Hi,

I purchased a 2011 Maxima recently, however the cruise control will not work. The light does come on when I turn it on, but it will not engage. The light does not blink as some have reported, nor do In have any check engine lights.

I did do the basic maintenance as soon as I got it though.

K&N drop in filter
changed the spark plugs (pain in the butt for the rear 3)
changed the serpentine belt
changed motor oil
got 55w HIDs for fogs and low beams
cleaned throttle body and MAF sensor
topped off brake fluid as it was giving the "brake and traction control" lights


I checked the sensors on the bottom by the brake, both have the little tips and are fully pressed when the pedal is not being used.

I believe it is the actual control on the steering wheel

Is there a guide, or pictures somewhere on how to remove it? i tried to remove it but I could not seems that it goes all the way into the steering wheel and every time I tried it would honk when i pushed down

 

Need a little clarification. I take it that the cruise control did work early in your ownership and it quite working after you did the listed maintenance. Is that correct? If it is was it right afterward or some time later on?

 

Hello, sorry.

It was not working prior or after the maintenance.

 

Check out the FSM EC (Engine Control) section. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

The SR section may help you to get at those switches.

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/nis...e-manuals.html

 

It's a long shot but I had a similar issue on my older maxima. The system would think it was on... Turns out one of the vacuum hoses was disconnected in the engine bay close to the brake reservoir. Might be worth checking into.

 

Did you check to see if the fuse is good, if there is one. My car is downtown so I can't check.

Changing out the steering control unit might or might not help as there is a lot of mechanical and electronic sub units that make up this system and anyone of them could be defective. I wouldn't doubt that if something is changed out that the cruise control system will have to be recalibrated.

You should have this system scanned at the dealership as not only does it control the throttle but the brake system is also tied in.

 

I will try and find a fuse on it later.

I cant seem to find it on the owners manual as to which one engages cruise control.


Premier nissan of san jose wanted $165 including labor and a diagnostic
that is why I hopped on here lol

 

May or may not be a stupid question, are you hitting set after you hit the on button?

 

I turn it on, on the gauge cluster it lights up but when I press set, it just wont set...

I tried looking for a fuse but could not find any for cruise control.

 

I realize you probably want a fast and easy answer such as a blown fuse. That is highly unlikely. First of all read the owners manual carefully. Read all the instructions and make absolutely sure that you are activating the cruise control as instructed.

If that does not help you may need to search and read the FSM that I provided a link to.

So many people that come to this site looking for quick answers. It is great when you can find a quick answer. But many times it takes time and effort to understand how a particular system operates and what the possible causes of the malfunction are. Much of the information you need to resolve a problem is contained in the owners manual. If you do not find it there and you have some technical skill you will find it in the FSM.

 

First of all the owners manual tells you to engage the parking brake and then release it to make absolutely sure that the parking brake light is out. If the parking brake or it's switch is malfunctioning your CC probably will not work.

 

This is normal operation

Press MAIN switch. (The CRUISE lamp in combination meter illuminates.)
When vehicle speed reaches a desired speed between approximately 40 km/h (25 MPH) and 144 km/h (89MPH), press SET/COAST switch.

Are you going at least 25 MPH when you press the set button?

 

More than likely your vehicle has one of these conditions. You will need to rule out each of these conditions. Some of this is easy to check some may require a dealer visit.

When any of following conditions exist, cruise operation will be canceled.
• CANCEL switch is pressed
• More than 2 switches on ASCD steering switch are pressed at the same time (Set speed will be cleared)
• Brake pedal is depressed
• Selector lever position is N, P or R
• Vehicle speed decreased to 13 km/h (8 MPH) lower than the set speed
• TCS system is operated
• CVT control system has a malfunction. Refer to EC-437, "Description". *****THIS ONE SEEMS VERY LIKELY *****

 

You could be right. Check out the FSM section SR starts at page SR-3. Be careful of the airbag you do not want to create more problems. You should be able to check the condition of the switches with an ohmmeter.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Maxima/2012%20Maxima/SR.pdf

Unless you find something easy your best bet is to take the car in for a diagnostic check. Nissan should hook the car up and test the entire CC system. They will charge you, hopefully a reasonable fee, for diagnosing the problem. You do not have to have them fix it. Probably worth it before you starting tearing your car apart. They may even end up finding something simple. GOOD LUCK!

 

Take the car to Autozone and have it scanned for trouble codes (DTC's) not all of them will activate your check engine light. A DTC may be preventing you CC from working.

P1700 CVT CONTROL SYSTEM
Description
This DTC is displayed with other DTC regarding TCM. Perform the trouble diagnosis for corresponding DTC.
Refer to EC-542, "DTC Index". When this DTC is detected, the ASCD control is canceled.

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/cruise...l_diagnose.htm

CRUISE CONTROL WON'T ENGAGE

The cruise control system will NOT engage if any of the following conditions are present:

* The transmission is in Park, Neutral, Reverse or Low gear
* The clutch is disengaged (clutch pedal depressed)
* The vehicle is traveling less and 25 to 30 mph (varies depending on year/make/model of vehicle)
* The driver is holding his foot on the brake pedal (or the brake pedal switch is showing a constant application of the brakes)
* There is no input from the vehicle speed sensor (which will also prevent the speedometer from working)
* Engine speed and/or throttle position does not match the commanded position
* Electrical voltage to the PCM or other components in the system is too low (less than 9 volts)
* The ABS or Traction Control system has been active for more than two seconds (this may vary depending the application)
* Vehicle speed is excessive (some cruise control systems are programmed NOT to work above a certain maximum speed for safety reasons (typically 90 mph or faster)
* The system's self-diagnostics has detected a fault and set a code. This will deactivate the system and prevent it from functioning until the fault is diagnosed and repaire

 

There is no fuse for the CC. The signals from the steering wheel switches go to the ECM (Engine Control Module). If the ECM had a fuse blown you would probably have many other issues.

Try the easy stuff first, get your codes read and do a good visual inspection of your previous work. Are you sure the CC did not work prior to the repair work you listed in your first post?

The problem may be as simple as a broken control switch assembly but you may want to check out some of the other things before you replace it.

 

I was looking around at different tsbs for different years, this may apply to your issue

https://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b351713/

 

I checked all fuses, and relays everything seems fine. I might swap the switches on the pedal with my 03 altima if they are compatible and see if that works. as far as the TSB, I am really interested by it. Is there a way I can see a way to solve it? or is it just an announcement stating what can go wrong?

sorry never dealt with a tsb

 

I wish I could answer that, I started a thread to learn how the tsb works and such