Service Engine Soon Nissan - Reset, Features, and Secrets

Unfortunately, the internet today is full of misinformation about cars. And when you get some warning message or service light flashing on the dash of your vehicle, you can be tangled with all those worthless tips and hints you can find online. If you just ask Google what to do when you see the "Service Engine Soon" light in your Nissan, you may get all sorts of answers that will predict the soon death of your engine. But it's wrong!

Service engine soon message highlights

• Common reasons:oil change interval
• How to fix:change oil and reset the message
• Possible consequences:nothing will happen
• Priority level:Low
• Can you drive?Yes
• DIY repair:Possible
• Repair price range:$50-$200

What's the function of the "Service Engine Soon" light in your Nissan?

Well, the Nissan vehicle you have in your possession is pretty clever. Even if it's not that new. You can expect it will tell you if something is wrong. For example. the ECU may conduct a lot of types of self-diagnosing. And once something goes wrong with your vehicle, you can see a certain message or light on the dash. Then you just use some scanner to read the codes and there you have it - now you know about the reasons for the problem.

But if you never got these messages and error lights before, you can be shocked when you see the "Service Engine Soon" light on the dash of your Nissan car. It looks pretty dangerous and nearly tells you to stop the vehicle, turn off the engine, and call the tow truck. But calm down, things are not that bad.

Here's when it may flash or come on the dash:

• if the maintenance interval mileage is reached - in most cars, it's between 7,500 and 15,000 miles, so the light is set to flash when this interval is almost done;
• if the maintenance time interval is reached - most vehicles need to be serviced every year, so some time before this interval ends, you will see the service light;
• some problem is diagnosed by the self-diagnosing equipment in your Nissan, so the Check Engine light and the Service Engine Soon light come on simultaneously;
• the maintenance interval wasn't reset the last time you serviced the vehicle of had it serviced, so the system needs to be reset to then remind you about the next maintenance;
• the ECU has gone mad and now sends spontaneous signals to your dash just because some software or hardware glitches occur and disturb the ECU from normal work.

In most cases, this will be about the first two bullets from the list above. If it comes to the ECU issues, you should remember the last time when the ECU could have been submerged in water or some water could have been spilled on it. If it happened, the ECU is very unlikely to survive. It will send you one signal after another and get on your nerves until you replace it.

Also, you should check for some wiring problems. These issues may cause all kinds of errors and signals on your dash. Bad wiring is a big headache for the Nissan vehicle owner. If you happen to have some of these issues, just find a good specialist who can solve the problem and guarantee it will not reappear after some time.

Why shouldn't you panic when you see the "Service Engine Soon" light?

Well, panicking is the very last thing you want to do when you are driving. If you see any error message on the dash of your car, you should read it quickly and concentrate back on the road. If you can't read it quickly, the best thing to do is to stop the car in a safe place on the right side of the road and then read the error message.

If the message says "Service Engine Soon", you may stop worrying and just keep driving. This light in Nissan doesn't mean that the engine needs repair. It only means that the maintenance needs to be provided soon.

Even if the "Service Engine Soon" light is accompanied by the check engine light, it's still not the reason to panic. The worst thing that may happen is your Nissan engine may go into limp mode. It means you will not have the access to the full power of the engine, but you still may drive. Of course, if this happens, you should replan your day and go directly to the repair shop or to the dealership to have the problem diagnosed and fixed.

How long will the "Service Engine Soon" light be on?

The manufacturer made sure that you don't forget to change the oil and filters in your vehicle. For this, Nissan introduced the Service Engine Soon light in a certain generation of their vehicles. It hasn't been used in the most recent cars, though because drivers found it really annoying.

So, this light may come on every time you need to think about an oil change. For some vehicles, it's every 7,500 miles, for others - 10,000 miles. The light will normally come on the dash 500 miles before the engine oil change is due.

Bear in mind that the Service Engine Soon light should be just on, without blinking. If it actually blinks, you have more problems than just the upcoming oil change. This may be the variation of the check-engine signal in your vehicle.

What are some other reasons for the "Service Engine Soon" light flashing?

It may flash or come on together with the check engine light or other lights on your dash just because many different reasons:

• one or several sensors are malfunctioning and sending wrong signals to the ECU;
• the ECU is broken and can't operate the engine correctly;
• the catalytic converter is clogged and the oxygen sensor shows a lot of oxygen in the exhaust;
• the engine is misfiring heavily because of the poor ignition system;
• the battery or the alternator is bad and doesn't give the needed voltage;
• the fuel is bad, so the engine works at half of its power;
• the wiring problems caused some electric systems in the vehicle to malfunction.

We can continue talking about possible reasons for this light flashing. But as you can see, it can be more frustrating than just the oil change due. In different generations of Nissan vehicles, the manufacturer added different functions to the "Service Engine Soon" light.

This is one of the reasons why you should be careful with diagnosing the problem if you see this light flashing in the car.

Why do I regularly see the "Service Engine Soon" light in my Nissan?

Well, the answer is pretty simple - because there is something wrong with the vehicle. In most cases, the problem should be found in the electronic systems that ensure the smooth operation of the engine. These are all sensors and the ECU, PCM, etc. Also, the transmission problems may turn on the "Service Engine Soon" light.

The only thing you should do is have your vehicle diagnosed. The good scanner will easily answer all your questions for 5 minutes and will surely help you find the best solution for your problem.

By the way, another common message you can see is "Forward Driving Aids Temporarily Disabled, Front Sensor Blocked". And in my other article I tell you everything you may want to know about this issue - have a look!

How do you reset the "Service Engine Soon" light in Nissan?

Well, the most common way is to use the code scanner and reprogram the light. But there is also another method that doesn't need the scanner.

Here's what you may want to try:

• turn the ignition on, don't start the engine;
• press the gas pedal 5 times;
• wait 7 seconds;
• press the gas pedal and hold it down for 10 seconds;
• the service engine soon light will start flashing, let the pedal up;
• when the service engine soon light is flashing, press the gas pedal for 10 seconds again;
• let the pedal up;
• that's it, you have successfully reset the Service Engine Soon light in Nissan.

But remember that if the vehicle has a real problem with its electronic system, the light will come on again after some time. If this happens, you should just have the vehicle diagnosed. Find the problem and repair it. This way, you will make sure that the light will not flash again.

Final words

Being a Nissan owner is only easy for the first 3-5 years when your vehicle is more or less new. Once the car is older than that, you will have to repair it constantly and react to different error messages and lights. So be ready for that! At least, now you know how to react to the Service Engine Soon light in your Nissan.