jarabanos

Solid CEL and no obvious engine problems. Drove it a few days and it turned off by itself (second time I've done this). Then it came back on a few days ago and noticed I cannot turn on my cruise control. Pressing the cruise activation button does nothing now. I have a service appointment scheduled but wondering if anyone else has dealt with this. What would cause a CEL to affect the cruise control system?

dchar

Did you check your gas cap? Is it tightly on?

Just making sure you're using the cruise control right...you push the button at the end, then press down on the stalk to set the speed. You're doing this, right?

jarabanos

Thanks, I'll check the gas cap. And yes I am using the cruise correctly. Just made a cross country trip from LA to Minneapolis so the cruise was employed for much of that trip! When I press the button at the end, the dash light that normally comes on does not.

2Squared

Take you car to your local Autozone, they will check the your OBDII codes for free which will tell you why the CEL is coming on.

bclexus

Some CEL codes will disable the cruise control even though what caused the CEL is not directly associated with the cruise control.

O'Reilly's is another auto supply store that will check your OBD code(s) at no charge. To reset the code(s) you must do it yourself - some auto stores will allow you to push the reset button...

dougm213

I've encountered this same problem.

On a recent fill up the gas cap was left loose so I am assuming this was the cause. I have a Bluetooth OBD dongle (sp?) but haven't used it with the IPhone I now have. And the software "OBD Fusion" seems to become more versatile (now connects with Wi-Fi also) and thus more complex to use. Need to figure out how to pair so I can see the error code and hopefully clear it. Unfortunately did not realize the connection to Cruise Control until starting a 400 mile drive.

For other cars I've had the error would clear itself if you filled the tank and ran for 50 miles or so, but not the case here, 2 fill ups and 600+ miles. About a 10 days now.

cstone3636

I just had my CEL light come on with my 16 ES350 and the cruise also wouldn't work. I was told its designed to not work when the light comes on so don't worry about it. I had an emission valve part that needed replaced and once it was done the cruise came back just fine.

LectraDave

Thanks for the information regarding the connection between the check engine light and the cruise control. My Check Engine light come on recently and at the same time, the cruise control would not turn on. I checked and found no fuses blown. Using an OBD adapter and the "Car Scanner" app, I found error codes P0441 and P0455, were set both as stored and permanent. Both of these codes relate to a leak or malfunction of the evaporative emission system. When I checked the gas cap, it appeared to be slightly looser than I expected. After removing and reinstalling the gas cap, I used the Car Scanner app to reset the error codes. This eliminated the stored codes but not the permanent codes; however, this reset did clear the Check engine light and restored the cruise control function. Presumably, the loose gas cap was the cause of the check engine light and the P codes. I can see no reason to disable the cruise control for a failure of the emission system. I suspect that the manufacturer is concerned that owners might simply ignore a emission control system failure which did not affect driveability; so they "manufactured" a cruise control problem to manipulate owners into having their cars checked.