Cruise Control Issue

cyclone1410 · 14-01-2016, 10:37 PM

I have an issue with the Cruise Control on my 2013 MC Zetec Ecoboost that started about 8 months ago. When I start the car and go for a drive, if I push the Cruise button on the left side of the steering wheel, it won't turn on. I can push it as many times as I like and it refuses to come on. If however I push the Speed Limiter button a couple of times, the speed limiter will eventually turn on, after which if I then push the Cruise button, it will then turn on in standby mode like it should.

The interesting thing is that it doesn't do what I have described above all the time. For weeks on end everything will just work just fine then one day it will play up again. Really strange. Been to the dealer a few times and of course each time it works perfectly with no error codes reported.

Anyway has anybody else had the same issue and if so how was it fixed?

Deo · 14-01-2016, 11:24 PM

Could need to replace the 'clock spring' inside the steering wheel.

Sent from my GTi-9305 using bloody Tapatalk

NZ XR6 · 16-01-2016, 06:48 AM

I've had intermittent cruise control problems with both Mondeos. The MA was similar to yours - wouldn't turn on, then try again a few minutes later and it would work. On the MB, it will turn off completely sometimes after I cancel it.

No answers sorry, but you're not alone!

GTLEGEND · 16-01-2016, 09:19 AM

Sounds like the steering wheel switches to me?

cyclone1410 · 16-01-2016, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTLEGEND

Sounds like the steering wheel switches to me?

My engineering background suggested the switch at first however occasionally it has done the 'turn off a few seconds after finally turning on' trick. It is almost as though the car is not ready to start the cruise function.

ssanjeev · 17-01-2016, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

I've had intermittent cruise control problems with both Mondeos. The MA was similar to yours - wouldn't turn on, then try again a few minutes later and it would work. On the MB, it will turn off completely sometimes after I cancel it.

No answers sorry, but you're not alone!

Hi NZ XR6 - I have a 2012 Mondeo with the same issue, been going on for the last 20 months, been working with the dealer and so far switches, clock spring, instrument cluster, airbag module, and body electronics module have been replaced. Issue still not resolved, and am contemplating taking this to VCAT. Has your issue been resolved?

Thanks in advance.
Sanjeev

NZ XR6 · 17-01-2016, 04:27 AM

No, it didn't bother me enough to go through the hassle of trying to get it repaired.

It sounds like your dealer hasn't tried to diagnose the fault, but is replacing parts and hoping that will fix it.

Have you looked on the UK TalkFord forum?

ssanjeev · 22-01-2016, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

No, it didn't bother me enough to go through the hassle of trying to get it repaired.

It sounds like your dealer hasn't tried to diagnose the fault, but is replacing parts and hoping that will fix it.

Have you looked on the UK TalkFord forum?

Thanks mate, lodging a claim in vcat, dealership is now moving to get this resolved, had the car for an additional 3 days and after swapping a whole bunch of parts. Ford CRC is really useless, interestingly seems to be no manager ever to discuss a case opened for so long.

sailaway · 23-01-2016, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

Have you looked on the UK TalkFord forum?

Do you mean this one?
http://www.talkford.co.uk/

If so the few posts I found there were nothing and the last being in 2011.

Not trying to be a smart a*r*s*e* but just wondering had I missed something there?

Edit: Just found this by accident and it does not seem related to the above talkford site...
http://www.talkford.com/community/fo...-fusion-forum/

Maybe here could also be helpful...
http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums...d-mondeo-club/

ssanjeev · 23-01-2016, 10:39 AM

Hi Pete, thanks for those links, I've been there but to no avail. At this point just got back the car from the dealer after 3 days. They swapped out a number of parts with a test vehicle and issue persists. So far, switches, clock spring, body electronics module, and God knows what else has been changed out.

I wish I had the cash to buy another vehicle so I can go about my everyday life without having to struggle against the system. I don't want to sell the car either with an unresolved issue. Really at my wits end!!!

Binny · 23-01-2016, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssanjeev

Thanks mate, lodging a claim in vcat, dealership is now moving to get this resolved, had the car for an additional 3 days and after swapping a whole bunch of parts. Ford CRC is really useless, interestingly seems to be no manager ever to discuss a case opened for so long.

This really bothers the heck out of me. This is supposed to be a global car and I have no doubt that this issue is occurring and has been resolved all over the world.
Ford as a global entity should be putting knowledge base systems in place that allow their dealers to input symptoms and view other cases around the world and what was done to fix them. Instead they leave the dealers to clutch at straws replacing various parts to see if it fixes the issue. The biggest problem with this is that when the warranty is up it is us the owners that pay for all the unnecessary parts changes.
We live in an information age and Ford (as well as other manufacturers no doubt) need to catch up.

