2016 ILX A-Spec - Most Dash Backlighting Out
10-09-2017, 12:02 PM
#1
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2016 ILX A-Spec - Most Dash Backlighting Out
Hey there. This is my first post, but I just experienced a strange backlighting failure in my 2016 ILX A-Spec this past weekend. I was at Disneyland in the parking structure Saturday, and as I was leaving, a lot of the interior illumination suddenly went out in the car. The items that went out are:
1) VSA Switch
2) Road Departure Mitigation Switch
3) CMBS Switch
4) Footwell Illumination Switch (Honda accessory from Crosstour/Civic, I'll explain below)
5) Climate Controls
6) Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
7) Nav/Radio Buttons and Interface Dial
8) Heated Seat Switches
9) PRNDL
10) Overhead LED Ambient Lighting
11) Overhead Homelink/AcuraLink Buttons
I worked for Honda corporate in Torrance before as an engineer and technical writer, so I have some knowledge of the car. I installed two footwell LEDs and one pocket LED (below the climate control) from a Civic interior light kit and the switch/wiring from an Accord Crosstour interior light switch when I got the car in June 2016. I did tap into the CMBS/RDMS switches for illumination/power back then, but I know this has nothing to do with it because the illumination failure is coming from the main source, not where I locally tapped into. This is a modified kit just to tap into the ILX. It's nice and lights up the footwells at night in the blue color.
I checked the F35 fuse for illumination, but it's good, plus when the lights turn on, the climate control and AcuraLink status indicators dim as intended. Also, the Hazard button still illuminates, which is odd because it is on the same circuit as the illumination that is not working. The hazard switch uses an incandescent bulb, where the others are LED. So maybe it's an LED driver problem in the gauge cluster. I don't know, I'm not the tech. =) Just thinking out loud and wanted to give you as much information as I know.
Has anyone else had a similar failure? I dropped the car off at the dealership this morning, so we will see what they come back at.
1) VSA Switch
2) Road Departure Mitigation Switch
3) CMBS Switch
4) Footwell Illumination Switch (Honda accessory from Crosstour/Civic, I'll explain below)
5) Climate Controls
6) Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
7) Nav/Radio Buttons and Interface Dial
8) Heated Seat Switches
9) PRNDL
10) Overhead LED Ambient Lighting
11) Overhead Homelink/AcuraLink Buttons
I worked for Honda corporate in Torrance before as an engineer and technical writer, so I have some knowledge of the car. I installed two footwell LEDs and one pocket LED (below the climate control) from a Civic interior light kit and the switch/wiring from an Accord Crosstour interior light switch when I got the car in June 2016. I did tap into the CMBS/RDMS switches for illumination/power back then, but I know this has nothing to do with it because the illumination failure is coming from the main source, not where I locally tapped into. This is a modified kit just to tap into the ILX. It's nice and lights up the footwells at night in the blue color.
I checked the F35 fuse for illumination, but it's good, plus when the lights turn on, the climate control and AcuraLink status indicators dim as intended. Also, the Hazard button still illuminates, which is odd because it is on the same circuit as the illumination that is not working. The hazard switch uses an incandescent bulb, where the others are LED. So maybe it's an LED driver problem in the gauge cluster. I don't know, I'm not the tech. =) Just thinking out loud and wanted to give you as much information as I know.
Has anyone else had a similar failure? I dropped the car off at the dealership this morning, so we will see what they come back at.
10-10-2017, 03:24 PM
#3
2nd Gear
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Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Age: 51
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In addition, the dealer just called me. He confirmed my modification had nothing to do with the failure. They are ordering an instrument cluster because apparently the dimmer circuit inside that controls the dash lighting, failed. Car will be fixed Thursday when the part comes in.
Strange failure at less than 12K miles and two years of age.