How to Reset the Oil Life in a Honda

Digital controls make it easy to keep track of oil life between changes.

By Benjamin Hunting Oct 28, 2022

Honda

Article QuickTakes:

Modern cars make it easy to stay on top of key maintenance, especially when it's time for an oil change. While the owner's manual contains details on the mileage and time intervals specific to your model, companies often include an electronic monitoring system (Honda calls theirs the “Honda Maintenance Minder”) to keep an eye on oil life so you don’t have to worry about missing your next change. But do you know how to reset the oil life in your Honda?

How Does the Honda Maintenance Minder Work?

The Honda Maintenance Minder keeps track of how far you've driven, the speed the vehicle has traveled, the load placed on the powertrain, the temperature of the engine, how long it has idled, the ambient temperature, and the number of vehicle ignition cycles. It uses that information to calculate when the oil approaches the end of its service life.

On models like the Honda Civic, oil life is displayed as a percentage that can be viewed within the gauge cluster. The percentage displays how much life is left in the oil. Once it hits 15%, a wrench icon illuminates in the instrument cluster to let you know it’s time to change the oil.

How to Reset the Oil Life in a New Honda Civic or Honda Accord

If you just had your engine oil changed and you want to reset the Honda Maintenance Minder, it's easy enough to do. In the 2021-2022 Honda Civic and the 2021-2022 Honda Accord, which feature the latest Honda infotainment system, there are two ways to get it done. If your Driver Information Interface (DII) is on the left side of the gauge cluster (the “A-type” meter), simply power the vehicle on (but leave the engine off), push the “Home” icon button, and then select the wrench icon from the menu using the left roller control on the steering wheel.

This takes you to the Maintenance Minder screen, where holding down on the selector wheel and counting to 10 will bring up reset mode. From this screen, you can choose to reset just the oil life, or all your vehicle's maintenance items.

If you have a Civic with the “B-type'” gauge cluster with the DII on the right side, the process is a little simpler. With the ignition on, but the engine not running, scroll the right selector wheel on the steering wheel until the Maintenance Minder screen appears in the DII. Here you can perform the same reset described previously.

How to Reset the Oil Life on Other Honda Models

Some Honda models require a different method for resetting their engine oil-life system.

Here’s the procedure for the 2019-2022 Honda Pilot, Honda Passport, Honda Ridgeline, and Honda Odyssey:

With the vehicle parked safely and the transmission in “P,” turn on the ignition without starting the engine.
Push the “Enter” button on the steering wheel until the home screen is displayed on the gauge cluster.
Scroll to the maintenance menu item and select it by pressing “Enter” again.
Select the “Oil Life” submenu.
Hold down the Enter button for 10 seconds to reset the oil life.

Here’s how you reset the oil-life value in the 2021-2022 Honda CR-V:

With the vehicle parked safely and the transmission in “P,” turn on the ignition without starting the engine.
Push the “Display/Information” button until a wrench icon appears.
Push and hold the Enter button while counting to 10 to reset the oil-life value.

Here’s how you do it in the 2021-2022 Honda HR-V:

With the vehicle parked safely and the transmission in “P,” turn on the ignition without starting the engine.
Push the “Select” knob until the oil life is displayed in the DII.
Push and hold the “Select” button for 10 seconds to reset the oil-life value.

How to Reset Oil Life in Older Hondas

If you’re looking to reset the oil life reminder in an older Honda it’s best to consult the owner’s manual or your dealership for reset instructions. Alternatively, you can find the information online on https://owners.honda.com/vehicle-information/manuals by entering the information for your vehicle. Many model years are available, and will detail the necessary instructions for resetting the oil life reminder.

TAGSauto basics

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Benjamin Hunting

Benjamin Hunting is a writer and podcast host who contributes to a number of newspapers, automotive magazines, and online publications. More than a decade into his career, he enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days and always has one too many classic vehicle projects partially disassembled in his garage at any given time. Remember, if it's not leaking, it's probably empty.