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2004 Prius Cruise Control Problems

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Littlemadi, May 16, 2015.

  1. Littlemadi

    Littlemadi New Member

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    2004 Prius
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    I have a 2004 Pruis. Lately I have been noticing a problem with the cruise control. Often when I press the button to turn on the CC it will not come on, but if I turn the steering wheel to the left a bit I am able to turn on the cruise, sometimes when I turn the wheel back it will continue to work and other times it will not. I tried to search and found others posts about prius CC but couldn't find anything that included all of my symptoms.
     
    #1 Littlemadi, May 16, 2015
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Sounds like the spiral cable in the steering wheel hub is starting to fail.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, May 16, 2015
  3. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    Yep, and CC is often the second thing to stop working. First is the inside/outside air selector button, which some drivers (like my wife) never use. If you can turn the wheel about 45 degrees and make those work, maybe intermittently, it's the spiral cable.

    I recently replaced mine with a cheap Chinese version from eBay for under $30 and so far it's working OK, though I'm not holding my breath on that.
     
    #3 andrewclaus, May 16, 2015
  4. Littlemadi

    Littlemadi New Member

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    Thanks for the info, Was replacing it pretty easy? I would like to be able to do it myself. Just concerned about the airbag a little.
     
    #4 Littlemadi, May 16, 2015
  5. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    Yes it was easy enough (under an hour) with a little care and a good manual detailing how to handle the airbag. Concern is a good thing--be careful. Search for videos and instructions on this site and elsewhere.

    I didn't need a puller on mine. Be sure to "pop" the wheel off the spline with the nut still loosely attached. The only "special" tool was a Torx driver for the airbag screws. The hard part was getting the right cable for my car. I used this site with my VIN to get the right part number and ordered from eBay.

    Be aware if your car has VSC you'll have to transfer the steering angle sensor to the new cable housing. It adds a few minutes to the job.
     
    #5 andrewclaus, May 17, 2015
    Andyprius1 likes this.
  6. Littlemadi

    Littlemadi New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
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    N/A
    Any suggestions on where to get a good manual to detail how to handle the airbag? I used the site you provided to determine that this ebay item 271766903509 should fit my car. I just would like to be a little more comfortable about the airbag. I have looked online and youtube but many of those guys seem to be shooting from the hip. Again thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
     
    #6 Littlemadi, Jul 3, 2015
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
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    Two
    techinfo.toyota.com
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Jul 3, 2015
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