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Cruise control not activating

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by hemi71cuda, Oct 13, 2018.

  1. hemi71cuda

    hemi71cuda Junior Member

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    I’ve been experiencing a frustrating issue with the cruise control in my 2004. AFAIK it’s factory, not aftermarket. Some days it works fine. Other days I can’t get the cruise function to turn on at all no matter how many times I press the on/off button. Then I can try it the next day and it turns on.

    I’ve replaced the stalk/joystick thing but it remains temperamental.

    Anyone have thoughts on any other components of the system may be causing trouble? The only other thing I can think to do is open up the lower dash a bit to check for loose wire connectors. But there are no other electrical issues.

    Base 2004 Prius with 160,000 miles
     
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    This is most often caused by a sticking or mis-adjusted brake light switch.
    OR......by a left-foot braking habit of the driver.

    Can you see a little light reflected off the back glass around the 3rd brake light when it is ON ?
    If yes, have a look at it when the cruise doesn't set.
     
  3. hemi71cuda

    hemi71cuda Junior Member

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    Just to clarify, the problem is not that the car doesn’t hold the desired speed when I “set” it. It’s that the cruise control system as a whole will not turn on when I press the on/off button.(I.e. the green “cruise” icon does not light up on dash)
    There is no left foot braking going on or foot accidentally resting on the brake pedal but I will investigate the brake switch next. Thanks
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    possible clock spring issue
     
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  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    That's an important distinction.....that I did not pick up on from your first post.

    I think that problem likely would NOT be associated with the brake switch but you can test that easy enough.
     
  6. hemi71cuda

    hemi71cuda Junior Member

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    Crazy. In 35 years I’ve never heard of a clock spring. Initially I wondered if it went along with things like turn signal fluid! Lol

    Makes sense though after learning what it is. And will be easy to test. Next time it won’t come on I’ll pull over and try pressing the button while turning the wheel around.

    Thank you
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it is, be careful buying a new one. the chinese non oem have a high failure rate, and installation is a pain.
     
  8. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    In addition to those, make sure the car is in 'D' gear, not in 'B'. This has snagged me a few times when I forgot to switch back after a hill.
     
  9. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    You need to rule out clock spring cable and brake light switch.

    Brake light switch.
    Depress the brake pedal, the brake lights come on? Release the brake pedal, the brake lights go off? If yes to these two questions, your brake light switch is not the cause of the cruise control not working.

    Clock Spring Cable.
    Do the radio and AC steering wheel buttons work at all positions? A simple test is to park the car with the wheels pointing forward, and the steering wheel dead centered. Place a piece of tape at the very top of the steering wheel (this is your 12 o'clock position). Make care READY. Test all the steering wheel buttons (radio, AC, etc), at this 12 o'clock position. Do all the steering wheel button functions work? Move the steering wheel to 1 o'clock, and perform the steering wheel button test again. Go to 2 o'clock and test the buttons. Keep doing this at the other "hour" positions (3, 4, 5, 6), then go to 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. A broken clock spring cable will reveal itself by intermittent operability of some or all the steering wheel buttons, at certain hour positions.

    This post has some good pictures of the clock spring cable and why a broken clock spring causes problems.
    2006 Prius clock spring (spiral cable) repair | PriusChat

    If brake light switch and clock spring cable are working, it will be something else. But these two items are the most common culprits.

    Remember these old proverbs: You get what you pay for. Penny wise, pound foolish.
    FAKE clocksprings are available on crapbay (ebay) for $8-$30.
    toyota prius clockspring | eBay
    Genuine OEM Toyota part costs $220 from Camelback Toyota; your original clockspring lasted 14 years (depending on your vehicle production date).
    2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping

    Many posts of people who were penny wise, pound foolish. Crapbay part failed soon after installation (~1year). Now these people have to redo their labor or pay for someone's labor AGAIN.

    The clockspring connects your steering wheel airbag to the SRS/Airbag ECUs.
    Read post #3: Be careful of counterfeit Clocksprings / Spiral Cables sold online | PriusChat
     
  10. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Right idea but things can be intermittent.
    Absolutely, positively ruling something OUT as a cause based on only one test can sometimes be a mistake.
     