GTLEGEND · 23-01-2016, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binny

This really bothers the heck out of me. This is supposed to be a global car and I have no doubt that this issue is occurring and has been resolved all over the world.
Ford as a global entity should be putting knowledge base systems in place that allow their dealers to input symptoms and view other cases around the world and what was done to fix them. Instead they leave the dealers to clutch at straws replacing various parts to see if it fixes the issue. The biggest problem with this is that when the warranty is up it is us the owners that pay for all the unnecessary parts changes.
We live in an information age and Ford (as well as other manufacturers no doubt) need to catch up.

This is true but for this to occur the dealer has to put the report into the correct reporting system(s) into Ford of which there are two for dealers. Most of the time dealers fail to do so and thus Ford are none the wiser! Are you sure the dealer has reported correctly or are they just saying they have. Dont always assume that it is the case. I have seen situations were concerns are not raised with the manufacturer for weeks or even months after the event or when it all turns to poo..

NZ XR6 · 23-01-2016, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailaway

Do you mean this one?

http://www.talkford.co.uk/

If so the few posts I found there were nothing and the last being in 2011.

Not trying to be a smart a*r*s*e* but just wondering had I missed something there?

Edit: Just found this by accident and it does not seem related to the above talkford site...

http://www.talkford.com/community/fo...-fusion-forum/

Maybe here could also be helpful...

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums...d-mondeo-club/

No, it was just a suggestion to have a look there in case there was anything helpful.

ssanjeev · 23-01-2016, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTLEGEND

This is true but for this to occur the dealer has to put the report into the correct reporting system(s) into Ford of which there are two for dealers. Most of the time dealers fail to do so and thus Ford are none the wiser! Are you sure the dealer has reported correctly or are they just saying they have. Dont always assume that it is the case. I have seen situations were concerns are not raised with the manufacturer for weeks or even months after the event or when it all turns to poo..

Hi GTLEGEND, that is one thing I have been following up on. Have had cases opened with Ford after the first few attempts, but they get closed out and a new one is raised. Dealer is pretty slack IMHO. A lot of embellishment and kids from the dealer, and they have been caught out. I am a stickler for detail and have been keeping tabs on all paperwork. I am a week away from lodging a claim in VCAT.

ssanjeev · 23-01-2016, 09:32 PM

That was supposed to be lies, not kids. Sorry..

sailaway · 25-01-2016, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssanjeev

That was supposed to be lies, not kids. Sorry..

Just use the edit button to change a post. Especially if you spot it early.

lpnb · 31-01-2016, 10:32 AM

Hi guys I think this is my first post here, I had the same issue with a titanium 2009 model recently. except with mine it would intermittently show "ACC not available" and was getting worse to the point where it only worked 5% of the time. I also had an issue where 80% of the time the right down button would not work. I assumed they were not the same issue. anyway since I am now selling the car I needed to sort the issue!

I completely stripped the steering wheel and all the switches. so I could actually individually wipe the gold contacts for every switch. I used contact cleaner (from Jaycar) and some earbuds.

I found there was an amount oily residue and also some other buildup on a few of the switch contacts. cleaned and it all works perfectly now. including the down button which was flakey most of the time. Please don't use WD40 or something like that - it only attracts dust and contamination !!

now, because these switches basically rely on a variable resistance depending which button is pressed, they are very susceptible to problems when there is a poor connection. I measured some of the built in resistors and they go from 50 ohms to maybe 1k, so imagine you press a button with a resistance of 500 ohms and there is some contamination present and you actually get 650 ohms the system will think you are either pressing another button or if it is not associated with a particular button it will just not work.

Hope this helps!

BTW disconnect the battery NEG. while doing this. you have to move the airbag (I did not disconnect it at all I just sat it in the steering wheel while removing the switches) The airbag/horn assembly is retained with 3 or 4 spring clips - you'll need a small flat bladed screwdriver to prise one side of the clip back so as to let the air bag pop out.

I SUPPOSE A WARNING IS IN ORDER - THIS IS AN AIRBAG - EXPLOSIVE DEVICE - IT IS VERY HARD TO MAKE IT GO OFF BUT I GUESS IT IS POSSIBLE GIVEN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES - THAT IS POWER TO THE UNIT. BOOM !!! DON'T PLAY WITH IT UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

cheers and hope it helps in your particular case, if you have not solved it already.

PS I read a thread on the talkford forum that give me the idea - they tried spraying wd40 or RP7 or something into the switches from the side.....may have had the same effect but really not a nice solution. however it gave me the idea that it was definitely a switch issue. surprising really the design of the switch assembly is really nice with 2 pairs of gold contacts per switch not just one pair. so in theory if one is dirty then the other one is there as a backup to give good continuity......anyway ALL GOOD SO FAR!!!

ssanjeev · 31-01-2016, 01:06 PM

Thanks for the heads up mate. I reckon it's worth giving it a shot. Will keep everyone posted on results.

ssanjeev · 11-03-2016, 11:28 PM

Alright folks heads up on my cruise control issue, still not fixed even after it was sent to the folks in Melb. I am however getting the car replaced, must have been more expensive to fix than replace!!

lpnb · 12-03-2016, 01:58 AM

still good here not a single "not available" message.....sorry your having trouble. hope you get it sorted!!!!!!

manchu · 21-03-2023, 02:29 PM

My MC zetec has been having cruise control issues for a while. It started with the system randomly turning off CC after it had been running for a while, but now it doesn't even activate CC. Seems like the 'cancel' button is stuck on.

