Cruise Control failing-AGAIN!!!

Back in NOV, the dealer had my car for almost 30 days waiting for the ECU to come back, they sent it out to have it re-programmed to fix the CC problem. For some reason the cruise control just turns itself off and would hardly stay on at all.

SOA credited me a month's car payment and the dealer gave me $500 in service credit for my troubles. WELL, the cruise control is failing AGAIN!!. After they first fixed the problem, it worked fine, then about a month later, it failed just a couple of times so I let it go. Then progressively it seemed to happen more and more. I called the dealer and let them know and set up an appt for Feb. 21st, just to have it looked at again. Well now it is getting even worse, just like the first time. This morning on my way to work, it would barely stay on. So here we go with round two!!

Tell em you want it lemon'd, and you want a really good deal on a Spec B, or an 07 GT...

 

I'd be frustrated as hell if the same problem kept coming back.

Moved to warranty – Best of luck with your troubles.

Thanks guys...I called SOA and s/w Chris, he originally handled my compaint before it was handed off to a Sr. Rep, and he remembered me. I'm just lining all my ducks up so nothing eff'd up happens again. He is going to follow up w/ the dealer on Tuesday...that will keep em on their toes

Exactly why I haven't bothered to bring my car to the dealer.

 

They obviously don't know what the problem is, or it's too expensive to repair & they are blowing us off with the BS reflash nonsense.

 

I don't have the time to drive around in a loaner for 3 days and get the car back with the same problem time after time.

 

Eventually, when enough complaints force Subaru to seriously confront this defect, I'll make the time to drop my car off at the dealer.

 

 

 

 

 

My CC has been getting worse & worse also.

 

Forget 4th gear at all now. Well if you stay under 50 MPH it's OK.

 

The problem started exactly @ 68 MPH, and now anything over 52 MPH it will not engage at all.

 

And now the problem has spread to 5th gear!

 

It can't be a software problem.

 

Software problems don't get worse over time.

 

It is NOT the shifter linkage...

It is NOT the brake or clutch pedals...

 

And going by everyones stories about the neutral switch replacement.

It ain't that either.

 

 

It is mechanical,

 

And I bet it involves a trans swap.

 

 

Kicking myself in the a$$ everyday for not buying the TL that I knew I should've.

Dude, I hear ya, I wish it was only 3 days, they had my car for almost 30 days, someone eff'd up somewhere..I dunno. I wouldn't just ignore it though, that's what your warranty if for. BTW, your profile says "Lower Hudson Valley" I am in the Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie area...what about you? Also, what dealer did you get your car from?

West Point area.

 

Bought the car in Jedi's neighborhood.

No problem with them whatsoever.

 

 

 

Like I said,

 

Why drop off my car at the dealer,

drive around in a loaner for a few days,

taking time from work for all of this....

 

when I know for a fact that they cannot, or will not fix it?

Or at least no one I've heard of who has had this problem permanently fixed.

 

 

I'm not the type of guy who enjoys being frustrated/tourtured.

 

I have a wife and kids for that.

 

I swear they didn't "road test" these things very long before they started up the assembly line.

 

Don't get me wrong.

It's a nice, comfortable, dependable car.

So far.

 

But I really think no one bothered to drive these things in "real world" conditions before they started pumping them out.

 

 

Even the '06 has many of the same problems.

 

Is that it?

 

Buy a newer model to rid yourself of the faults?

 

Not my idea of a well engineered, quality-built vehicle.

If this is in a 5MT (which I'm assuming) then the problem sounds like a bad neutral switch causing your cruise control to disengage. There have been a couple of people on here with the same problem. Generally the simplest answer is the correct one, and software and/or ECU problems only related to the CC is not the simplest answer. Brake Pedal switch, clutch switch, and neutral switch are far more likely suspects (and it's probably just a loose connection).

Dude you need to force em on the lemon law...You can get a new car out of the deal if you play your cards right. Do some searching and you can find out what happened in my case.

I just started having the problem with my 5MT as well about a month ago. Are there any other threads or areas with pertinent information I can reference? It's annoying as hell and I use my cruise control all the time.

I received a call from Chris-SOA two days ago informing me that they can do a temporary fix for now, but there is an expected due date sometime in March for a permanent fix. Supposedly they are re-writing the cruise control software. He didn't know the difference between the "temp fix" they have now and the "perm fix" they are coming out with. I told him that I will wait then until March instead of taking the car in twice. I did ask him..."what if this permanent fix does not work?" He really didn't have an answer for me at this point, they will have to see if it fails after that. I doubt hightly I can get them to lemon this car after only trying to fix it one time. After this permanent fix, if it doesn't resolve the problem once and for all....im calling cousin Paulie...ya know that one that works in the garbage business...

does this only affect 2.5i?

Any mods to your car, dougc?

 

And who is that babe in your avatar?

the babe is a pr0n queen

nope no mods...and um..yeah..that's Jenna....

