sensor Acura MDX 2004 User Guide

The instrument panel has many
indicators to give you important
inf ormation about your vehicle.
This indicator comes on when you
turn the ignition switch to ON (II). It
is a reminder to you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
A beeper also sounds if you have not
f astened your seat belt.
If you turn the ignition switch to ON
(II) bef ore f astening your seat belt,
the beeper sounds and the indicator
f lashes. If you do not f asten your
seat belt bef ore the beeper stops, the
indicator stops f lashing but remains
on.
If you continue driving without
f astening your seat belt, the beeper
sounds and the indicator f lashes
again at regular intervals.See page .
The engine can be severely damaged
if this indicator f lashes or stays on
when the engine is running. For
more inf ormation, see page .
If this indicator comes on when the
engine is running, the battery is not
being charged. For more inf ormation,
see page .
This indicator comes on when you
turn the ignition switch to ON (II). If
it comes on at any other time, it
indicates that the passenger’s side
airbag has automatically shut off.
For more inf ormation, see page . This indicator comes on when you
turn the ignition switch to ON (II). If
it comes on at any other time, it
indicates a potential problem with
your f ront airbags or automatic seat
belt tensioners. This indicator will
also alert you to a potential problem
with your side airbags, passenger’s
side airbag automatic cutoff system,
driver’s seat position sensor, f ront
passenger’s weight sensors, or side
curtain airbags. For complete
inf ormation, see page .
243
242
242 29
28
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Seat Belt Reminder
Indicator
Malf unction Indicator
Lamp
L ow Oil Pressure
Indicator
Charging System
IndicatorSupplemental Restraint
System Indicator
Side Airbag Of f Indicator
58

The rainfall sensor is located in the
windshield near the rearview mirror.
If the sensor is covered with mud, oil,
dust, etc., the wipers may not
operate properly or may operate
unexpectedly.The rear window wiper switch is
located next to the windshield wiper
switch.
Do not put the wiper switch in
AUTO when driving through a car
wash. OFF
ON
Turnandholdtousethewiper
and washer.
1.
2.
3.
Windshield Wipers and Washers
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Rear Window Wiper and Washer
71
RAINFALL SENSOR

µThe Automatic Lighting
f eature turns on the headlights, all
other exterior lights, and the
instrument panel lights when it
senses low ambient light.
To turn on automatic lighting, turn
the light switch to AUTO at any time.
The lights will come on automatically
when the outside light level becomes
low (at dusk, f or example). The
Lights On indicator comes on as a
reminder. The lights and indicator
will turn of f automatically when the
system senses high ambient light. The lights will remain on when you
turn of f the ignition switch. They will
turn of f automatically when you open
the driver’s door. To turn them on
again, either turn the ignition switch
to ON (II) or turn the light switch to
.
Even with the automatic lighting
f eature turned on, we recommend
thatyouturnonthelightsmanually
when driving at night or in a dense
f og, or when you enter dark areas,
such as long tunnels or parking
structures.
Do not leave the light switch in
AUTO if you will not be driving the
vehicle f or an extended period (a
weekormore).Youshouldalsoturn
of f the lights if you plan to leave the
engine idling or the engine of f f or a
long time. The automatic lighting f eature is
controlledbyasensorlocatedontop
of the dashboard. Do not cover this
sensor or spill liquids on it.
Headlights
Inst rument s and Cont rols
AUTO
73
LIGHT SENSOR

Both f ront seats are equipped with
seat heaters. The ignition switch
must be in the ON (II) position to
usethem.Pushthefrontof the
switch, HI, to rapidly heat up the seat.
After the seat reaches a comfortable
temperature, select LO by pushing
the back of the switch. This will keep
the seat warm.In HI, the heater turns of f when the
seat gets warm, and turns back on
after the seat’s temperature drops.
In LO, the heater does not cycle with
temperature change.
Because of the sensors f or the side
airbag system, there is no heater in
the passenger’s seat-back.
Follow these precautions when using
the seat heaters:
Use the HI setting only to heat the
seats quickly, because it draws
large amounts of current f rom the
battery.
If the engine is lef t idling f or an
extended period, do not use the
seat heaters, even on the LO
setting. It can weaken the battery,
causing hard starting.
Seat Heaters
Inst rument s and Cont rols89
SEAT HEATERS

Theinsidemirrorcanautomatically
darken to reduce glare. To turn on
this feature, press the button on the
bottom of the mirror. The AUTO
indicator comes on as a reminder.
When it is on, the mirror darkens
when it senses the headlights of a
vehicle behind you, then returns to
normal visibility when the lights are
gone. Press the button again to turn
of f this sensing.
To apply the parking brake, push the
pedal down with your f oot. To
release it, push on the pedal again.
The parking brake indicator on the
instrument panel should go out when
the parking brake is fully released
with the engine running (see page ). Keeptheinsideandoutsidemirrors
clean and adjusted f or best visibility.
Be sure to adjust the mirrors bef ore
you start driving.
59
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Parking Brake
Mirrors
Parking Brake, Mirrors
92
NOTICE:
PARKING BRAKE PEDAL
AUTO SWITCH
SENSOR
INDICATOR
Driving the vehicle with the
parking brake applied can damage the
rear brakes and axles. A beeper will sound if the vehicle is put into gear
with the parking brake on.

