many as the Prius was hailed best gas mileage in countries all over. What adds more to the appeal of the 2013 Toyota Prius is the generous space it has in the interior. Members of the 2013 Prius lineup include the Toyota Prius Liftback, the Prius V Wagon and the Prius C Subcompact Hatchback. Since the model boasts gas mileage, one component of the vehicle responsible for fuel efficiency is the maintenance light. When this light turns on on your dashboard, it does not necessarily mean trouble, but it does mean you should have your oil changed. Once you get that task done, the light only turns off after you reset it. You have to reset it so you will not get confused, you may forget to reset it and think your car needs oil change when you or someone who handled the vehicle first has already got the oil changed. 

Here are some simple and common steps to reset the maintenance required light in the 2013 Toyota Prius Model.

1. Leave the brake alone, foot-off and then press the power button twice. 
2. In your vehicle, there is a component called the odometer. It is also commonly known as the ODO. Simply speaking, what the odometer does is to count the mileage of your vehicle or the measure of your travel. To reset the maintenance light, you will have to press the ODO button. Afterwards, you will have to press the power button once. This will in turn power down the vehicle. 
3. Once you have pressed the odometer button, hold it for a few seconds while you press the power button twice. Remember that your foot should not be touching the brakes while doing this. Do not withdraw hold from the ODO button until the flashing light of the maintenance required light disappears.
4. You will know that the process was successful as it displays your odometer reading and the light turns off. 

How do you reset maintenance light on a 2015 Toyota Prius?

The Toyota Prius’ family upgrades are very much eye catching. Toyota does not fail to surprise us but also it keeps the traditional touch of the vehicles. In a sense you will recognize that their cars change and vary from one another and yet there are still features where you feel they are still the same. The design of the Prius vehicles are familiar to drivers everywhere. The hatchback has a high domed roof and has five doors. Generous space. Still, the reputation of being fuel efficient stands even with this 2015 model of Toyota Prius. And we can all see that Toyota is determined to keep the reputation and also level up with each added member in the Toyota Prius family. 

The look of the dashboard was upgraded for this 2015 model. Most drivers describe the design as fashionable and futuristic. The downside of the dashboard upgrade is that, compared to other instrumentations in other car models, it seems like information goes all over the place. The dashboard features graphs, numbers and a bunch of different icons that could leave a driver confused but it will need some getting used to. There are also a lot of gauges displayed behind the car’s steering wheel which if the driver does not understand will then again arise confusion. 

In resetting the maintenance required light for this model, you can go and refer to the driver’s instruction manual. Most people prefer virtual instructions and the net has a lot of those too. If the instruction manual is just too much for you or watching a video for resetting maintenance required light is not really your thing, we offer these steps and suggestions for you to be able to do the reset all by yourself. It is quite simple to do actually. 

1. First off, you have to turn the car on. Since the display of the maintenance required light is engaged with the electricity running from the battery of your vehicle, you have to turn your car on. 
2. Look for the heads-up display usually found at the upper part of the dashboard. The navigation pad on the steering wheel comes handy as it will help you go through the dashboard and land you to the gear icon. Once this one is set, choose “Settings”.
3. The center button is used to select any feature. Once you have navigated successfully to the “Settings”, press the center button to get inside the settings. As you explore features on this section, look for the Maintenance System option on the menu. Select the Maintenance System. 
4. After selecting the Maintenance System option from the menu, the screen will post a question like this: “Do you want to initialize?”. Once the question pops up, make sure to choose and press “yes”.
5. Once you have selected “yes”, the maintenance system will start initializing and this will do the trick to help you reset your maintenance required light for the 2015 Toyota Prius. 

How do you reset maintenance light on a 2016 Toyota Prius?

Toyota takes upgrades seriously as the 2016 Toyota Prius is added as a full fledged member of the Toyota Prius family. What is interesting about this level-up of the Prius is that it looks like a sports-car, speaking from the handling stand point, more than it does a commuter’s vehicle. The design is sturdy and very fashionable. Like the other Prius members preceding the 2016 model, it is also roomy and offers a generous storage space. Toyota has also resolved issues from other Prius models with this edition such as the noise issue. 2016 Toyota Prius does not make a lot of noise unlike its other kin. 

This model has a ton of surprises up its compartments. It has a feature that helps you shift fuel consumption. This feature is the Eco mode. But there is also a limit as it only stays with the speed of 50 kilometers per hour. But it is still noteworthy that the 2016 Prius runs well in the city with this kind of feature. With this feature, gus consumption can be minimized and optimized. Winner!

These qualities of the 2016 Prius may sound irresistible but there are always two sides in a coin. The downside to the said model may well be the tight roofing as its height would not be so comfortable for tall riders. It does not really offer a lot of power but still you will enjoy a nice and comfortable drive with it. 

We’re done with diving into the specs of the 2016 Prius, we will now head on to the resetting of the maintenance light. Here are steps you have to do to reset the maintenance required light of the 2016 model of Toyota Prius. 

1. Depending on the model, you may have to turn the ignition key in or you may have to press an ignition button. Remember, do not touch down the brake pedal while doing this first step. In turning the ignition key on, do not start the engine. If you have an ignition button, press the start/stop button twice. 
2. Secondly, you will have to navigate through the menu. You will find the navigation button on the steering wheel. This will help you select and go from up, down, left or right from the menu.
3. Select the Vehicle Setting in the Menu and then Select Maintenance button afterwards.
4. Press Oil Maintenance as the option pops up on the screen.
5. The system will automatically want you to confirm the action. Select OK or YES to confirm. You are now good to go.

This process will do the job of resetting the maintenance required light of your vehicle. 

Conclusion

Toyota Prius has a long history of fuel efficiency and that is partly thanks to its maintenance required light system. Knowledge on this component of your car could help you a long way down the road as you will be able to use fuel wisely. As there are different models of Toyota Prius, there are different methods to reset the maintenance required light. But you will be good to go as you follow the directions step by step. We cannot say resetting the maintenance required light is a piece of cake for everyone but it is not so big a task to undertake as well.