Like with most cars, the Nissan Qashqai comes with great features like cruise control to enhance your overall drive. Cruise control focuses on helping you maintain your speed, but it may not always work properly.
You may be wondering why your Nissan Qashqai cruise control is not working. I did some digging, and here is what I learned!
Nissan Qashqai Cruise Control Not Working?
Nissan Qashqai cruise control would stop working because of a problem with the electrical system, which is normally a blown fuse, damaged relay, or a weak voltage source. Additionally, problems with the brake system, like a bad brake system, can make the Nissan Qashqai cruise control malfunction since cruise control systems are often connected to the brakes.
Are you interested to learn about more reasons why your Nissan Qashqai’s cruise control does not work? I compiled a list of reasons below, so read on!
1. Electrical Issues
Usually, the Nissan Qashqai’s cruise control stops working because there is an electrical issue in your car.
For instance, the most common reason why your cruise control would stop working is that you have a blown fuse.
Since your cruise control is an electrical system in your car, it will be controlled by fuses that allow power to flow to the electrical system and protect it.
If there was a short circuit or fault, the cruise control’s fuse will blow to protect the main electrical unit from damage.
However, this will also cause your cruise control to stop working since no electricity will flow to the cruise control system.
Generally, you can fix this by finding the fuse that is connected to your cruise control system and replacing it with a new and compatible fuse.
Another common electrical problem that you may have with your cruise control is a bad relay.
Relays are electric switches that open and close circuits, similar to how a normal switch would work.
When your relay gets damaged, the circuit will not open and close as needed, which means your cruise control may not turn on or off when you want it to.
Finally, voltage sources and wiring are common issues that can cause cruise control to malfunction in a Nissan Qashqai.
For example, having a faulty wiring harness or a bad connector can make the lessen or cut the flow of electricity to your cruise control system.
Another example is your voltage source, and normally the voltage source is an issue if there is not enough power being delivered to the cruise control system.
Usually, having a bad alternator or a dead battery may be the cause of a weak voltage source.
2. Brake System
Usually, another major reason why your Nissan Qashqai’s cruise control would have problems is that you have problems with your brake system.
Commonly, having a blown brake light is a cause of why your cruise control would stop working.
For instance, having one or both brake lights blow can disable your cruise control system, but this will depend on the kind of car that you have.
Usually, a brake light will blow out if you have had and used your brake lights for a long time.
Moreover, aftermarketing LED brake lights could also cause your cruise control to stop working.
Usually, this occurs because the new brake lights that you have may not be compatible with your car.
When this happens, your central control module may believe that your brake lights were blown even if they were not, which will in turn affect your cruise control system.
Finally, having a bad brake pedal switch could also make your Nissan Qashwai cruise control malfunction.
Typically, this is because your brake pedal switch is responsible for turning your brake lights on and off according to the position of your brake pedal.
Normally, most cruise control systems are designed to disengage your cruise control system once you hit the brake pedal.
If your brake pedal switch went bad, it can make your cruise control think that you engaged the brakes, which will then turn off your cruise control.
3. Speed Sensor
Generally, a car’s cruise control system is meant to maintain a car’s speed, which means that the cruise control will rely heavily on a car’s speed sensor.
A speed sensor is meant to measure the output of the transmission or transaxle or the wheel speed.
Therefore, speed sensors gauge for when the car would need traction, which is an essential measurement for cruise control.
When you have a bad speed sensor, you will not have an accurate measuring of your car’s speed, which can make your cruise control stop working.
Normally, you can tell that you have a bad speed sensor if you have inaccurate readings on your speedometer.
Additionally, your speedometer may behave oddly, such as randomly shooting up when you are maintaining a normal driving speed.
4. Control Switch Components
Typically, most cars will have the cruise control switch mounted on the car’s steering wheel, and having faulty control switch components can make your cruise control malfunction.
For instance, the steering wheel that holds the cruise control switch usually has a spiral cable.
When the spiral cable goes bad, it can make an open circuit that will keep the cruise control switch from making contact to the central control module.
Therefore, your cruise control would not turn on or off since there will be no relay to the central control module.
Additionally, there are internal contacts in the cruise control switch that can wear out due to damage or prolonged use.
Once the internal contacts in the car’s cruise control switch get worn out, it will not be able to properly contact your car’s central control module.
This would mean that your cruise control would either get disabled or not know when to cancel functions or accelerate.
5. Bad Vacuum Actuator, Hose, Or Cable
For older Nissan Qashwais with cruise control, the cruise control often stops working because of an issue with a vacuum actuator or throttle cable.
Typically, the vacuum actuator will cause the cruise control to malfunction once it is damaged.
For instance, there is a cable that links the throttle to the car’s actuator, and once the cable gets damaged, your cruise control would stop working.
Moreover, a vacuum leak can occur since the vacuum actuator has hoses or tubes in it.
Occasionally, these tubes or hoses can get damaged, so a small hole or tear in them can lead to a vacuum leak.
Once there is a vacuum leak, your vacuum actuator would struggle to work properly, which will then affect your cruise control system.
Typically, you can tell that you have a vacuum leak if you notice that your engine idles a lot higher than normal or if your engine creates a fuel trim code.
Conclusion
Generally, most Nissan Qashqai cruise control systems will stop working because of a problem in the electrical system or brake system.
However, other issues can lead to a malfunctioning cruise control system, such as a problem within the vacuum actuator or the speed sensor.