>This means that visual studio's 'find references' functionality doesn't work, and the project I'm working on has dozens of unused controllers
I know it's an annoying extra step to learn and do, but when doing anything with refactoring controller actions (e.g. changing action names or required parameters), Ctrl+Shift+F is really your friend. I have noticed references not getting picked up by the refactoring quick actions too, but it was sporadic.
I also despise the whole concept of 'validators' in .NET MVC. Not only does it prevent you from using distinct validation for particular actions using the same model, it completely hides the fact that validation is used at all (if you trace the controller code). Why not just write a class that validates the model and use it in the controller? Is that 'too much code/too much coupling' for the controller? Ugh.