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Acura: Why Won't My Interior Lights Turn On/Off?

Your dome light issue may not be as bad as you think. Check out these common interior light problems and solutions.

By Neftali Medina - April 25, 2016
Contributors: Fabolousg4ever

This article applies to the Acura MDX, RDX, TSX, and TL.

Since dome lights are a standard option in every manufactured vehicle, it seems that many people take them for granted – until the light fails to work correctly. These lights serve a few simple purposes. Besides illuminating the cabin, they also act as a safeguard to warn you of whether or not a door is open. The lights are controlled by a panel found on the headliner of your car and protected by a dome fused located inside the fuse box. Some things that can cause the lights to fail include blown fuses and switches, while things that allow it to stay on usually revolve around human error. Use the fixes listed here to help repair your interior light issue.

Materials Needed

  • Spark tester
  • Pliers
  • Screwdriver

Step 1 – Check the interior light switch

It might be in the "on" position.

You would be surprised how often this problem happens, especially after replacing the stock bulbs with LEDs. The lights stay on after the installation, causing people to second guess whether or not they installed the lights correctly. However, the problem is the dome light is set to be always on, and the switch needs to be moved back to the middle so that it only turns on when the door is open.

Figure 1. Make sure the button with the "sun" is not turned on.

Step 2 – Check the dome light fuse

It might be blown.

If your lights are not turning on, there might be a power problem stemming from the fuse box. Locate the interior fuse box and find the dome light fuse. Using a spark tester, ground the tool and push the prongs into the dome light fuse. If it does not read any power, pull it out and give it another visual inspection. Replace the fuse and test the lights.

Figure 2. Normal vs. blown fuse.

Pro Tip

If your fuse did blow, there may be another issue occurring somewhere else on the harness. Although it may not occur again, make sure to keep an eye on it in case it does, and if it blows again, have the harness inspected for any short/open wires.

Step 3 – Check the bulbs

One or more may be burnt out.

Another problem that sometimes gets overlooked is when the bulb may have burnt out. Remove the dome light covers by using a pry tool and replace any faulty bulbs.

Figure 3. Replace the bulbs if necessary.

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