If you are planning the great American road trip from coast to coast sometime in the near future, hopefully your vehicle is equipped with cruise control. Many of our highways in the US heartland and western states are wide open stretches of road. Having cruise control gives you the freedom to set your speed and let the car do most of the work on those long stretches of highway. Cruise control is a feature in our vehicles that helps facilitate the driving process and at the same time improves your vehicle’s overall gas mileage. There’s nothing worse than going to set your cruise control and it does not work. In this article, we explore a how cruise control functions and what may be the cause if you need cruise control repair.
How’s it Work?
First, let’s talk about the basic operation of your vehicle’s cruise control system.
The cruise control system controls the speed of your vehicle in a similar fashion that you do when you press down on the gas pedal. However, instead of pushing down or letting up on the pedal, the cruise control system engages with the throttle through a cable that is connected to an actuator, or type of motor. When a driver makes speed adjustments on his cruise control switches on the steering column, this determines how much the cable will open or close the throttle valve to control the flow of air to the engine.
To disengage cruise control, the driver merely needs to tap the brake pedal or turn off the switch on the steering column. This will put the acceleration or deceleration back into the control of the driver.
Cruise control systems have continued to evolve from their conventional design with something called adaptive cruise control. Through the use of laser and radar technology, adaptive cruise control can properly maintain a safe driving distance between one vehicle and another. This more advanced technology has been tested and used in a more expanded manner with self-driving cars.
What’s Wrong with My Cruise Control?
Understanding how cruise control works is helpful when you are trying to figure out what’s wrong with it when it doesn’t function.
The more common issues that will surface with cruise control may be in the following components:
- Controls, switches, or wiring – including the brake switch and other controls that are tied to the in-cabin driver switches
- Fuses or relays that control the actuators
- Leaks in the vacuum actuator, which is the type of actuator used in older vehicles
- Speed sensor communication issues which can impact the functioning of the cruise control system.
The above issues are just a few of the more common areas that a certified technician will look at when diagnosing your cruise control repair issue. Keep in mind that unlike other components of your vehicle, ongoing maintenance is not something you can do with a cruise control system. In many cases, the only indication that there is a problem is when your cruise control system is not functioning at all.
If you are experiencing any issues with your cruise control, contact Geller’s Automotive in Byram, New Jersey, to make an appointment for cruise control repair.
