Kidsdoc

Just took delivery of my 2013 ZDX yesterday. To my utter disgust, when i went to turn my hazard light on at night while I'm parking, I couldn't locate it!!! Both my wife and I were looking and had to turn the reading lights before we could locate it! This was just the beginning of my dismay at interior lighting. Turned out none of the buttons on the steering wheel from volume control to phone commands etc. are all plain INVISIBLE unless I turn the interior cabin lights on!
Also no glove compartment light or light in the gearbox (maybe they don't anyway). I called the salesman thinking maybe there was a blown fuse but he assured me there are no lights on any of the above!! He doesn't have a ZDX to check but looked at 2014 MDX and it doesn't have them either! I said how am I going to know which button to hit on the steering wheel (assuming I can see the buttons) when I get a phone call and he said I will just get used to it!
I know I've seen hazard light buttons on 10k cars that have a faint red light under them to locate them and my wife's Odyssey at half the price of ZDX has a dim light under the steering wheel controls in order to see in the dark what you're doing.
I'm still NOT convinced and told him I would like to hear it from corporate that they don't really have them. What am I missing? I know I've seen these features on entry level much less expensive cars. This is sooo disappointing if true. Can someone with a ZDX please tell me if my salesman is right? (please dear God make it not so)

mondster

I have a 2010 and steering wheel lights and hazard button illuminates. Do you have your lights on auto or did you turn it off while parking? Not sure why your salesman would say that even the mdx dont have it. Either he is acting dumb or just plain dumb.

Kidsdoc

Mondster, you made my day. I hope you are right, will have to anxiously wait till Monday to find out when the dealership is open. Yes, I had tried every possible combination of AUTO, ON, OFF and nothing brought these lights to life! Of course my ever trusting wife thought maybe your 2010 had that feature but now eliminated...lol.....Hope to hear from someone else to pass to her another confirmation from a 2013 model hehe

mondster

Pretty sure the 2013 has it, being the latest model. Try to adjust the brightness as well. Although with mine, its still visible with the lowest setting. I tested mine, with the lights not in auto, steering wheel and hazard button does not light up. Good luck and let us know how it ends up. If there really is no light then tell them to shove that piece of shit up their ass. Lol

Kidsdoc

yeah, unfortunately tried that too and no luck. Totally dead even when tested in pitch black darkness. Just so I'm armed with proper knowledge for Monday, if you can tell me if the following should also have illumination (as I think they SHOULD but mine do not):
-the buttons for the cooling and heating of front seats.
-the buttons for the garage opener and reading lights.
-buttons that activate lane departure and collision
-glove compartment

mondster

I dont have the lane departure feature. But for eveything else, i do have lights

Kidsdoc

Modster, great many thanks. Armed with your info I called Acura Corp. after giving up on my salesman at my local dealership. They had to get back with me after talking to design engineers. they confirmed I must have an issue. I went back to the dealer and after 2 days in the shop they located the problem.
From what I understood, a screw in the lighting plate in front of the moonroof went through a bundle of wires and shorted the entire circuit. They said they had to look in over 20 possible locations but it had to be the last one before they found it. I suspect much of the guts of the car had to be removed but I'm truly afraid to ask..lol....It looks like everything is perfectly in place.
They have yet to figure out another problem.
The call command does not out the call command even when properly programmed. I have an iPhone5 and this is NOT a known issue. He claimed they sold 2 MDXs with similar problem. I'm still waiting to hear back. it's been a week to the day. Thanks much for your info and help.

mondster

Can you still return the car and get a different one? You barely drove it and it already has issues and it might give you more headache down the road. Ive had my 2010 for over a year now and the only issue i had was a busted sub... Probly cause i was playing music too loud. Lol. Other than that, everything is smooth. Shame on that salesman for not knowing the car. Heck even the cheapest cars have those lightings.

Kidsdoc

I really didn't even think I could return it nor did it occur to me! I've probably have put 400mi. since. I'll post photos soon.

mondster

well you do have the extended warranty, correct? hopefully it wont be in the shop too often... just keep tabs on the issues just in case you want to lemon the car