Here is Why You BMW Cruise Control not working Introduction
There are various features installed in today's cars which make the driving more comfortable and easy. They help in safety of the vehicles and also help you in controlling the car effectively. Some of them become very much useful in long journeys by making the driver less stressed. Such feature in the car is cruise control that I’m gonna discuss with you in this article. You will know how much the cruise control is helpful and what to do if it stops working.
Cruise control in BMW
Cruise control are the special features in cars that make the car run with a constant speed during long journeys even without application of accelerator or the gas pedal. Long journeys in cars or any vehicles can be extremely stressful. People easily get annoyed when driving cars for a long distance or long time. So this problem has been solved by the cruise control. The cruise control systems work with traction control system. To have the cruise control work, you have to activate it by pressing the cruise control bottom located at the steering wheel. There is the cruise control module, which then notes the current speed and then it operates the throttle body. This activates the cruise control fully. The speed can be controlled if needed. The cruise control system can be again deactivated if you press the cancel button of the cruise control on the steering wheel. It can also be deactivated if you press the brakes.
Cruise control are also available of complex versions, known as adaptive cruise control system which can monitor the position of other vehicles with respect to your car. This avoids the collision by simply warning and braking automatically.
Cruise control systems prevent road hazards by controlling the speed. As the driver do not have to press the accelerator pedal for long, the driving becomes less stressful. If the driver would be less stressed, the chances of having accidents would also be low. So the cruise control system has become one of the most important component of the cars now a days.
What causes the cruise control to stop working?
Faulty brake light switch
The cruise control stops working, when the brakes are pressed. The brake light at the rear glows when the brakes are pressed. The light is turned on and off by the brake light switch provided at the brake pedals. The cruise control knows if the brake is pressed or not by the brake lights. If the switch is faulty, then the brake light would not glow and the cruise control would not detect if the brakes are actually pressed or not.
Faulty brake light
If the brake light is faulty, they it may not glow properly. The cruise control would fail to detect if the brake are pressed or not. The cruise control would not work at all.
Faulty cruise control switch
The cruise control is made on and off by the cruise control switch. But if the switch is malfunctioning due to being pressed hard or by cleaners escaped into it.
Damaged or disconnected spiral cable
The spiral cable is present in the steering column. It connects the different switches present on the steering wheel to their respective systems. If the spiral cable is damaged, then even the switches are working properly, but they would not be able to operate their systems. The cruise control would not work even if the switch is pressed on.
Blown fuse
The fuse is present in the cruise control system to protect its components from electrical hazards. If the fuse is blown, then the electric supply to the system would not be possible.
Issues in engine
If there is some issues in engine, then the check engine light would glow and the control module would make the cruise control to stop working.
Faulty speed sensor
If the speed sensor is malfunctioning, then the cruise control would not work. A cruise control works on a definite speed range. If the sensor is faulty, then it would not able to know about the speed of the vehicle and would not work.
Conclusion
If the cruise control is malfunctioning, then have your car diagnosed at the BMW service center as soon as possible, or else it can be dangerous for you afterwards.