My cruise control lever broke off!

Thanks, 2k1. Yeh, those things occurred to me about the curing. Maybe it would have held if I had waited 24 hrs. Maybe I didn't have the 2 pieces set just right. Anyway, I have a new Chinese lever on the way. Now I've got to chase down how to disarm & remove the airbag, horn, and whatever else is necessary to do the install.

Thanks for the link, Patrick. If this part doesn't work out, I'll be looking for genuine Toyota. It probably won't be any stronger than the first, but at least the original did last over 190K miles!

 

If you do look for genuine OEM, Olathe does a really good job keeping prices affordable.

IMO, the chinese stuff usually does break again. Here's a link if you want to check it out.

Genuine Toyota Parts - Cheap Toyota Parts Store - Factory Parts

 

here is the procedure from alldata...

CRUISE CONTROL MAIN SWITCH:

REMOVAL

1. DISCONNECT CABLE FROM NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL CAUTION: Wait at least 90 seconds after disconnecting the cable from the negative (-) battery terminal to prevent airbag and seat belt pretensioner activation.
2. REMOVE NO. 2 STEERING WHEEL COVER LOWER
3. REMOVE NO. 3 STEERING WHEEL COVER LOWER
4. REMOVE STEERING PAD ASSEMBLY (See: Restraints and Safety Systems\Air Bag Systems\Air Bag\Service and Repair\Steering Pad\Removal)
5. REMOVE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY (See: Steering and Suspension\Steering\Steering Column\Service and Repair\Removal)

1. REMOVE CRUISE CONTROL MAIN SWITCH

(a) Disconnect the connector.
(b)



I can
Remove the 2 screws and switch.

 

The lever is so close to the steering wheel that, if it did not turn with the wheel, there would be a greater chance that the driver's hands would hit it while turning and holding the wheel. That would increase the probability of breaking it off.

 

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Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

The switch arrived today. I'm off for Mardis Gras tomorrow, so there is a good chance I will attempt the install then. I will say I am impressed so far with the apparent quality of the "made in China" part from eBay. Let's see if I am still impressed after the install. Hope I don't set off the airbag! I have my Bentley manual as well as Marc's writeup here. Thanks, Marc!

 

Done! Much easier than I expected. I dilly-dallied around with it for about 1.5 hours. But, if I had known exactly what to do from the get-go, I could easily have done it in under 30 minutes. I thought I was going to have to disconnect the airbag and completely remove it and the steering wheel. Not so! You just loosen the 2 torx screws from the the horn/airbag assembly and swing the assembly forward, then remove the 2 phillips screws holding the cruise switch/lever. Disconnect the switch's electrical pigtail and pull the old switch out.

The "made in China" from eBay part, at least in this case, appears to be identical and of equal quality to the original (except that it isn't broken - yet!). Saved me a few bucks. If I encounter a problem with it down the road, I'll come back here and post it, so others will know.

Here's the step-by-step as I found it, for those who may follow:

Cruise Control Switch/Lever Replacement

1. Write down all your FM & AM radio presets if you care about them. You will lose them when you disconnect the 12v battery.

2. Roll all windows completely up, so that you won't have to reinitialize them after restoring the 12v power.

3. Completely power off the vehicle and remove the key fob from the vehicle (I don't have the Smartkey system, but from what I have read, I suspect it would be best if the Smartkey fob were isolated from the vehicle's Smartkey range after powering down for this and similar procedures). The Bentley manual mentions that the power button should not be pressed while the battery is disconnected from the vehicle, which occurs in the next step. Stray voltages may zap sensitive components if the battery is not present in the circuit.

4. Raise the hatchback lid.

5. Remove the necessary covers/panels in the hatchback area and disconnect the negative battery cable. Cover it with tape or otherwise isolate it securely so that it cannot make electrical contact between the battery and the chassis. Wait a couple of minutes (manual says to let voltage to airbag dissipate for 90 seconds when you are working near it).

6. Remove the Nos. 2 & 3 plastic covers as shown in MarcSmith's post above. They just snap out. You can use a plastic removal tool or suitably sized flat screwdriver covered with electrical tape. I managed to get under mine with my fingernail and then assisted with a screwdriver and my fingers.

7. Unscrew the 2 torx screws (1 under each of the 2 removed plastic covers). Once they are unscrewed all the way out of the metal body of the steering column, they will be retained loosely in the plastic frame of the horn/airbag assembly ("STEERING PAD ASSEMBLY" in diagram). Carefully pull horn/airbag assembly out and tilt the top of it down. You do not have to disconnect it, but do not allow undue force to be exerted on the electrical wires or connectors.

8. Remove the 2 phillips screws securing the cruise switch.

9. Noting its routing first, disconnect the cruise switch pigtail at the upper end and withdraw the switch toward the center of the column.

10. Installation is the reverse of removal.

If anyone knows of any further protocol that needs to be mentioned regarding disarming, or safety working around, the airbag, let me know and I will edit this post. Happy cruising, and LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!

 

Thanks! This just happened to my 06 and I had dropped by Toyota and the part is $260, so I'll break out the superglue first. Great description and I'll try and wait 24 hours to test.
Thanks

 

My superglue fixed radio knob still works countless rotations and 3 years later. I don't tell anybody about it and they are usually very hard on the knob gripping it like it is their lifeblood before twisting and yanking in all directions instead of simply rotating it...

All hail the glorious glue!

 

I just replaced my cruise control stalk. Thank you for the insight!

 

we have used ones for 40 plus shipping.
autobeyours.com

 

Considering my options I will try the super glue method first. I know there's a plethora of superglue/crazyglue variants available. Any advice on which brand or magic ingredient is best for this job?

Thanks!

 

I stopped by my trusty local Ace Hardware store and picked up a small kit of Loctite plastic glue. It has 2 small tubes. You paint the mating surfaces with a primer/activator from tube #1, then squeeze on the actual glue from tube #2. I held the stalk against the bare part of the switch for about a minute to ensure good contact, let it stand overnight, and it seems to be as good as new, although I'm treating it with kid gloves when I use it now.

 

7/10/2018 Thank you for this great instructive guide. I have probably used my cruise under 10 times on my "07 Prius. Recently while driving it started clacking around.I must have hit it with my knee and broke it though I don't remember that happening. After reading this post I tried to glue it but it didn't hold with Gorilla Superglue or JB Weld (the second try) and then wire broke severing the cruise arm right off at the break. Both times I supported it with tape and waited over 24 hours before removing the tape. I bought a replacement on Amazon for $20.99 and a trim tool set for $ 9. Yesterday I did the repair. I did waste time removing bolts from the wrong area in the back until I watched a YouTube Video about disconnecting the battery and then it was easy, and I was ready to get into the drivers seat to begin. From then I followed your directions step by step. I did need my Makita driver to remove the airbag torx screws because I wasn't strong enough to turn them by hand. Just in case I took pictures of how the tail went to connection. It went in very easily and the return of airbag was easy too. I would only add that there isn't a tight fit where the plastic meets because that has to move to beep the horn. By my calculations you and this thread saved me $200.00 - $475.00 dollars. I only spent $30.00. Tested out today and it worked better than the original and held the speed much better especially going downhill.