My cruise control lever broke off!

Yep, happened to me.

I now almost never use the Cancel function...

 

I have caught the lever on my knees while making turns before. That could definitely create enough force to break it off. So far I haven't, Knock on wood.

It does seem like a silly design. I don't think it should turn with the wheel.

Mike

 

[Emphasis added.]

As soon as I saw the title of this thread, I wondered if the CoastalETech EV
mod was installed. The repair cost is sure going to eat up any prior
incremental FE/MPG savings.

CoastalETech EV mod users, other than being very gentle with the
stalk/switch, what can be done to minimize this failure? Has anyone
taken the stalk/switch apart?

As an example, can the cruise control stalk be disassembled and then filled
with epoxy, etc, to stiffen/strengthen it before it succumbs to repeated use
failure?

 

I've whacked mine a fair number of times with my knee getting in and out. Haven't broken it yet. Where's some wood to knock on?

 

lbligh,

From earlier posts, I presume that the stalk is hollow. The breakage you've
reported is a classic failure mode for a hollow tubular structure that gets a
dent or kink in it. Essentially the tube collapses and the collapsed portion then
acts like a hinge, until it breaks in two.

To expect any long term success with a glued repair, you'll need to bridge
across the failed section/broken ends with something solid, either inside or
outside... kind of like a splint on a broken bone.

Hope this helps.

And please keep us advised of what you try, and how well it works over time.

 

Why is the cruise cont. lever NOT under warranty? It seems to me that Toyota, if they're smart will cover the new lever & labor @ a N/C to you. Their sales are down over 30% and they need you as their customer. I wouldn't hesitate to tell the owner or manager what I said in a non-hostile manner.

Just kidding. Your repair job should be done out of good will & to save face. I once had an $800 computer chip module in my Accord fail. I was @ 32,000 miles and was over the 3 yr, warranty by 6 months. That dlr. did me right and if I didn't want a Prius I would go back to Honda.

 

Well, it wouldn't be the dealer giving them a "free repair", it would be Toyota USA. Wouldn't hurt to phone them and ask though. They are known to be very helpful. -I- would consider it poor design, as it's easy to whack the lever getting in and out.

 

The breakage can go either way. It probably was caused by accidentally hitting the lever without knowing it or it is simply a bad design and fell off from its stalk. The dealer can always say that it is not their fault that it broke, but the part should be covered under warranty and the labor is an out-of-pocket expense. If this is the case, it is a done deal. Have it replaced...and remember not to sit too close to the steering wheel.

 

I use my CC as often as possible, so I believe that if the lever is flexed even a little bit 20-30 times a day the stress will eventually break it. Mine didn't just SNAP, it refused to function for a day or two when the amount of flex in the nearly broken lever didn't make the Cancel switch engage. It broke completely while engaging it.

What MIGHT help is a stop of some sort, where the lever is only allowed to travel as far as needed for the switch to engage, and no further. That'd cut back on the flexing. Maybe some rubber bumber of exactly the right thickness attached to the wheel...

 

I'm lbligh's husband.

Superglue worked fine, as far as I can tell. Glued it up and drove it around. No problems. Lot cheaper than replacing the part.

For what it's worth, here's the detail.

The shaft is square U-shaped in cross section, wires run through the U, a screw-on plate covers the U open side of the U. Unfortunately from a design standpoint, the open side of the U faces the front of the car, so you stress the open side when you use the switch.

Very bottom of the shaft is solid. Shaft snapped right where the where the U-shaped portion starts.

Only positive is that it's a nice clean break, perfect for superglue.

There's an access plate in the back of the steering wheel cover that allows you to get to the switch. Turn the wheel so that the switch is facing up, put a screwdriver under the top portion of the access cover (the side of the cover facing the driver), pry it up and pull it over the broken shaft.

Dry fit the pieces a few times, because a good superglue joint is pretty much a timed dexterity test. A flashlight is helpful but ultimately you have to do it by feel. Jiggle them until they feel like the pieces are matched. When you're got a good idea of how to snug the parts up right, apply your superglue liberally, press the pieces together, and hold till they set.

My guess is that the superglue is stronger than the underlying plastic. Get a good joint and it ought to work fine.

But if this breaks again, I'm probably just going to superglue it again. What I'm saying here is that superglue is not just sufficient, anything else would be half-baked. The there's almost nothing of the shaft you can get to below the broken portion. If the superglue fails, I might consider running a screw into the bottom of the shaft and attaching the top to that with expoxy putty. I might consider supergluing headless brads to the outside of the shaft (with gel-type superglue). But probably, if it breaks again, I'll just superglue it again. Now that I've done it, I'm guessing it would take me three minutes start to finish to redo it.

So, if yours breaks, try superglue -- the Rodney Dangerfield of adhesives. But perfect for this task.

 

Maybe a layer of epoxy over the superglue, for extra strength?...

 

Yeah, that's a reasonable suggestion. At this point it seems OK, but if it breaks again I'll consider that.

 

my brother cant use his cruise control lever. he had a small piece of his cruise control on/off lever that broke and fell out. i called to a toyota dealerships and they want $250 to fix it. is this reasonable amount for simply chnging a lever?

 

MSRP on the cruise control switch, 84632-08020, is $57. It's necessary to remove the horn button assembly (containing the driver's airbag) to get to the switch.

Sounds like the labor charge is ~$180 for around one hour of labor. Not the cheapest, but not crazy expensive either (compared to other dealer service dept pricing stories posted here.)

 

Chogan2--Thanks so much for posting a detailed "how to". I followed your directions exactly, and it is still working great 1 month after I glued it.

 

Mine broke off last week. I tried the superglue approach -- twice. Thought the second time it might actually hold. But, started out on the road 2 or 3 hours later and it snapped off the first time I pushed the lever down to set the cruise speed.

Tired of it clanking around when I turn the steering wheel now. It was a bad idea to design this so that the lever moves with the steering wheel. I have never liked that. I couldn't find a genuine Toyota replacement lever anywhere near $57 (don't want used), so I have ordered a made in China version for $52 (free shipping). We'll see how it works out, and how much fun it will be to remove all the horn/airbag stuff.

 

$80.66 plus shipping here:
2007 Toyota Prius Parts - AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway Parts

 

Well... yeah.

Cyanoacrylate may join the pieces in seconds, but generally takes a full 24 hours or more to cure. Also being the winter it will take longer in the cold. You need warm moist air to make a full bond.