Resetting your 2010 Ford Explorer’s oil life monitoring system is as easy as pressing and holding the reset button on your instrument cluster while you’re viewing your current oil life status. You can also adjust how frequently the reminder appears.

Keeping up with routine maintenance like oil changes is one of the most important things you can do to get the most life out of your 2010 Ford Explorer. Your explorer’s oil life monitoring system can help make that easier by reminding you when it’s time for an

oil change

, but it’s only accurate if it’s been properly reset after each oil change.

Luckily, it’s pretty easy to do so. Here’s how to take care of a 2010 Ford Explorer oil reset.

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How to reset the engine oil maintenance light on a 2010 Ford Explorer

Your 2010 Ford Explorer has an engine oil monitoring system that will periodically remind you when it’s time for an oil change. As a default, its indicator light will come on every 7,500 miles or every six months.

But to make sure its maintenance intervals are accurate, you’ll need to reset the system after every oil change.

Fortunately for you, this is a virtually effortless task. Here’s what you need to do:

On your instrument cluster, press the select/reset stem to cycle through the message center options until you reach “oil life”—it should be the first one.

Then, press and hold the select/reset stem for at least two seconds. You should see a message that reads, “Oil life set to 100%.”

That’s it!

But what if you decide you want to adjust the oil change reminder interval? You can take care of that with just a couple more steps (and a little bit of math):

While the “oil life set to 100%” message is still displayed, release the stem, then press and hold it again for another couple of seconds to adjust the interval. Each time you press, hold, and release the button, it will reduce the value by 10%.

Once you’ve reached the desired value, you can either briefly press the select/rest stem to navigate to the next settings menu, or you can wait a few more seconds to automatically return to the information menu.

If that reduction rate is a little confusing, here’s an example. The maximum reset interval (7,500 miles or six months) is represented as “100%.”

As you adjust the percentage, the number you’re seeing is the oil life start value. If you reduced the value to 60%, you’d have an oil life start value of 3,000 miles or about four months, and you’d get your oil change reminder in 4,500 miles.

Whenever that oil life light turns back on, you’ll know it’s time to change your oil again—or it will be soon.

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How often does a 2010 Ford Explorer need an oil change?

The 2010 Ford Explorer’s scheduled maintenance guide recommends changing your engine oil about every 7,500 miles or every six months—whichever comes first. Hence why this is your default oil change reminder interval.

That said, when you’ll actually need an oil change can vary somewhat from time to time. More severe driving conditions can sometimes necessitate more frequent oil changes—which can be a good reason to adjust your reminder interval if those are the norm for you.

Another thing to note is that the 2010 Explorer’s oil monitoring system is miles-based, not condition-based. That means it’s still important to periodically check your engine oil to make sure it’s still at the proper level and clear of debris.

Nevertheless, your oil change reminder is an important tool to help you make sure you are getting it changed on a regular basis and help you avoid more

serious engine damage

that can result from going too long without one.

If for some reason you can’t get your oil change reminder light to reset on your own, you can visit your local Ford dealership or a trusted mechanic to have it checked out.

MORE: How much should an oil change cost?