It doesn't bother me too much, but if I can fix with spray of contact cleaner I'll give it a shot.

Anyone had success with this DIY fix suggested by lpnb in 2016?

cobrin · 21-03-2023, 03:08 PM

I did on a Focus and Fiesta but for the audio controls on the wheel, I used some Wurths product similar to contact cleaner and both vehicles were operational.

The trick is to try and flood underneath the buttons/controls. Definitely don't use anything that will leave a residue, nor a solvent that'll likely lift the paint or chrome on the button.

Mondaveo · 22-03-2023, 11:07 AM

Not steering wheel, but I had success resurrecting my passenger seat heater control button with a few squirts of electronic contact cleaner into the gaps in the trim, after it stopped working last year.
Being situated adjacent to the cupholders, the seat heater buttons are prone to getting splashed by any spills from your beverage, which I guess is what happened to mine to cause it stop responding. Fortunately it came good and so far I haven't had to go further with tearing apart the interior of the car to try to get at it.

manchu · 23-03-2023, 10:04 AM

cheers. I'll give it a squirt with contact cleaner through the gaps.

If that doesn't work I might start pulling things apart.

manchu · 27-03-2023, 01:11 PM

I gave the steering wheel buttons a vigorous pressing/smashing for a few seconds and the cruise control is working again. no spray required.

msford · 04-10-2023, 01:38 PM

I know this thread started a few years ago but I've been having intermittent issues with the ACC as described by the OP. And I've done a fair bit of reading on it and have found the same suggested remedies and tried them out, including replacing the buttons.

After this happening to me again just last weekend I played around with pressing the various buttons on the steering wheel and observed the following and have come to some conclusions of my own.

I believe that the issue is not the switches as I believe they are operational. The reason I believe this is by the fact that the Speed Limiter button works but, also, I noticed that when I pressed the ACC button and then pressed the Speed Limiter button it needed to be pressed at least one more time in order to, I believe, deactivate the ACC function first. What that means, to me, is that the ACC button actually works and it is in ACC mode BUT it hasn't registered with the sensor and displayed on the screen.

I also determined this by pressing the ACC button once, and then pressing it a second time (within a short space of time) and it deactivated the ACC and then I pressed the Speed Limiter button and it activated immediately on the first press.

Is my explanation of what I am getting at clear?

Thus, imo, it is not the buttons on the steering wheel. It may not be, should not be, the contacts (I also bought the contact cleaner and tried that with zero effect in my case).

After dealing with this issue on my car on and off (it seems to happen most frequently in very cold weather, eg every time I have driven to the Snowys) it will then, as if magically, reactivate itself a matter of hours, days or weeks later. And will work fine for weeks and months until one day it will not. There seems to be no real consistency to why it doesn't work except it definitely has failed me every time I have driven to a very cold climate. But it has happened in warmer temps, too, but far less frequently.

Thus, I believe that the ACC button is fine and it is something somewhere else in the system, eg the sensor.

Just thought I'd share this as it just happened to me a few days ago and yesterday the ACC came back on and works perfectly fine, as if it has no fault at all.

But if you have the same response issue as me then I think the issue is not the buttons on the steering wheel so save yourself the cost of replacing those and look for the real source. Which is what I am doing now and hoping a check of the sensor contacts will resolve the issue for me on a more permanent basis.

Cheers

msford · 31-01-2024, 09:21 PM

UPDATE:

My ACC is still having this issue but I accidentally came across a 'fix' online and I've been using it the past month and it works, literally, 100% of the time.

Which makes me believe that it's a clock spring issue and not a buttons issue. The buttons, imo, and as I've suspected, are fine.

So, I found a suggestion online to give the steering wheel a few punches in as many points of the wheel as possible and keep testing the button until the ACC activates. Sometimes it works on the first punch, sometimes it takes a few or a volley of them. And at various points of the wheel, just randomnly punch and then try pressing the ACC button until the ACC activates.

In the past month it has worked every single time and my ACC activates without fail. Previously I would go on a whole 900km trip from Wollongong to Melbourne without ACC working at all but now I get it working 100% of the time in a matter of minutes. It's a joy to be able to have it back on for the Humy Fwy drive.

Sure, it's not a perfect fix, or a permanent one (I'm guessing that would entail fixing the clock spring issue) but it's certainly a cheap one (a little bit of elbow grease) and, as far as I am aware, no harm done.

Cheers and good luck.