Honda Car Forum

I have a 2003 Honda Accord EX and the Cruise Control On/Off button on the steering wheel will not stay depressed. If I press the button, I feel it click and the light on the dash illumiates, but once I let go of the button, it just pops up. Does anyone know if this is repairable myself or how much a dealer would charge? I wouldn't even mind if I could just wire it "always on" (since it can be disengaged while on) but right now I can't even turn it on.Warrenty Expired January 2006.

I'm not a mechanic, but here's what I would do:With the car turned off and the battery disconnected, root around under the dash and find the wiring harness that comes down from the steering column. You may have to remove a dash panel or two to get at it. It should be connected to the car's main wiring harness with a plug of some sort. Disconnect the plug.Using a multi-meter set to test continuity, test pairs of pins in the connector from the steering column, pressing the CC switch with each pair, until you find the pair that come from the CC switch.Isolate the wires for these two pins behind the plug and scrape away a tiny bit of insulation with a knife blade, being careful not to cut through the wire. Test the wire pair again to be *sure* you've got the CC switch wires.Cut the wires, leaving several inches of wire above the plug to work with. Using a good quality crimp connector (or soldering, if you know how and have the equipment), connect the two wires you just cut loose (the two coming from the plug, not the steering column).Make sure there are no bare wires *anywhere* when you're done. Cover everything with heat shrink tubing or electrical tape, then use a tie-wrap to bind all the wires together again. Return the wiring harness to where you found it and re-install any dash panels you had to remove.Reconnect the battery and go for a drive. The CC switch will be totally out of the circuit, but your CC should be permanently turned on.Now here's the fun part. You'll have an extra momentary-contact switch on your steering wheel that's not doing anything. Just think of the possibilities... You could use it for an auxiliary air horn like on a semi-truck, or you could wire it into your brake lights so you could screw with tail-gaters without actually stepping on the brakes. Look for the switch somewhere on your brake pedal assembly and add two wires from the old CC switch to the contacts on the brake pedal switch.Good luck, and have fun!

Your 3yr/60000km comprehensive warranty would cover that repair. Check and see when exactly you purchased the vehicle. Even if you are out of warranty, sometimes 'goodwill' warranty can cover your repair if your warranty just expired within the month.....Good Luck !!

u just need to change the switch..u can get it from your local dealer there not that hard to change

If you did end up just replacing the switch in the steering wheel, did that fix the problem?

I had the same problem. When I tried to engage the cruise control, the cruse control light flashed and the cruise control did not work. I also noticed that this happens more often when the outside temperatures are low (below 5 deg. C). The problem was in the brake switch. The switch is positioned at the brake pedal. On Accord 2003 it can be very easily removed by anti-clockwise rotation of the switch. You can replace the switch with a new one or you can clean the contacts of the old one, since the switch can be dismantled very easily.

Was this issue ever resolved. I have exactly the same problem. Took it to dealership for maintenance and they assured me that it's not the brake switch but the cruise control button itself that must be replaced. Has anyone every done this before?

Quick Fix; Screw the on/off switch in the down position. (READ THESE INSTUCTIONS AT LEAST TWICE BEFORE YOU BEGIN - BE VERY CAREFUL)

There are two phillips screws on the back of the steering wheel for the cruise control switch unit. Carefully remove the unit from the steering wheel; carefully detach the wiring harness from the unit,(push down on the harness latch locked into the switch unit.) remove the three screws on the back of the unit and carefully take apart and remove the printed circuit board. Carefully unlatch the plastic on/off button (there are two latches that hold it in) from the body of the switch. Now, with a very small drill bit (size of one of three screws removed from the back of the switch), drill a very small hole through the flat side of the housing where you removed the on/off button,(position the hole so that it will go through the on/off button). Carefully re-install the on/off button into the housing. Now holding the on/off button in the down position, carefully drill through the first hole straight into the button, take one of the three screws removed earlier and screw it into the button through the drilled holes. Re-assemble the printed circuit board and back of the switch with the two remaining screws. Re-install the switch into the steering wheel. The green cruise control light will always be on; however, will not affect the operation of the cruise control system. no one but you will be able to tell that the switch has been premenantly locked in the down position.

アルプス電気 makes the switch on the printed circuit board. you can probably go to an electronic supply store and re-solder in a new one. Or just go buy a new unit from a dealer or dismantler.

Good luck. Worked for me.

Hello, here is how I fixed the cruise control (C/C) button problem with my 2005 honda accord. My problem was the same as described in most of the posts. The button would not stay pushed down or activated. The cruise control light would go out once I took my finger off the button.
I ended up replacing the c/c button on the circuit board itself. To do this you need a soldering iron and a desoldering iron.
1. Unscrew the two screws located on the back of the steering wheel that hold the cruise control unit in place. A thin philips screw driver works best. Do not remove the screws completely as they are hard to get back in place.
2. Remove the three small screws hold the back cover to the c/c unit. This will then expose the circuit board.
3. Do not, repeat DO NOT, try and remove the wiring harness from the circuit board as it is soldered to the board. I learned this the hard way.
4. Remove the C/C switch by desoldering it from the circuit board.
5. Insert the new switch and solder it in place.
6. Reverse the order to reinstall the c/c unit back in the steering wheel.
I have limited experience working with a soldering/desoldering irons and was able to fix the problem without too much of a hassle. Remember to tin your iron before soldering and Youtube has some good soldering vids to help with this.
The hardest part was finding the correct c/c switch. After many hours of research, I found a place that would sell me just one switch for $1.67. Thats right $1.67 plus shipping is what it cost to fix the problem. Here is the info on the correct switch number and the place I ordered mine from.
The switch is an Alps SPPH120400 vert latching 2 pole pushbutton switch. Its very important you order the right switch as there are very minor differences in the other switches even though they look similar.
I ordered mine from MOUSER ELECTRONICS via their web site Mouser Electronics - Electronic Component Distributor.
I took some pics so if your need them feel free to contact me via my email address.
Good luck and I hope this helps someone else like me out there.