Power Acura MDX 2003 Owner's Manua

Your Vehicle at a Glance
2
INDICATOR LIGHTS
POWER DOOR LOCK
SWITCHES
MIRROR
CONTROLS
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
PEDAL REAR A/C CONTROL ACCESSORY POWER SOCKET GLOVE BOX AUDIO SYSTEM
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
SHIFT LEVER
(P.67)
GAUGES (P.74)
(P.93)
(P.116)
(P.111)
(P.238) (P.237) (P.117) (P.143)
(P.125)(P.100) (P.145,
163,183)
(P.136)
(P.254)

Using this f eature will
prevent children f rom opening the
doors and accidentally f alling out
(see page ). Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. And
children lef t alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others. Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside the
vehicle. Teach your children not to
play in or around vehicles.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the tailgate, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.
Using
this f eature will prevent children
f rom playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page ). 99
111
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Use childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t hedoors. Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle. Lock all doors and the tailgate
when your vehicle is not in use.
K eep vehicle keys and remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
Use t he main power window
swit ch t o prevent children f romopening t he rear windows.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety26

CONT INUED
An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with the
system (see page ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
stage, dual-threshold airbags to help
reduce the chance of airbag-caused
injuries.
A driver’s seat position sensor that
monitors the driver’s seat position
and adjusts the inf lation and
timing of the driver’s airbag (see
page ).
Front passenger’s weight sensors
monitor the weight on the seat.
These prevent the passenger’s
airbag from inflating if the weight
is less than about 65 lbs (30 kg)
(see page ).
53
54 56
How Your Front Airbags Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety51

This section gives inf ormation about
the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of
your Acura. All the essential controls
are within easy reach............................
Control Locations .66
...............................
Indicator Lights .67
.............................................
Gauges .74
Controls Near the Steering .......................................
Wheel .78
...................................
Headlights .79 ....................
Automatic Lighting .80
Automatic Lighting Off .....................................
Feature .81
............
Daytime Running Lights . 82
....
Instrument Panel Brightness . 82
................................
Turn Signals .83
.....................
Windshield Wipers .83
..................
Windshield Washers . 87
Rear Window Wiper and .....................................
Washer .87
..........................
Hazard Warning .87
.............
Rear Window Def ogger . 88
.....................................
Fog Light .88
......
Steering Wheel Adjustment . 89
...............................
Keys and Locks .90
..............................................
Keys .90
....................
Immobilizer System . 91
............................
Ignition Switch .92
......................
Power Door Locks .93
...................
Remote Transmitter . 95
..............
Childproof Door Locks . 99
........................................
Tailgate .99
..................................
Glove Box .100
...............................................
Seats .101
..........
Power Seat Adjustments . 101
.........
Driver’s Lumbar Support . 102 ........
Manual Seat Adjustments . 103
Second and Third Row seat ..........................
Adjustments .104
........................
Head Restraints .105
......................
Rear Seat Access .106
..........
Folding the Second Seat . 106
.............
Folding the Third Seat . 107
.................
Detachable Anchors . 109
..................................
Seat Heaters .110
............................
Power Windows .111
.......................................
Moonroof .114
...........................................
Mirrors .115
...............................
Parking Brake .117
Driving Position Memory ........................................
System .118
...........................
Beverage Holder .121
.................
Console Compartment . 123
.......................
Rear Compartment .123
.................................
Cargo Hooks .123
........................
Sunglasses Holder .124
........................................
Sun Visor .124
................................
Vanity Mirror .125
............
Accessory Power Sockets . 125
........................................
Coin Box .127
......................................
Coat Hook .127
...............................
Interior Lights .128
Instruments and Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols65

Control L ocations
Inst rument s and Cont rols66
MIRROR
CONTROLS
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLEPARKING BRAKE
PEDALREAR A/C CONTROL ACCESSORY POWER SOCKET GLOVE BOX AUDIO SYSTEM
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
SHIFT LEVER
INDICATOR LIGHTS
GAUGES
POWER DOOR LOCK
SWITCHES
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE(P.67)
(P.74)
(P.93)
(P.116)
(P.111)
(P.238) (P.237) (P.117) (P.143)
(P.125)(P.100) (P.145,
163,183)
(P.136)
(P.254)

