Proper Care for Your Jaguar’s Cruise Control System in Charleston
Jaguar’s brand name brings forth an image of the sleek hood ornament, a stylish and powerful vehicle, and assurances of reliability. The brand is one of a kind. As thousands of owners can testify, Jaguar is a brand that is loved and trusted worldwide.
All cars over time can experience issues if not cared for with regular servicing as recommended by Jaguar. One potential problem that can arise is an issue with the cruise control. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the possible causes of faulty cruise control and what you can do to keep yours working as intended.
The Dynamics of Cruise Control
Cruise control is designed to be engaged by the driver to maintain the desired speed when not wanting to control the vehicle manually with the gas pedal. When your car decreases speed on hills, it opens the throttle body up to gain more speed. In the same instance, when traveling downhill, your cruise control restricts the throttle body to decrease speed.
Causes of Cruise Control Failure
There are some common reasons for failure of a Jaguar’s cruise control system. We’ve put together a list of the most common:
Defective Brake Pedal Sensor
A brake pedal position sensor tells your Jaguar the amount of depression on your brake pedal. It monitors the brake pedal’s movement and location to engage the brake, brake lights, and turn off cruise control when the brake pedal is pressed.
Once this sensor malfunctions, your cruise control will not operate. One tell-tale sign of a bad brake pedal position sensor is if your brake lights remain on all of the time.
Fuse or Relay Failure
As any teenager has learned when hooking up their new aftermarket car stereo, fuses and relays will blow. When they do, anything on the circuit path will be disabled. The same goes for any fuse or relay failure that controls your cruise control. Depending on your model, you may experience loss of other features or only the cruise control.
Bad fuses and relays can be a sign of underlying electrical issues. Anytime you find a blown fuse or relay you cannot explain, have your Jaguar serviced by a professional.
Vacuum Leaks
In some older models, a cable and vacuum hose are used to actuate the cruise control at the throttle body. If your car has a vacuum leak, this may cause a malfunction.
Faulty Solenoid
Staying with vacuum-assisted cruise control systems, a poor solenoid inside the servo unit will cause a cruise control failure. A diaphragm inside the servo moves with vacuum pressure and engages the solenoid. When the solenoid is faulty, you will find yourself having to use the gas pedal until a repair is made.
Electronic Throttle Control System Failure
The Electronic Throttle Control System, or ETCS, is prevalent in newer cars. It controls your cruise control electronically. If the system has intermittent issues or fails, your cruise control will shut down.
Bad Spiral Cable
A spiral cable is located in your Jaguar’s steering column. If the cable shorts and creates an open circuit, your cruise control may not send the required signals to your throttle body. In turn, your cruise control will not function.
Gear Shift Sensor
Your Jaguar has sensors on the gear shift that allow specific tasks to be performed by your vehicle. One allows the car to start when the gear selector is in park or neutral mode, another enables cruise control only when in drive mode. If the drive sensor is bad, your cruise control will not know when you are driving.
Code Faults
When your car’s computer system recognizes an issue, it may trigger a check engine light due to the fault. On some models, when a check engine light appears with a code, the cruise control will be disabled.
My Euro Pro Can Repair your Cruise Control System
As you can see, your Jaguar’s cruise control has many potential options for failure. At My Euro Pro, we are a family-owned and operated auto repair center specializing in only European vehicles.
Our highly-trained and certified technicians are experts in solving any issues arising in your Jaguar. We help prevent problems in your cruise control by monitoring the components during your routine visits.
We proudly serve the Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC areas along with Wilmington, NC. Our locations are full-service repair centers and can handle all of your car’s needs. Call us today for a convenient appointment.