The climate control system in your
Acura provides a comf ortable driving
environment in all weather
conditions.
The standard audio system has
many f eatures. This section de-
scribes those f eatures and how to
use them. (If you selected an
optional audio system, ref er to the
operating instructions that came
with it.)
Your Acura has an anti-theft audio
system that requires a code number
to enable it..............
Vents, Heating, and A/C . 104
.............................
Airflow Buttons .105
...................
Rear Climate Control . 109
..............
Climate Control Sensors . 109
..........................
Playing the Radio .110
............................
Radio Reception .113
..................................
Playing a CD .115
....................
Protecting Your CDs .119
.........
CD Player Error Messages . 120
.....
CD Changer Error Messages . 122
...............................
Playing a Tape .125
.............
Steering Wheel Controls . 128
.................
Radio Thef t Protection . 129
..........................
Setting the Clock .130
........
Rear Entertainment System . 131
............................
Security System .143
...............................
Cruise Control .144
..............................
Trip Computer .146
........................
Rear View Camera .152
HomeLink Universal ................................
Transceiver .153
Comf ort and Convenience Features
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures103

Theclimatecontrolsystemhastwo
sensors. A sunlight sensor is in the
top of the dashboard, and a
temperature sensor is next to the
steering column. Do not cover the
sensors or spill any liquid on them.
Press the RR A/C MANUAL button
to enable the rear A/C control panel.
The light in the button will come on.
A passenger in the second row can
then use the temperature control dial,
f an speed dial, and mode buttons to
adjust the temperature and airflow to
their pref erence. This is limited by
the system’s minimum and
maximum temperature.
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Rear Climate Control, Climate Control Sensors
Sunlight and T emperature
Sensors
Using the Rear A /C Unit
109
SUNLIGHT SENSOR TEMPERATURE SENSOR
TEMPERATURE CONTROL DIAL
MODE BUTTONS
FAN SPEED CONTROL DIAL

Clock
Direction of travel
Outside temperature
Instantaneous f uel mileageTheAvgdisplayshowsyouthe
average f uel economy since you
last reset the display.
The E/T is the elapsed time that
the ignition has been on. It
automatically resets to 0.0 when it
reaches twelve hours. This display
can be reset at any time.
The display also has manual
f unctions f or the Climate Control
System. Ref er to page .
All models of MDX have a trip
computer. To operate the trip
computer on models with the
navigation system, ref er to the
navigation manual.
The Trip Computer displays the
f ollowing inf ormation.
The temperature sensor is located
in the f ront bumper, and can be
affected by heat from the road
surf ace, engine heat, and the
exhaust f rom the surrounding
traf f ic. Because of these
conditions, it may take a while f or
the temperature to read correctly. The Range, or estimated distance
you can travel on the fuel
remaining in the tank estimated
f rom the f uel economy you have
gotten over the last several miles
(kilometers).
The Trip display shows you the
total distance you have driven
since it was last reset.
Press the TRIP button to show either
the range and Avg f uel economy, or
the E/T and Trip odometer.
To reset the Avg f uel economy, E/T,
and Trip odometer, press and hold
the RESET button until you hear a
beep.
The outside temperature, f uel
economy, range, and trip odometer
can be displayed in either English or
Metric units. To change between
units, press the TRIP button and
hold it f or f ive seconds.
104
Trip Computer
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
(Without Navigation System) Changing and Resetting the
Display
Changing Units of Measurement
147

Your Acura is equipped with a Tire
Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) that turns on every time you
start the engine and monitors the
pressure in your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure indicator and the
appropriate tire on the Tire Pressure
Monitor to come on.Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning light is lit, one or
more of your tires is signif icantly
under-inf lated. You should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible,
and inflate them to the proper
pressureasindicatedonthevehicle’s
tire inf ormation placard. Each tire, including the spare should
be checked monthly when cold and
set to the recommended inf lation
pressure as specif ied in the vehicle
placard and owner’s manual (see
page ).
Although your tire pressure is
monitored, you must manually check
thetirepressuresmonthly.
If you think you can saf ely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station and
inflate the tire to the recommended
pressure shown on the driver’s
doorjamb.
If the tire is f lat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire.
222
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator
177

The appropriate tire indicator and
Low Tire Pressure Indicator will
come on if a tire becomes
signif icantly underinf lated. Follow
the instructions under ‘‘Low Tire
Pressure Indicator’’.The indicator comes on and stays on
when there is a problem with the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
If this happens, the system will shut
of f and no longer monitor tire
pressures. Have the system checked
by an Acura dealer as soon as
possible.
If you have a f lat tire, the Low Tire
Pressure and Tire monitor indicators
will come on. Replace the indicated
flat tire with the compact spare tire
(see page ).Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor mounted inside the
tire behind the valve stem. You must
use TPMS specif ic wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your Acura
dealer or qualif ied technician.
Af ter you replace the f lat tire, the
Low Tire Pressure indicator will stay
on.Thisisnormal;thesystemisnot
monitoring the spare tire pressure.
Manually check the spare tire
pressure to be sure it is correct.
Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a f lat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Havetheflattirerepairedbyan
Acura dealer as soon as possible.
231
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
Tire Pressure Monitor
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (T PMS) Indicator
ChangingtheTirewithTPMS
178