µ
µ µ
Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to ON (II) when you let go of
the key.
This is the normal key
position when driving. All f eatures
and accessories on the vehicle are
usable. Several of the lights on the
instrument panel come on as a test
when you turn the ignition switch
f rom ACCESSORY to ON. The engine will not start if the
Immobilizer System does not
recognize the key’s coding (see page
).
In this position,
you can operate the audio system
and the accessory power socket.
You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the ignition
switch in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position and open
thedriver’sdoor.Removethekeyto
turn of f the beeper.Each f ront door has a master door
lock switch. Either switch locks and
unlocks all doors and the tailgate.
Push the switch down to lock all
doors and the tailgate, and up to
unlock them.
91
CONT INUED
ST A RT (III)
Power Door L ocks
ON (II) A CCESSORY (I)
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols93
MASTER DOOR LOCK SWITCH

µ
Pull up or push down on the f ront of
the switch to move the seat bottom’s
f ront edge up or down. Pull up or
push down on the rear of the switch
to move the rear of the seat bottom
up or down.
Push the horizontal switch forward
or backward to move the seat
forward or backward. The long horizontal switch adjusts
the seat bottom in several directions.
The short vertical switch adjusts the
seat-back angle.
Your Acura has power adjustments
f or the driver’s seat. The two power
seat adjustment switches are on the
outside edge of the seat bottom.
You can adjust the seat with the
ignition switch in any position. Make
all seat adjustments bef ore you start
driving. The Touring package also has power
adjustments f or the f ront passenger’s
seat. The MDX without the Touring
package has manual adjustments.
Thesecondandthirdrowseatsin
both models have manual
adjustments.
See pages f or important saf ety
inf ormation and warnings about how toproperly position seats and seat-backs. 12 13
CONT INUED
Power Seat A djustments
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols101

Your vehicle’s windows are
electrically-powered. Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) to raise or
lower any window.Each door has a switch that controls
its window. To open the window,
push the switch down and hold it.
Release the switch when you want
the window to stop. Close the
window by pulling back on the
switch and holding it.The driver’s door armrest has a
master power window control panel.
To open any of the passenger’s
windows, push down on the switch
and hold it down until the window
reaches the desired position. To
close the window, pull back on the
window switch. Release the switch
when the window gets to the position
you want.
CONT INUED
Power Windows
Inst rument s and Cont rols111
DRIVER’S WINDOW
SWITCH
MAIN SWITCH

µ
The master control panel also con-
tains these extra features:
To open the driver’s
window f ully, push the window
switch f irmly down and release it.
The window automatically goes all
the way down. To stop the window
f rom going all the way down, pull
back on the window switch brief ly. The MAIN switch controls power to
the f ront passenger’s window and
the rear power windows. With this
switch of f , the passenger’s windows
cannot be raised or lowered. The
MAIN switch does not af f ect the
driver’s window. Keep the MAIN
switch of f when you have children in
the vehicle so they do not injure
themselves by operating the
windows unintentionally.
To close the driver’s window f ully,
pull back the window switch f irmly,
then release it. The window
automatically goes all the way up. To
stop the window f rom going all the
way up, push down on the window
switch brief ly.
To open or close the driver’s window
partially, push down or pull back on
the window switch lightly and hold it.
The window will stop when you
release the switch. AUTO
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Power Windows
112
Closing a power window on
someone’s hands or fingers can
cause serious injury.
Make sure your passengers are
away from the windows before
closing them.

The power window system has a key-
of f delay f unction. The windows will
stilloperateforuptotenminutes
after you turn off the ignition.
Opening either f ront door cancels
the delay function. You must turn
the ignition switch ON (II) again
bef ore you can operate the windows.
If the driver’s window runs into any
obstacle while it is closing
automatically, it will reverse
direction, and then stop. To close the
window, remove the obstacle, then
use the window switch again.
Auto reverse stops sensing when the
window is almost closed. You should
always check that all passengers and
objects are away from the window
bef ore closing it. If your vehicle’s battery is
disconnected or goes dead, or the
driver’s window f use is removed, the
AUTO f unction will be disabled. The
power window system needs to be
reset af ter reconnecting the battery
or installing the f use. You should do
the f ollowing.
Any impact due to road conditions
may cause the auto reverse f unction
work unexpectedly on the closing
window. If it happens f requently,
there is a problem with your power
window system. You should have
your car inspected by your dealer.
You can still close the window by
pulling back on the window switch
lightly and hold it. If the power windows do not operate
properly af ter resetting, have your
vehicle checked by a Acura dealer.Start the engine. Push down on
the driver’s window switch until
the window is f ully open.
Pull back on the driver’s window
switch to close the window
completely, then hold the switch
f or a second or two more.
1.
2.
Power Windows
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Auto Reverse
113