  11. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    You missed:
    A broken clock spring cable will reveal itself by intermittent operability of some or all the steering wheel buttons, at certain hour positions.
     
  12. hemi71cuda

    hemi71cuda Junior Member

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    Not an issue with being in B instead of D. I tried and I can still turn the system on and off while in B, but I believe you that you can't actually set a cruise control speed in B.

    Allow me to fill everyone in on the last few days

    Monday morning: CC system would not turn on. I stopped at a long light and tried pressing the on-off button repeatedly as I turned the wheel back and forth from lock to lock. It never turned on. Monday afternoon it would turn on & off just fine over about an hour and a half of driving with at least one full stop and powerdown in the middle.

    Tuesday: System would NOT turn on at all

    Wednesday: Did not try in the morning. Worked during a trip midday. Would NOT turn on during afternoon drive. As I was getting close to home and stopped at a stop sign I tried again to press button while turning wheel from side to side. The ONLY point at which I could turn the CC on or off was with wheel turned all the way left against the stop.

    I don't use ALL of the other steering wheel buttons often enough to be definitive but I've never noticed them not work when I've tried. That's another thing I'll try to play with in my travels.

    I appreciate everyones input. It seems the clock spring is the most likely culprit but not ready to jump on it just yet.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    a broken clock spring works twice a day
     
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  14. hemi71cuda

    hemi71cuda Junior Member

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    HA!

    Thursday and Friday experiment results:
    On the occasions that the cruise on-off button does NOT work, EVERY other steering wheel control DOES work just fine.
    I have repeated 1 or 2 more times that when I cannot get the cruise to turn on, if I turn the wheel all the way left till I hit the stop the button will work when in that position.
     
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  15. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    OK, so what do you intend to do next ?

    It seems to me that you now have good evidence (repeatable) of generally where the problem IS......and unless you are considering taking the steering wheel apart yourself and checking out the "clock spring" and looking for a broken wire or loose connection.......I suggest that a shop visit would be appropriate.

    If you do that, don't cloud the issue with ALL of the gory details, just tell them that it doesn't work until you turn the wheel all the way in one direction......and that everything else seems to work. That should be all they need to know.
     
  16. Kstoner

    Kstoner New Member

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    Mine hasn’t these same issues. It’s not working on the highway because it will only let me set the cruise when the steering wheel is in perfect alignment and my alignment seems to be a little off @ the steering wheel.
     
  17. Fakhar87

    Fakhar87 Junior Member

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    I have installed cruise control after market in my prius gen 2 today. It works fine engages and disengages properly but on pressing the on button word CRUISE does not appear on cluster screen no cruise icon or symbol although upon hitting on desired speed it works. My mechanic said that as it was base version with no cruise control thats why it doesnot shows icon IMG-20191018-WA0051.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  18. coyote2

    coyote2 Member

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    My 2005 Prius' factory cruise control hasn't worked for years. Except occasionally it works once. Less than 1% of the times I try it.

    My brake lights work based on the reflection on a wall behind me. (I never left-foot brake.)
    The buttons on my steering wheel work at all clock positions.

    Does this data point to a diagnosis? If so how much would Art's Automotive charge to fix it (I'm not really up to anything that's not easy)?
     
  19. Kiwibird

    Kiwibird Junior Member

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    In my other post, I have reported the problem in my Prius a out the 615 error code, I did techstream test and it shows something wrong with the speed sensor on both left hand and right hand. now I noticed the cruise control not turning on at all, but if I clear the error code with the little obdII scanner,I can turn on the CC but the cruise word is flashing on and off.... Speedometer reading the speed fine though.
    CC word still flashing while driving but no operation.
     
    #19 Kiwibird, Feb 16, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2021
  20. Rajnesh Prasad

    Rajnesh Prasad New Member

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    Try looking at the break light switch
    It has two independent switches built in
    One controls the break lights and the other controls the cruise control. If the CC switch goes bad then it is possible that the CC won't engage and 'CRUISE' in instrument panel will only blink