2005 Subaru - Cruise Control - Pulsates on Downhill

May 25, 2005 10 Replies
A

This post if for my brother-in-law ...



He has a 2005 Subaru and has noticed a change in the cruise control behavior over past years' models. It seems that when going down a hill, the system tries to NOT allow the car to "free wheel", so it somehow 'brakes' the car (perhaps with the transmission) to keep the speed as set. But, there is a competing system that is trying to increase the speed and/or up-shift at the same time. Therefore, he is feeling a sort-of pulsing situation when going downhill with one system trying to slow the car from running away and another trying to speed it up to match the set speed a/o optimum gear.



Is anyone else realizing this situation? If so, has your dealer been able to correct this issue? If so, how?



Thanks! Al B.



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C

Nothing like that on my 04 WRX.

It's under warranty (unless he's done an awful lot of miles), take it to the dealer.

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G

I've had this since day 1 on my '03 Baja with 5-speed tranny. Very annoying to say the least.

Jay M Virginia, USA

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G

I've had a similar experience with my 03 Forester (AT). I find it's directly related to steepness of the incline. When I'm on the coast (FLAT!) or in rolling hills of central VA or NC the cruise control is perfect. Once I hit the sharper hills several hundred miles inland, I take off the cruise control as it tends to make throttle adjustments a little more abruptly than I do manually.

George Bame Norfolk, VA

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A

I had the same experience, loose connection of the gascable in the controlunit.

A.F. Verzijl the Netherlands

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A

This is a Legacy 2.5i Sedan ... with a 4-speed automatic. The dealer cannot resolve the issue, there is no recall, and other models at the dealership have this same issue. One tech thinks an emissions system is tweaking for optimum performance, competing with the cruise "braking" capability.

Stumped :-(

CompUser wrote:

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R

Normal behaviuor - live with it!

Ron

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K

What you are experiencing is the engine braking caused by the cruise control turning the fuel supply on and off. Perfectly normal for most vehicles these days. Some just are a little better at it than others.

-Kurt

AL-B wrote:

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A

Ron,

"Normal" and "Typical" are two very different things. Per this model and year (Legacy 05), it's typical. Per cruise control behavior on downhills, it's NOT normal!

Here is another thread of dissatisfied Legacy '05 owners regard> AL-B wrote:

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H

GM will probably step in and retrofit 2 speed Powerglides to all affected vehicles .... Cheers

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