Your car’s dashboard is probably a part you rarely think about. That’s because it generally looks the same each time you drive unless something is amiss. When issues arise, so too do the warning lights on your car’s dashboard.

Many people have found themselves in the unfortunate situation of having a Honda Civic maintenance light on and not knowing how to reset it. When you get a Honda Civic, the maintenance light will tell you when to service your car. 

The light might be on or blinking, but it will eventually turn off when the car is serviced. The Honda Civic has a maintenance light that’s located in the engine bay. If you’ve ever seen it on, it means that your car needs some service. Here’s what you need to do to reset it. 

Is It Possible To Reset The Honda Maintenance Minder?

Each time an oil change, tire rotation, air filter, or other required service is completed on your vehicle, and the Honda Maintenance Minder light needs to be reset.

Honda dealerships should not require you to reset your maintenance reminder light if your vehicle is serviced at one. Instead, it should be done by the technician who completed your service.

Even if the technician forgot to reset the Honda Maintenance minder light for you when you service your Honda, here are simple steps to do so.

How Do You Clear The Maintenance Message On A Honda Civic?

Each vehicle has a different procedure for resetting the light. Based on the type of vehicle you have; I will explain a few different methods.

It is still possible to use the trip button on some Honda vehicles, such as the Honda civic. Your dash is equipped with a stalk that sticks out from the top and is used to display information or to reset your trips.

The First Method

You can rest the maintenance minder light using this method by doing the following:

• The oil life will be displayed on the dash after you press the trip button.
• The oil life will flash when you hold down the trip button.
• You need to release the trip button once it starts flashing and then press it again once it stops flashing. 

That’s all there is to it. It should now say 100% for oil life.

The Second Method

All Honda trim models with a touch screen that have a home screen will work with this method.

• Click the home button.
• Make your selections.
• Click on the vehicle settings button.
• The maintenance info can be selected by scrolling down and pressing it.
• Simply press the reset button.

Upon clicking the reset button, a screen will appear asking if you are sure you want to reset the device. You should be able to fix it by pressing reset. You should also be able to remove your maintenance minders warning and read 100% oil life.

The Third Method

At the bottom right-hand corner of some Honda steering wheels, there are up and down arrows with a reset button in between.

There are steering wheel buttons like this on some Honda SUVs, such as the Pilot. You will only need to use these three buttons with this method. When you press the down arrow button, the oil life percentage will appear on the dash.

Once you have pressed the reset button, you will see the options cancel or reset displayed on your dash. The reset option can be selected by clicking the up-arrow button. You can also select this option by hitting the reset button, and your oil life should now be 100 percent.

What Is The Best Way To Turn Off Maintenance Due Soon On My Honda Civic?

Follow these steps to remove your Honda Civics’ maintenance light:

• Your car will go into accessory mode once it has been turned on without starting its engine.
• Select/Reset buttons or knobs are commonly found on steering wheels or dashboards, depending on your model.
• You will either need to press the Select/Reset button or knob on your steering wheel or dashboard, depending on your model.
• When the oil indicator begins to flash, press and hold the Select/Reset button.
• The maintenance light can be reset by pressing the Info button on the steering wheel and then Select/Reset.

Note From The Author

Whenever the maintenance required light appears on our dashboard, it reminds us that we need to take the car in for scheduled maintenance (every 10,000 miles). Whenever the car is 2000 miles from its scheduled maintenance, a blinking light will appear after starting it.

Unless you have the scheduled maintenance performed and/or the light reset by the dealer after passing the scheduled maintenance mark (every 10,000 miles), the light will remain on forever.

The light serves as a reminder. The condition of your car has nothing to do with it. In accordance with Honda’s program, it is only activated at certain mileage intervals. 

It is not uncommon for some people to rush to their dealer and get the $500 service pack that includes an oil change and a safety inspection. It’s something we do ourselves most of the time.

After a while, the light will just stay on instead of flashing and going off. Once again, so those who do not know will understand. There is no connection between it and any of the recommended service intervals.

The Bottom Line

Your Honda maintenance minder system will need to be reset after you’ve changed the oil and filter, or the maintenance light has come on.

When your Honda dealer resets your maintenance minder system, it will be automatically reset. You can reset the oil maintenance light manually if you change the oil yourself or had the service performed somewhere else.