When would you have bought the TL? Would it have been a manual? Friend is having transmission trouble with his, 2nd gear syncro is failing. Others have had trouble. After beginning to grind, will pop out of second gear:

 

http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80179

 

05s seem to be having trouble with 3rd gear, although a switch in transmission oil seems to fix it for most: http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125763

 

So yes, even the TL has troubles...and over multiple years of production.

 

Any other dealers fairly close?

 

-B

I've been having problems with my CC too. It would work fine the first hour or so then slowly fail until it won't engage at all.

 

I've been looking at the service manual for all the fault conditions in the cruise control and there are quite a bit. Brake switch, clutch switch, if it determines that it can no longer sustain the cruise. It'll turn off even if you just keep you foot on the accelerator for too long.

 

I was thinking of connecting some LEDs to the brake/clutch/neutral switches to see if they are faulty. But it doesn't explain why they would go bad only after driving for a while..

If this is in a 5MT (which I'm assuming) then the problem sounds like a bad neutral switch causing your cruise control to disengage.

 

it is a know problem with the sti. could be the same issue.

 

ted

check this out...so yesterday I bring my car in to get an oil change/air filter and inspection done. I drive home yesterday..everything was cool. Later that evening I took a ride to the store and the check engine light came on and the cruise was flashing. Now this never happened before even though the cruise control is not working properly. I tried turning the cc on and off but it didn't work at all, I turned the car off and on to see if it would go away but it wouldn't. Well, this morning when I started the car before going to work, both lights were off and they did not come on again so far....hmmm..weird.

Well, this morning when I started the car before going to work, both lights were off and they did not come on again so far

 

translation: dealer cannot duplicate problem = no problem at all.

Without you pulling the code from the ECU (which is what the Check Engine light is trying to tell you), my guess would be that the ECU finally figured out your neutral switch is bad. You can go to Advance Auto, Auto Zone, etc. to have them pull the history code from the ECU. Then you can look it up here or on the web and see what you find. Just make sure they don't clear the code.

 

Then you can go to the dealership with some ammo (instead of some lame software problem, which it isn't) assuming this is related to your cruise control issue.

 

FWIW, having the cruise light flash with the Check Engine light is normal behaviour when a fault code is set and active in the ECU. This is done as a precaution in case the ECU is receiving false information from a sensor since it is controlling the throttle by wire.

 

I would put money on it NOT being a software problem and it being a sensor/connector/wiring problem. There are 3 override sensors which can cause the cruise not to engage, the clutch, brake, and neutral safety switch (in addition to the cruise control stalk switches). I guarantee that the throttle/cruise control code has been thoroughly checked, in addition to redundancies built into the ECU to detect problems.

Also, according to the service manual:

The cruise control system is deactivated and the set speed is also canceled if any of the following abnormalities occurs in the system electric circuits. The system deactivation function is retained until the ignition switch is turned OFF.

- Abnormality of the command switch is detected.

- Abnormality of the stop light switch and brake switch is detected.

- Abnormality of the inhibitor switch is detected. (AT)

- Abnormality of the neutral position switch is detected. (MT)

- Abnormality of the ignition switch is detected.

- Change in vehicle speed signal is detected.

- Abnormality in any of the engine related sensors is detected.

- Abnormality of the brake switch input circuit in the engine control module (ECM) is detected.

- The MAIN switch and command switch were already ON when the ignition switch is turned ON.

 

AND

 

When any of the following conditions is met, the cruise control is cancelled.

To set the cruise control again, the vehicle speed must be returned to within the speed setting range and necessary conditions must be met.

- Abnormal engine speed acceleration is detected.

- The vehicle speed has dropped below the lower control limit during cruise control driving.

- The vehicle has been running at speed higher than the set speed for an abnormally long time during cruise controlled driving.

- The set speed became impossible to be maintained for some reason (steep upgrade, hand brake operation, abnormal engine power drop, etc.).

 

--Enjoy

I had the same problems and frustrations

they reflashed twice before finally changing the Neutral Switch.

The results:

CC problem gone.

The car is now smoother when CC is on and going downhill

And it also fixed my problem I had when the RPM would hang between shifts.

Finally a car that's driveable.

good luck !

Bob

so this is a 2.5i-only problem?

Well I honestly don't see how the neutral switch would give:

 

an OK reading (in any gear) @ 30 - 60 MPH,

 

and give bad readings above 55 MPH. (4th gear)

 

and bad readings above 62 MPH (5th gear)

 

Or how it would be "OK" in 3rd, but "terrible" in 4th, and "not happy" in 5th gear.

 

Nontheless, I ordered me the stupid switch ($26.00 shipped) to replace as soon as the weather gets above 45.

 

 

My car has no modifications,

 

and has NEVER thrown a "check engine" code, so the ECU sees nothing wrong.