# Cruise Control Not Working **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734 "2010-07-06T17:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/1 "2010-07-06T17:04:00Z")
I just bought a car with non-functioning cruise control. It’s not that big a deal for me that I’d have it professionally fixed, but I was looking around at what the cause might be with an eye to fixing it myself if feasible. Problem with the internet as is so frequently the case, is that you get too much information and not enough geared to the specific case at hand. So I’m wondering if knowledgable car people can narrow down the possibilities based on the specifics in this case. Which are: 1. the CC is completely non-functioning (i.e. pushing the button has zero impact) and 2. the light on the dashboard also does not light up. [I’ve already checked the fuse. It looks good to me, but I didn’t test it.] ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/2 "2010-07-06T17:10:47Z")
I had the same problem. We had to disconnect the battery for a different issue and when we reconnected it, my CC started working again. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/3 "2010-07-06T17:19:53Z")
Not that I will have an answer for you, but providing the model and year of the car might be useful info. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/4 "2010-07-06T17:43:04Z")
99 Chevy Prizm. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/5 "2010-07-06T19:29:16Z")
If it were a Ford of [one of the models affected by the cruise control fire recall](http://www.switchfires.com/), having the cruise control switch do nothing would mean you should get it checked out right away by the dealer. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/6 "2010-07-06T20:25:37Z")
Also, are you using it properly? I couldn’t turn on mine, then I read the manual, it will not activate below 40 mph. Doh. Since you said you really weren’t interested in using it, maybe you’ve missed this issue, or something else about it? ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/7 "2010-07-06T20:30:50Z")
Aww, and here I was seeing the title and thinking ‘Ooh! Someone’s going to bash Tom Cruise because his new movie is a flop!’ Back to the OP - could also be the main CC switch is bad. Not that I’ve had it happen with CC specifically, but I’ve had a power window switch go bad before ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/8 "2010-07-06T20:36:20Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > Also, are you using it properly? I couldn’t turn on mine, then I read the manual, it will not activate below 40 mph. Doh. Since you said you really weren’t interested in using it, maybe you’ve missed this issue, or something else about it? No, that’s not a possibility. I also have an identical 2000 Prizm that I drive to work, and I use CC routinely. (The recent purchase is primarily for my daughters to drive around town with, so I don’t care all that much in that car. But I tested it at highway speeds.) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/9 "2010-07-07T00:42:28Z")
Since you’ve got an identical car, you could always start swapping parts and see if anything makes the problem migrate. The switch and the module would be at the top of my list of suspects-- if either of those are fairly straightforward to change on this car, it might be worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/10 "2010-08-20T19:35:07Z")
Turns out it was the switch. Once I figured out how to access it, I could see the wires were broken. $29.49 on eBay, and it works now. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-control-not-working/545734/11 "2010-08-20T20:03:43Z")
I always like it when someone closes the loop by coming in and describing how they fixed their problem. Makes the thread more useful!