How to Reset Maintenance Light On Toyota Rav4? (Easy Steps)

The maintenance light on your Toyota RAV4 is supposed to turn off once the servicing is done. 

But in some circumstances, it is necessary to reset it to turn off the light manually. Therefore, you should know how to reset the maintenance light on Toyota RAV4.

Put your car in start mode without any ignition in the engine. Then press and hold the odometer reset button. Hold it until the light gets off. Then start the engine ignition. In this way, you will be able to reset the maintenance light.

Resetting the maintenance light on Toyota RAV4 is very easy. But doing so without taking care of the malfunction can cause serious accidents. Sometimes, it can also give a false alarm when reset is a must.

When Should You Reset the Maintenance Light on Toyota RAV4?

To ensure the safety of your Toyota RAV4, the maintenance light plays an important role. It notifies you of small and big issues that can cause your car to malfunction.

In some situations, you will need to reset the maintenance light manually. Here are a few examples.

False Alarm

Sometimes, the maintenance light flashes due to false detection. It might be because you have a low oil level on your car. It can be considered a false alarm if the oil level is enough to take you to the nearest gas station.

Also, in some cases, if the car hits a bump while on a ride, you can get a false alarm.

Therefore, you will need to manually reset the maintenance light. Otherwise, it can cause disturbance while driving.

Postponing The Maintenance Schedule

Once you detect why your maintenance light is turned on, it becomes easy to decide when to conduct the maintenance procedure. If the cause is not severe and can get better without any mechanical help, you must reset the light.

Also, in some cases, the maintenance is necessary, but you will take care of it later on then the light needs to be reset. Otherwise, it will keep alarming you until you finish your maintenance work.

After Maintenance

After the servicing is done, the maintenance light should go off by itself. But if it is not happening, the light is getting a wrong reading.

It can be the result of the previous reading being saved. There is no way you can delete the saved reading. Therefore, you will need to turn off the light by resetting it.

Does Resetting the Maintenance Light on Toyota RAV4 Solve The Problem?

The maintenance light doesn’t have the functionality to reform any malfunction. It works as an alarm for your vehicle when it detects any malfunction.

There are several reasons when a maintenance light is turned on. Here are a few:

• Deficiency of oil.
• Malfunction in the onboard wiring.
• Problem with the engine ignition.
• Issues with hydraulic brakes.
• Malfunction in the engine coordination and more.

All of these issues need to be taken care of. Resetting the maintenance light will only turn off the light, and your car will still have all these problems. Some of these malfunctions can be resolved by DIY, and others will need expert help.

Therefore, we can safely say that resetting the maintenance light on Toyota RAV4 will not resolve the problem. Rather an unnecessary reset can cause severe issues!

How To Reset the Maintenance Light on Toyota RAV4?

In a Toyota RAV4, the maintenance light flashes when your vehicle is malfunctioning. It should go off once you take care of the problem.

But sometimes, that is not the case. In such a situation, you will need to manually reset the maintenance light of your car.

The procedure is quite simple. Here are the steps that will help you reset the maintenance light of your RAV4.

Step 1: Start the Car Engine

Insert the key of RAV’4 into the key slot and start the car’s engine. To be more precise, the car will not start moving.

Instead, the engine will not be in the ignition mode but will get power. The gear must be in neutral gear. In this state, your car must be in a handbrake.

Step 2: Hold Trip Meter Reset Button

The trip meter is the meter on your dashboard. It is also known as an odometer. This shows the distance traveled.

In the older model of RAV’4, the trip meter is analog. But in the recent version, it is digital.

In the trip meter, you will find a reset button. Press and hold the button and turn the key to the 2nd position.

Step 3: Flash Out the RAV4’s Light

If you press and hold the odometer button for long enough, it will first flash the maintenance light of your car.

After the light flashes, keep holding the button. You will hear a beep. After that, the light will flash out.

Step 4: Start Engine Ignition

Until step 3, the car was in power on mode. But the engine was not in ignition mode. When the light flashes out, release the odometer button and start the engine.

Step 5: Repeat

Once the light goes off, the maintenance light will be reset. If it doesn’t, you will need to repeat the whole process from the beginning. You might need to repeat the process about 2 to 3 times.

And if this doesn’t work, that means your vehicle has technical problems and will need help from experts. 

It might indicate some serious problem with your car. Therefore, seek help from a mechanic as soon as possible.

Conclusion

No matter how important a maintenance light is, a false alarm can cause annoying situations while driving. 

Also, there are many other situations where you need to perform a manual reset of the maintenance light. 

Thus, it comes in handy to know how to reset the maintenance light on Toyota RAV4.

Before resetting the maintenance light on Toyota RAV4, do a proper inspection. 

Sometimes you might think that light is a false alarm, but in reality, it is notifying a severe problem. So, it is wise to take expert opinion before resetting the light.

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