Guide

Toyota Tacoma Maintenance Light – Meaning and Resetting

If Ford had Raptor as a retainer on the Ranger, Toyota also has a particular variant of the same with his hefty figure named Toyota Tacoma. In the US market, the Tacoma pickup truck is in demand for the past 10 years. So are you looking for a way to reset the maintenance light on a Toyota Tacoma after an oil change?

Today I’ll show you how to get rid of that maintenance-required light blinking every time you turn on your Tacoma. You see how even after everything resets and blinks out, the maintenance light is still blinking. So let’s get started, and I’ll show you got it rid of it.

Table of Contents

What Is the Meaning of the Maintenance Light?
How To Reset Maintenance Light in Toyota Tacoma
For 2005-2011 Model Years
For 2012-2017 Model Years
For 2018-2023 Model Years
FAQ – Tacoma Oil Maintenance

What Is the Meaning of the Maintenance Light?

The MAINT REQD is the Toyota maintenance required light which signifies the need for routine service. Every 5,000 miles, this light turns on as a reminder to replace your car’s oil.

It’s important to understand that the presence of this warning light does not necessarily indicate that anything is wrong with your vehicle. So you may still safely drive your car with the dashboard light on. However, you must replace the engine oil soon to prolong its life.

How To Reset Maintenance Light in Toyota Tacoma

It’s possible that technicians who do an oil change on your Toyota Tacoma forget to reset the maintenance light. As a result, you’ll have to do it yourself to get it working again. So let’s figure out how to get this maintenance light reset.

For 2005-2011 Model Years

Alright, we got an old Tacoma here. If you have 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011 models it’s going to be a similar procedure. So now we’ll get started here.

First, turn the key on
Then make sure that the dash screen at the bottom of the odometer shows ODO. If your vehicle shows TRIP A or TRIP B make sure to get back over to ODO

Now you can turn the key off
After that, with the key off press, the ODO/TRIP button and then turn the key back on but you don’t have to turn it to crank just turn it to the on position
Keep hold it till it says complete and you’re good to go

For 2012-2017 Model Years

Time needed: 3 minutes

This guide is for a 2012 Tacoma, although it will be the same for various other model years (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). So let me show you how that is done.

Put the key to the ON position but don’t start the car
If your vehicle has an ignition button, press the START/STOP button two times without stepping on the brake pedal
Make sure your screen shows TRIP A
Then you going to press the ODO/TRIP button here for the odometer until it displays TRIP A
Turn the key off
Next, you’re going to turn the key back one notch to make it off
Press and hold the ODO/TRIP button while turning on the ignition again
After that, while you’re holding this ODO/TRIP button you’re going to click the key back forward to make it on without cranking the engine
Keep holding the ODO/ TRIP button
Continue to hold the button until you see all these little dashes go away then you see the zeros and you’re done

For 2018-2023 Model Years

The new Tacoma (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) has a different way of resetting the maintenance light from its predecessors. So here’s how it’s done.

First, insert the key and put the ignition on
Then I use the ► arrow to navigate through the main menu and get to the ⚙️

Once you’ve selected that gear, scroll down to SETTINGS and press enter
Next, I’ll use the arrow to scroll down to MAINTENANCE RESET and press the centre button
When you see Reset Data?, pick YES and press the centre button to reset the data

FAQ – Tacoma Oil Maintenance

What’s the point of resetting the maintenance light?

You should switch off the Toyota maintenance light personally since it won’t go away on its own, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about on your dashboard.

What oil does my 2021 Tacoma use?

SAE 0w-20 synthetic oil is recommended for use in Tacoma.

How much oil can this car hold?

The four-cylinder (2.7L) and the V6 (3.5L) engines both have 6 quarts of oil capacity (6.2 with a tow package).

What’s the recommended oil filter change interval by Toyota?

5,000 should be more than plenty for you. With synthetic oil, certain Toyotas can go 5,000 miles between oil changes.

So that’s it and we’re all done. This method is gonna clear that maintenance required light on all the trim levels. Okay, thanks again for reading, and I’ll catch you in the next one.

Nick

Hi! Greetings, I'm Nick, an automotive technician and a vehicle enthusiast with over a decade of experience working at a dealer service station. I have extensive knowledge of engine oils and lubricants and have helped countless customers maintain their vehicles. As an editor and author of articles on automobiles, I draw on my personal experience and professional training to provide readers with accurate and reliable information. I am passionate about sharing my expertise with others and helping them make informed decisions about their vehicles.

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View Comments

Alex says:

July 18, 2015 at 1:10 pm

I have a 2011 Tacoma dbl cab sport ..To reset my maint required light it has to be on actual mileage instead of trip A or B to reset..Thanks
- Chidiebere Ogu says:
  
  March 12, 2016 at 2:50 pm
  
  Yeah same thing applies to my 2005 Tacoma
  - Adam says:
    
    July 14, 2016 at 4:40 pm
    
    Same for my 2008 SR5. Gotta be on ODO, not Trip A or B.
maylee says:

October 22, 2015 at 6:02 pm

I have a 2012 toyota tacoma. How do I reset my maint light
RICK says:

October 31, 2015 at 7:42 pm

The written instructions are wrong but the video is correct
Steve says:

March 23, 2016 at 6:53 pm

These instructions worked fine for my 2012 Tacoma. To make it a little clearer, make sure the TripA odometer is showing, turn OFF the key, then hold the odometer reset button and turn the key PAST the Accessories position to the Ignition position without starting the engine. Continue holding the reset button until the trip odometer reads 000000 and the MAINT REQD light goes off. Start the engine to be sure it's been reset.
Lauriah says:

May 19, 2016 at 8:25 am

Worked perfect. Thank you!
patrick says:

June 9, 2016 at 9:44 pm

2010 tacoma uses actual mileage to reset.
E. B. says:

June 19, 2016 at 4:57 pm

For my 2015 Tacoma the video was wrong but the written instructions were correct. Just hold the reset button in. That's the only thing that was unclear.
John says:

June 23, 2016 at 11:32 pm

Is there any way to reset it without resetting the trip meter? We're on a road trip and don't want to reset the trip meter.
- p0rk-Zombie Puke says:
  
  March 13, 2022 at 9:13 pm
  
  it won't reset the trip odometer
Jon Wells says:

June 27, 2016 at 9:05 pm

For my 2008 Tacoma, it had to be the odometer, not Trip A. It would be nice to have these directions corrected.
Andres says:

July 7, 2016 at 5:00 pm

This worked on my Sienna 2012! Thanks